The young trees on Church Road are particularly well mulched – a radius of a metre or more, protecting them from the surrounding grass.

I had been impressed at the diligence of the County Council; usually they plant things and then leave them. Care of Church Road means flying up and down on a ride on mower, cutting down everything in its path. Eight years ago we had fine pavements and cycle lanes, on the north side of the road the pavement section has been almost completely overgrown at some points, leaving pedestrians to walk in the cycle lane.

The youngest trees are ones planted to replace those wantonly destroyed by vandals. They are very fragile and need a lot of nurture.

Walking our dogs at the point of darkness the other evening, a man pushing a wheelbarrow emerged from a lane and crossed the dual carriageway to a particularly frail looking tree. John leads a truly ethical life and it should perhaps have not surprised me that the trees being nurtured were the ones closest to his cottage. He explained that, without the mulch, those cutting the grass ran right up against the trees, damaging the bark.

Looking at the mulch tonight, I thought how much joy there must be in doing something good and positive and useful in life; doing it for its own sake because good things done out of sight and with no motivation other than to make the world a better place are the deeds God seeks.