Life and death

So today I had a busy day, including a trip into Edinburgh which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The camera-phone was out and busy - the sun was even shining, but the two photos that best summed up my day were one shot from inside a basement room, looking up towards the street...

...and then this one, which was actually my first picture of the day. I took it while I was still in bed, when P opened the blinds. The dead trees are what's left of Elms which died probably 30 years ago when Dutch Elm disease was prevalent. They are left here because we live in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which has as little intervention as possible. Dead trees are left to provide homes for wildlife and eventually decay and recycle themselves. We often see tree-creepers and woodpeckers on these ones, reminding me of the intrinsic and even joyous necessity of death for life to continue.