The stump of the old tree

There are two different areas to the land where we held our retreat. One is the field which is gradually being planted with an interesting variety of trees and bushes. The other area is an overgrown patch of woodland with a stream that runs through it. It is a beautiful green cathedral that has been left untouched for years.

I think this tree stump is prettier and less ominous than the one that Hugh Sykes Davies had in mind.

'In the stump of the old tree, where the heart has rotted out, there is a hole the length of a man's arm, and a dank pool at the bottom of it where the rain gathers, and the old leaves turn into lacy skeletons.'

But I didn't put my hand down to see.