And like a world, this earth and seasons....

Three years ago I took this photo -  it was the smell and the look of the start of Autumn, and Fullarton Woods is the idea place to see the first kisses of the chill air. 

In the inset photo above, Me mam, aged 18 is stood beside the same tree ... she is 103 now so that tree has been there for a long, long time.   Had, been there for a long time... 

It stood proud and tall, and to be honest, quite humongously large in front of Fullarton House - in the olden days, it was the landowners estate... Duke of Portland mibbie (Don't quote me on that).. now, where the House stood, there is a car park; but that tree marks the "entrance" to the woodland, and behind it,the beginning of the Fairy Trail.

A couple of days ago, a large part of the tree fell and the community waited with baited breath to see if the rest of it could be saved. 

But it couldn't;and they felled the rest of it 

I took a stop by to look tonight; and it was quite an ouch moment. 

There is tape round it, and it's difficult to photograph it to emphasis how huge it is, and how sad. I looked at it, and thought of a whale, stranded at low tide.  

I do hope that the council try and do something lovely with the wood - maybe make seats, or tables.

I've just seen a post card on Ebay, dated 1937, with the   tree - as big as it is in Mum's photo - so it must be well over 200 years.   *mum isn't really 103 - but that photo was taken in 1958 )