BatiArb

Hi all.   I have given Steve some of my old articles, which he will be publishing progressively on the new site.  I trust you will find them still relevant.  ;-)   

I have to say that most of them were written 10-15 years ago now and some may be older than that.  I am planning to revisit the topics and will be adding to some of them.   I am also exploring opportunities for co-authoring other articles for publication.  

Just made this years batch of Strawberry Jam as well so will have something to go with the home made scones......

Cream Tea

Probably more to David's tast. He is not one for the real ale, but that will leave more for us.

Cass,

Great to have you contributing here.

Looking forward to a pint when you get over here later in the summer.......

We must also catch up with David Londsale and get a seminar aranged.

I should be able to send you something shortly.

Bleeding canker is something that can be surveyed very effectively with Thermal Imaging, and Marcus and I are currently working on a case study to promote this.

Long and short of it, is that it looks a whole lot worse than it actually is.

All really depends on the location of the cankers and their relationship with other structural features within the tree

Andrew

David,

Funeral went very well on Monday, and I managed to play my part without too much drama. The months of preparation have certainly helped enormously, and now I feel stronger than I have ever done, but need to regain my focus and establish my direction.

So getting back into things now and beginning to work out what has changed.

I have put a great deal of effort into my own personal perspective on life and my relationship with mortality. Now my issues are not actually with my own life but with other people’s perceptions of it.

We live in a strange world where 'modern' (Western) society has lost its relationship with death and the natural mortality of the human race. As such people generally do not know how to handle it when it happens to them or others that they associate with.

I was lucky to have been given the time to face the inevitability of the situation and the ability to prepare myself for it. As such I am in a much stronger position now than I have ever been in the past. I also feel incredibly privileged to have been given the opportunity to experience the last years of my wife’s rewarding life.

This is a time of massive change and I am very receptive towards it. And I do not just mean my own personal circumstances, there is something much much bigger going on, that is only apparent through the ripple effect.

Maria, passed away on the 31st October, which is a significant date in itself, and I also believe it was her choice to do so. She was at home in bed with me and both her mother and sister had been to visit that day. She had reached a stage where her illness was depriving her of virtually all her independence and I do not believe she wanted to persist any further.

I spent last week preparing for the funeral that was on Monday, so now I’m spending this week getting back into life and working out what has changed, and more to the point, how I work forward from here.

Andrew

"Just so there's no embarrasment or misunderstanding, you should know that the Manager has got Arboraeration in this week doing some work around the woods."

I would be interested to know how Thermal Imaging could be incorporated into the ArborTrack survey schedule.

Do you have a better idea of your meeting time, as in when you will be back at Highgate?

It will be good to catch up with Cindy again and meet Rebecca, so I am sure we could start without you if necessary.

Andrew

Yes, preparing for the funeral this morning.

Not easy, and I am practicing my tribute.

Maria was so many things to me, my closest friend,

my partner, my mentor and in many ways my teacher.

And like any great teacher she knew how to give me the strength

to do things for myself and she stood by me to catch me when I fell.

They say opposites attract,

and this balance is a natural part of life.

Maria and I celebrated our differences

and embraced with passion the similarities that united us.

Great teaching requires great patience,

because the lesson is strongest when we learn it for ourselves.

Maria knew I would need help to survive without her,

to do the things that I relied on her for.

So like the teacher she was, with her gentle encouragement,

I was given the time to learn for myself.

I am convinced that Maria knew when she had done her job,

and she left this world confident in the knowledge

that her work was done.

The timing of Maria’s passing is significant in many ways…..

Autumn is a time of seasonal change….. a time for reflection……

a time to appreciate the vibrancy of life…….

And a time to draw in the energy from a season of growth….

in preparation for renewal and rebirth….

Nothing Lasts,

But Nothing is Lost

There is only Change,

And with Change comes Opportunity.