Before.

I think this elm is around thirty years old, though the first twenty years of its life were overshadowed by a much larger tree.

I once had a conversation with a cooncil official about the larger tree. I phone up to find out what would have to be done to have the thing removed since its roots were burrowing into the basement flat and it cut the light for the rest of us very badly. I told him I wanted to discuss a large tree.

'How large is large Madam? As big as your body? As big as a car?'

I told him the tenement is five stories in height and the tree was well over the roof.

'Yes, I see, yes, that is large'.

Thank you.

Anyway, this mere stripling is to be chopped down and removed by the council today, so here is a 'before' shot.