Don’t you love it when a good day just gets better?

A few weeks ago a friend from Oxford was planning a trip to FP Matthews to source some trees and asked if I wanted to go along. Well its unusual to have to ask twice if I want to look at plants, so I let her twist my arm and I am so glad I did.

Not wanting to be late, I enlisted the help of Jayne my trusty sat nav. The route Jayne took me on wasn’t one I would have chosen, but I decided it wasn’t worth arguing with her (it never is she, always stays so calm). Anyhow we trundled across country via Brockleton, not a place I’ve been before and I was struck by the sheer numbers of mature oaks around the village.

Past Brockleton is the small parish of St Michael where there is a handy lay-by to park. Why this should be of interest to me, I hear you wonder. Well, St Michaels decided to mark the passing of the Millennium like many other towns and villages, with a tree and a bench.

Instead of a millennium oak the good people of St Michael commissioned Artist Blacksmith Peter Crownshaw to create an electropolished stainless steel tree. Each beautiful heart shaped leaf bears the name of a resident of the village. Along with the Millennium tree there is also a bench, fashioned from two solid pieces of oak, it looks out past the tree and over the duck pond across the common (and is remarkably comfortable).

So should you be passing that way I strongly suggest you make use of the handy lay by and take a look for yourself.

(Just in case you were wondering if I made it to the nursery, I did but more of that another time).