Saturday 29 September 2012

Something on Saturday

We used to have a wonderful Cedar of Lebanon tree on the green near the entrance to our road. I wrote about it when the heavy snow brought great chunks of it down. Early January 2010.

...

Bit by bit they took the huge branches off as they became dangerous. When one fell from the weight of the snow the other day, it took most of the rest with it. So, they took all the rest of the branches down.

Somehow one feels as though there should have been a ceremony of sorts. I loved that tree. I could see it over the tops of the houses next to ours. It was beautiful in the sunset.


Here is a piece I made inspired by it sometime past. It is in the collection of a museum in Southport.

Fast forward to 2012. One of the community go-getter ladies has won lottery funding to get it turned into a play place for children. There will be a way to go through the tree (for playing house) and animals will be carved in some of the limbs that are sticking out.

This week they started the hole! They need to leave it for the wood to cure a bit to see if it creates cracks or anything before they start on the rest.
There are a few steps up to the hole on the other side. They are going to put a fake door on one side, too.

I am so glad. It was so majestic, kids loved to play 'down at the cedar'. I thought at the time 'I hope they do something with it rather than cut it all down.' I am looking forward to the changes.

I think I will do a new piece when it is finished to celebrate the wonderful tree continuing to give joy and pleasure.

I am linking this to Off the Wall Friday at Nina-Marie's. Sometimes creativity is about the beginnings of ideas or about watching other people's creative efforts and being spurred on to your own.

3 comments:

Nina Marie said...

I so agree that there should be some kind of special "something" for a once majestic tree. My husband - the woodworker - always said he should start a service where he made special furniture out of these trees. I'd love to see a piece to this tree.

Katherine McNeese said...

Please post more pictures as this tree is transformed! this is so cool, I'd go there to play.

Sandy said...

I will take more photos I am sure.
I grew up in the woods in Maine and my dad whittles things from wood. I love living in England (25 years), but especially in the beginning it was very helpful to have the old trees around to connect to.
Sandy