The Lightning Tree

Down in the meadow where the wind blows free, in the middle of a field stands a lightning tree.

For some reason the notion of a ‘lightning tree’ struck me whilst out exercising today with MrsB. We had happened upon this sad old tree grimly hanging onto life on the farmed estate of historic Tabley House. A line from the 1970’s song of the same name by The Settlers got stuck in my head on repeat. It was theme tune to the old Follyfoot Children’s TV series. Have recently been re-watching old episodes on YouTube of a 1970 series of traditional country practices presented by Jack Hargreaves and called ‘Old Country’. Maybe that’s where Follyfoot had sprung from.

It was a lovely rural walk through farmland and well distanced from other people. Whilst strictly speaking it was trespass through a non right of way, I would consider it  part of our fundamental ‘right to roam’ and we were harming no one or anything. We did at one point have to delicately step over an electrified livestock fence though, so not sure the landowner would agree.

This farmland is I think part of the Grade II park and garden of the wider Tabley Park estate. There is the grand Tabley Mere and Folly Tower as once painted by JMW Turner to the south west of where we walked - though we couldn’t see it from here. Looking on maps , this part of the estate contains some wonderfully named bits like ‘Botany Bay Wood’ and a winding stream called ‘Serpentine Water’.

One the lock down ends, I think we need to explore some more of Tabley House and estate, but maybe on the right side of the fence as it were.