My tree of the year

Having been underwhelmed by the 2016 winner and the 2017 contenders Ive decided to give this plucky survivor in High Borrowdale my own award.

This morning was wonderfully autumnal, bright, bold and blustery - the sort of day that tells you straight to your face that change is coming. In the sun it was short sleeve order, in the shade it was wrap up warm, the mixture of both was just right. As we walked through the remains of ancient woodland in the clearings we could see the genesis of new - more than a thousand trees have now been planted here. This is still the best one though.
I'm aware that these will be my last walks for a goodly while - I also know that at her grand age every walk with pooch is a blessing to be savoured. So we ambled along, companionable silences mixed with one sided chatter and the occasional howl of glee. We stopped at little bridges, odd trees and things worth a sniff - and we saw not a soul. Our own little piece of Eden.