We all have a favourite tree even if it is not a conscious decision. For me gigantic shade trees are my ultimate favourite. Aside from these the one tree which has a special place in my soul is a syringa tree. As a callow youth, Sunday afternoon was the time to visit granny Mac in Albert Street Walmer. In the back yard next to a huge concrete underground water tank stood an enormous old syringa tree. From a young age, my goal was to climb along its sturdy boughs right to the top. Of course the higher one climbed the thinner the branches became and more they would sway.

Trees are a place in which and under which one can find solace and contentment and recharge one’s soul.

I never did climb to the top branch of that tree.

The tree has in all probability been chopped down to make way for a townhouse complex.

More’s the pity as progress first engulfs the forests and then it culminates in eliminating even the individual trees.

My favourite: A syringa tree