Our changing view across the road

We have good friends and neighbours in both houses across the road from us and have regular get togethers. We have lived in this house for seventeen and a half years. The neighbours opposite on the right have lived here longer and on the left not so long.

The house opposite on the left had a huge walnut tree. It was so big that it filled both the large front gardens of the neighbours opposite. It completely blotted out our view of both houses. Every four or five years they had the tree lopped but afterwards it would regrow to an even bigger size. It has probably more than doubled in size since we have lived here.

About a week ago we got a whatsapp message from our neighbours opposite on the right. They said that this time the tree was being taken down. They said it was sad to lose an old tree but it had become unmanageable. The tree roots were lifting the tarmac on their drive and they said next door had very kindly said that it was time for the tree to go.

I have taken before and after photos of the tree in the past so hadn’t this time until I realised it was now going. By the time I took the first photo a chunk of the left hand side of the tree had already been removed, which had spread out to the left side of the hedge.

We have also seen the hedge opposite strimmed many times over the years and that too soon grows back bigger than before.

Yesterday our neighbour’s dad started to take a lot more out of the hedge than usual. We assume this is so that as well as reducing the height it will also reduce the width. It will of course start to green up again in the spring.

The view across the road is now quite different. We have said that we could now wave to each other from the windows. They also said they may now need some net curtains.

I felt that such a huge change would be good to be recorded to look back on. I can imagine us saying in future that we remember the giant walnut tree.