Editorial: Why I had a quiet word with a tree

There used to be a running joke a few years back about how Prince Charles allegedly spoke to plants and trees. And of course, the term "tree huggers" emerged in the wake of some embracing folk believing trees had sensitive souls of some bark-crusted sort.

The comedian and writer Spike Milligan was inspired by such pursuits to write the lines of a song which went - "I talk to the trees ... that's why they put me away".

Well Spikey boy, if that were the case then I should have been placed in a secure room just after 9.20am yesterday. For I spoke to a tree.

A tree I had been forced to "injure" in the name of progress. Namely, to allow water to progress from the street-side mains through a startlingly small pipe into our house.

I like trees, although the variety which has a penchant for dropping its leaves every autumn do bother me a tad.

But trees are important parts of the landscape and without them it would be a spartan, terrible thing.

I clip them and I rake up the summer coats they eventually shed, and enjoy the sounds of the birds who shift in, build a house and raise a family.

However, trees do have some naughty tricks up their sleeves and, while they don't mean to, can throw a fine spanner in the old works from time to time.

It's not what's above the ground, it's what's below.

The roots of one of our leafy tenants had cracked the pipe and, while the plumber chap was seeking out the best fitting replacement part, I sawed another chunk of exposed root away. "Sorry, mate," I said as I patted the tree.

Interestingly, the plumber chap, who was there quickly and toiled away without let-up, told me that Fridays were the busiest days for such events and call-outs. No rationale to it but that was just the way it was, he said.

So, before Friday comes around check out where your tree roots are likely to be ... where also pipes are likely to be.

Because it's often a busy day for the dig, repair and seal-up chaps.