I've lived in my house for 30 years. It's on a corner and next door, round the corner, is a large bungalow with a very large garden. A public footpath runs alongside and behind my garden and it also borders next door.
When we first bought this house the conifers on the side of the neighbours' property were already about 15' tall. There were 6 on the side next to my road and another 5 alongside the footpath, right next to my side garden. I have no idea how tall they grew to be but for at least 10 years my breakfast room has been very dark as the trees were only about 12' away. We're on a hill, too, so their roots were on a level with my window sill.
Anyway the lady next door died about 10 years ago and her husband, nearly 80 then, was left alone. I came home from work one afternoon to find a tree surgeon had cut down 2 of the trees next to me. I saw the old man, Len, later and asked him if the remaining 3 were coming down. He looked at me in horror and said they certainly weren't, just 2 had become unsafe.
In due course Len decided to move to his daughter's home in the North East and he sold the bungalow to his youngest son. He immediately got builders in to more or less double the size of the place; sadly, he's run out of money and a proposed sun room still only consists of a concrete floor, 2 brick pillars and bare roof timbers which must be beginning to rot after 5 years.
Len, the dad, comes down to stay from time to time and always calls to see me. I always mention the trees but he always says they're fine as does the son. I've not made a legal issue of it as I don't want to fall out with neighbours.
Well, guess what!
I got up this morning to the sound of, it seemed, an electric drill. Perhaps it was in the house attached to mine. In the bathroom, though, the sound was louder. It sounded like my grass strimmer so I guessed the chap who cuts the bungalow's grass must be there. Seemed funny as it was raining a little.
Downstairs, I made my breakfast and sat and read the paper. The noise got louder and I looked out of the window. One of the trees had been cut in half and there was a chap with a chainsaw dangling from the stump. Within another 2 hours the stump and the other 2 trees had all gone.
I can't tell you what a difference it has made. The sky is grey and heavy with rain but my breakfast room/kitchen is so much lighter than it's ever been. I'm going to have to put a blind up when it's sunny. I also can't wait for next time I have washing on the line as my lawn/line area has always been in shadow for most of the afternoons.
I don't know what he's going to do about the other 6 trees that line the side of the road. If they go, too, I'll have a bit more evening sunshine but the real thing about them is - they look a bit daft now. He won't be to out of pocket, either, as guess what he does for a living? Both Len and the son are directors of.....................
.............a large timber merchants' business.
When we first bought this house the conifers on the side of the neighbours' property were already about 15' tall. There were 6 on the side next to my road and another 5 alongside the footpath, right next to my side garden. I have no idea how tall they grew to be but for at least 10 years my breakfast room has been very dark as the trees were only about 12' away. We're on a hill, too, so their roots were on a level with my window sill.
Anyway the lady next door died about 10 years ago and her husband, nearly 80 then, was left alone. I came home from work one afternoon to find a tree surgeon had cut down 2 of the trees next to me. I saw the old man, Len, later and asked him if the remaining 3 were coming down. He looked at me in horror and said they certainly weren't, just 2 had become unsafe.
In due course Len decided to move to his daughter's home in the North East and he sold the bungalow to his youngest son. He immediately got builders in to more or less double the size of the place; sadly, he's run out of money and a proposed sun room still only consists of a concrete floor, 2 brick pillars and bare roof timbers which must be beginning to rot after 5 years.
Len, the dad, comes down to stay from time to time and always calls to see me. I always mention the trees but he always says they're fine as does the son. I've not made a legal issue of it as I don't want to fall out with neighbours.
Well, guess what!
I got up this morning to the sound of, it seemed, an electric drill. Perhaps it was in the house attached to mine. In the bathroom, though, the sound was louder. It sounded like my grass strimmer so I guessed the chap who cuts the bungalow's grass must be there. Seemed funny as it was raining a little.
Downstairs, I made my breakfast and sat and read the paper. The noise got louder and I looked out of the window. One of the trees had been cut in half and there was a chap with a chainsaw dangling from the stump. Within another 2 hours the stump and the other 2 trees had all gone.
I can't tell you what a difference it has made. The sky is grey and heavy with rain but my breakfast room/kitchen is so much lighter than it's ever been. I'm going to have to put a blind up when it's sunny. I also can't wait for next time I have washing on the line as my lawn/line area has always been in shadow for most of the afternoons.
I don't know what he's going to do about the other 6 trees that line the side of the road. If they go, too, I'll have a bit more evening sunshine but the real thing about them is - they look a bit daft now. He won't be to out of pocket, either, as guess what he does for a living? Both Len and the son are directors of.....................
.............a large timber merchants' business.
