A tree blocks my path!!!
I pull the car over in excitement. The tree is not exactly blocking my path – it is just in the road a bit. But I have always been quite into this ‘living in the countryside’ thing, and spend my life convincing myself that I have the sort of rugged rural existence epitomised by fallen oak trees cutting me off from civilisation.
On closer examination, it is not quite a whole tree. It is a huge branch.
It seems a good idea to move it and clear the road. There might be a combine harvester along at any minute. The easiest way would be to quickly grab the chainsaw, lop off the thick trunky bit and chuck it in the back of the Land Rover.
I think about this carefully. The plan would be practical if I had a chainsaw, or a Land Rover. I could probably fit some of the wood in the car boot, but then I will not have room for much shopping when I get to Waitrose.
The only solution is to simply drag it on to the verge. Flushed with a ‘doing my bit for society’ rush, I grab the trunk with both hands. It is all wet and slimy. I give it a good heave. It is heavy.
About seven hours later another car comes along. I give the driver a winning ‘I have only just started trying to move this tree and don’t really need any help’ smile. He gets out of his car and moves the tree. I thank him for his contribution.