Strangled

For the past couple of weeks the weather has not been great for gardening. The ground is wet again which makes digging much harder and it's been cold too which makes indoor activities preferable. But as today was dry, a bit of this afternoon was spent tidying up (if you can call it that) in the old field. This in part involved clearing of a couple of stacks from the top of the bank overlooking the burn and sorting their different components - still green wood and ivy to a better location to dry out, twigs and dried out vegetation for a bonfire, larger timber to store for firewood.

While clearing around the hollow tree [15 Feb and 5 Mar], several strands of old fence wire were uncovered. Attempts to pull them out revealed they were firmly embedded in the tree. On closer inspection from the other side of the burn, it was evident that the tree had been used as a fence post in the past, restricting its subsequent growth and creating the crimped profile that can be seen in this shot. The circular wire at the top of the hollow trunk is still visible. What a poor strangled and deformed specimen!