Trees...

I can appreciate that trees can cause damage to property and you need to check all is well every so often.

Over the years we have removed three trees either because they were dead and past their best or possibly they were not in the best location. We did not need to be told, all removed at our expense.




We have checked over the years with neighbours that none of our trees are a trouble to them or that the light in their gardens is unaffected when the trees are in full bloom.



Over the last few days/weeks we have found out that a tree survey is being carried out, not by the county council, nor the original owners of our property(the borough council, it no longer exists) but by the housing association that took over the running of the properties.

I have a nasty feeling they are going to ask for our trees to be removed. Most are nowhere near the property, most have been cut down so they no longer grow any taller. Once the weather improves and our gardener can tidy the garden again...it's quite ok.

I have resigned myself though that they'll ask for them to be removed and when you rent property and do not own it you have to go along with what your landlord suggests.

I may still seek out a second opinion. I have been told that they are checking out 8,000 properties in the area but I found out today that they asked to look into our garden from a neighbour's garden(they didn't tell me that)and he was told that they are mainly looking at trees that are in street areas. So who knows.




There many trees taller than ours(One I could not get an image of)

Another garden has a whole line of trees on both sides so there must be little light and if any damage was likely, it would happen there.

Over the road there are trees very close to property and they've been there for over 50 years. Maybe it depends on the kind of trees.

Because of the ages of Mum and myself we'll not bother to plant any trees again, by the time they reach maturity we will probably be dead or living somewhere else.

If they have to come out I'll be sorry to see them go...they've survived the worst weather that has been thrown at them and they have given shelter to Blackbirds and Collard Doves they are as I write this.



Over the Years the amount of trees around here have reduced greatly and local wildlife has suffered so when they go on about climate change we have more people ripping out trees, hedges, shrubs etc...and putting paving and concrete everywhere. I'm not totally against paving just when it takes over.

I know what I prefer.

The images are only dark because of the kind of day it is and I haven't used software to improve them. Not because of the trees.

The Census...

I had my form filled in virtually within a day or two of it arriving but I dislike some of the questions as I think I made clear in my earlier blog entry. Some questions are silly, some are intrusive and some you cannot answer properly as to do so you really could do with a box when you are able put more details to explain your answer but the format and reason for a census is for statistics and therefore to make it easier for a computer to scan or however the information is compiled they prefer/like questions that mainly require a tick to represent a yes/no answer.

£480Million for this survey...and they admit the information will be out of date very quickly.

I discovered that the National Health Service have an annual survey of their own where they take a certian amount of the population and ask about income, health, housing conditions and many other social concerns and as it is a yearly survey the statistics are more accurate and shows where money needs to be spent, it appears that survey and the money available for it is to be stopped.

I think given the two the survey compiled by/for the NHS is more valuable and less expensive.

And there is still confusion as to how the census for 2011 should be filled in...