Country diary: Once upon a time this tree I planted was shorter than me

Wakefield, West Yorkshire: In 1988 my school decided it would create a wood from scratch ? now I?m back to visit I didn?t know if it would still be here. It?s been 34 years. Gary, the school caretaker, meets me at the gates. We walk across a car park and a hard court for tennis and basketball; there?s a little artificial football pitch on the other side, and up ahead of us is a row of allotments. Beyond that, there?s a fence to mark the start of the wood. I really do remember when all this was fields.?Which one?s yours?? Gary asks. Continue reading...