It’s 1660 and after the death of the puritan tyrant Cromwell the monarchy has been restored under Charles the II.
In the south of England the summer is fading as the land is hastened into autumn.
Jay and squirrels compete in the oak forests for the acorns both burying them in the rich earth in store for the winter ahead.
“It’s cold, very cold and wet” It said to itself “and I can’t see anything.”
This went on for some time although how much time it was unable to say as it had no means by which to measure.
On some days it was impossible to move as the penetrating cold held it vice like.
On others it is awash and almost floating.
Then things felt different it was warmer and it was changing a most peculiar feeling came over it.
There was a tearing sensation and it was moving upwards and it was getting warmer and warmer.
All of a sudden it wasn’t dark anymore.
The acorn had burst forth from the rich earth as a seedling oak.
The seedling felt fantastic and the feelings it was experiencing were like no others it had ever felt before.
Then came the time to survey its new surroundings it was in an open space surrounded by huge oak trees one of which had produced the acorn from which it emerged.
The ground was dappled with golden patches which moved from place to place.
Beyond the huge oaks were more open spaces and more mighty oaks as far as it could see.
In the other open spaces there were more seedlings also taking in their new situations.
But apart from the trees there were creatures of various shapes and sizes some small things with lots of legs too large four legged creatures and other that flew in the air.
Some creatures actually eat the smaller ones.
The very big creatures occasionally trampled the tiny seedlings it was not looking forward to that.
On the whole the seedling thought its new situation was very nice indeed.
However it had not yet experienced rain, hail, wind, fog, and frost snow.
Its now 1760 and mad King George III takes to the throne where he remains for sixty years.
The seedling is now a strong young oak, young and in it prime and does not fear the trampling beasts of the forest.
Its view is still restricted to the surrounding Oaks and clearings although he now towers over the latest crop of seedlings.
Some of the once mighty oaks lay broken on the ground brought down by a combination of age and wind or the weight of snow.
These are now the habitat of the many legged creatures.
1860 and Queen Victoria rules the land and times they are a changing a revolution is taking place, the industrial revolution.
This revolution is driven by great wood burning machines.
The oak is now middle aged and stout it is now among the tallest trees in its part of the forest though its view is relatively unchanged, for now.
Our oak has noticed the air tastes different and there is a sound in the distance that was no there before.
Everything else remains the same the creatures come and go until one day a new creature arrives it is four legged but only uses two the oak does not like this creature.
It smells different, it smells of death.
The two legged one was the first of many but they all had the same smell.
1960 Queen Elizabeth II is on the throne and again the land stands on the brink of another revolution this time its the sexual revolution where the world dives headlong into a spiral of depravity.
The oak stands in a small wood he is the largest and grandest of the trees remaining.
The two legged ones devoured the old forest for their machines which drove their revolution and their wars.
All those many years the oak craved to see beyond the others oaks and clearings now craved only the old views.
2005 Queen Elizabeth II still reigns the land but it is now a land where the people have learned the value of what nature is are resolved to protect what they have left and if possible add to it and are full of optimism for the future.
Our oak now stands a full 70 feet tall and proudly looks down upon a new forest, a young forest of seedlings and saplings.
Our oak is old and tired but it is content that the forest which it knows it will never see mature knows all the same that mature it will.
One day when it has been felled by the wind or the weight of snow and it becomes the habitat for the many legged ones it will return to the rich earth from whence it came those many years ago.
It may well be that once the Jays and squirrels have competed for the crop of acorns it will again burst forth from the rich earth as a seedling oak.
