This is the Old Man of Couffy, the guardian of Opening Space Retreat. This grand old oak tree has been here for many years. In fact, we estimate it has been around for approximately 300. It is the main focus of the garden despite their being another six oaks, five weeping silver birches, a hawthorn, some beeches and a grand old ash tree. When I brought Nigel here back in 2007, we arrived late at night, it was pitch black and we struggled through the brambles and nettles, some at waist height, and there we hugged the tree and Nigel said "I've been here before". He felt at home. Since then throughout our renovations when the stress has got too much to bear I have just gone out to the tree and leant back on it and have let it take my cares away which it has always done marvellously.
You can see just how huge the tree is now that we have an old garden roller leaning against it, this roller which we found in Emmaus, an international charity founded in France. The roller is itself made from a piece of oak tree trunk, so it is rather fitting that it rests against our old oak.
The above photo of me, leaning against the old man of Couffy, shows once again how large it is, this picture was taken six years ago and it has grown a lot since then.
It was a very special moment. I was absolutely lost, yet I KNEW that tree, I KNEW I had been here before - past lives, deja vu..whatever, but at that moment, I knew that this is where I was supposed to be.
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