Staverton

December 10th, 67 years on this earth, I visit the ancients with B who comes to Staverton for the first time. But first a theme of trespass. As I walked the dogs across the field to check the tree guards, I watched as a couple with 2 dogs walked up the side of my field. ‘It’s private land’, I called to them. ‘Fuck off’ they said and continued. ‘Is it your land? they returned and when I said yes, ‘There’s nothing you can do. No land is private. You cannot stop us’. And on they walked up to side of the field, and I am left once again to mull over ownership. What did I expect? Some considerate respect, a request to walk? I’d become soft in my old age, and this was an edgy challenge. (During this exchange, Brow disappeared, probably afronted by the shouting. Not at the end of Primes Lane – Pippa checked for me – but a call from Market fields confirmed the dog had arrived there, home of dog food and crossing 2 roads.)

The usual unofficial entrance to Staverton was being renovated, and B gathered the way was via the Shepherds Hut. So it was we rocked up and parked near the Shepherds Hut no doubt on private land, certainly unofficial, and probably trespassing, we parked and walked on.

Staverton shapes of the ancients always surprises. We tried to read them, and realised our ignorance of epicormic growths. From article I found later, the bulbous growths are made by dormant buds just under the bark – epicormics – whose growth may be triggered by damage to the main crown, as when it is pollarded, and these have been pollarded for years. Not only pollarding is a reactive stress, but also heavy defoliation of the canopy such as by moth caterpillars, dieback on ash, or if trees planted in a densely-packed stand respond to heavy thinning, by a burst of epicormics.

The new find was a holly and oak blended into each other. No doubt referencing our own age and proximity to death we observed the last remains of a tree, the bones of oak weathered, the warts remaining.