A hot-air balloonist in England recently discovered this meadow in the shape of a heart tucked away inside a stand of thousands of oak trees. Turns out it was made, secretly, by farmer Winston Howes, in memory of his wife Janet, who died of heart failure at age 50, in 1995. From The Daily Mail:
Mr Howes, 70, said yesterday: ‘I came up with the idea of creating a heart in the clearing of the field after Janet died.
‘I thought it was a great idea – it was a flash of inspiration – and I planted several thousand oak trees. Once it was completed we put a seat in the field, overlooking the hill near where she used to live.
‘I sometimes go down there, just to sit and think about things. It is a lovely and lasting tribute to her which will be here for years.’
He created the wood next to his farmhouse in the months after her death, marking out the massive heart shape with a large hedge.
The entrance to the secret heart is accessible only from a track leading up to its tip.
Mr Howes added: ‘We got people in especially to do it – there are several thousand trees.
‘We planted large oak trees around the edge of the heart then decided to put a hedge around it too. The heart points towards Wotton Hill, where Janet is from. We plant daffodils in the middle that come up in the spring – it looks great. I go out there from time to time and sit in the seat I created.’
Janet and Winston Howes.
Sets the bar pretty damned high, doesn't it?
Posted by: Sara | July 16, 2012 at 09:02 PM
I know, eh? His neighbours are going to have to build secret Taj Mahals in their fields.
Posted by: Steph | July 18, 2012 at 09:46 AM
Oh I love this. Thanks for posting, Steph.
And I love that you are back! Missed you. But not enough to plant meadow of trees, mind you. xo
Posted by: patricia | August 02, 2012 at 04:34 PM
xo to you, too, patricia!
Posted by: Steph | August 02, 2012 at 05:12 PM