Next to our house is large Oak (I think?) tree which has, over last three years, slowly died.

It’s not on our property, but had grown over the house. We had some high winds earlier this year which resulted in a decent percentage of the small branches falling on to our roof and garden. No damage, but it was clear the tree was becoming more brittle and heading towards dangerous territory.

The owners recently organised to have it cut down. This was a sad moment, however I asked for a slice of wood from the tree. Our house sign rotted away a while ago and I had my eye on the wood from this tree. I’m hoping to use this slice to make a new sign at some point as a nice little tribute to the beast that has stood guard over our property for decades.

All I need to do now is figure out how to properly do this, or find someone to do it for me!

The neighbour will be using the wood in their log burner but has offered some to us, too. Doesn’t look like we’re going to be cold next winter, or perhaps the winter after depending on how long it needs to dry for.

One silver lining: it’s now feasible for us to get solar panels!