Wellingtonia 30

After a number of false alarms and near misses, have finally made it to Wellingtonia No.30, a young tree in the middle of the roundabout at the entrance to Bockett's Farm (reference 2). This last being a place intended for families with young children, rather than farming. I thought we had made an exploratory visit ourselves, but there seems to be no record of same.

In the same part of family leisure space as the rather nearer Hobbledown (reference 3), once the farm attached to the Epsom cluster of mental hospitals. Perhaps noticed as there were some children in the frame to provide an alibi.

In the bright sunlight, I could not see what I was going with my telephone, so thought I would take my snap from the shady side of the tree. First problem, getting onto the roundabout, at this reasonably busy junction. Second problem, getting a reasonable amount of tree in the snap without falling off it again. But the telephone does seem to have coped with having the sun behind the tree. And I am pretty confident that it is a Wellingtonia.

The roundabout was also home to an impressive range of wild flowers. Hopefully the council won't feel the need to cut them down too fast. One cut at some point during the summer ought to be enough to keep things shipshape.

PS: thinking of Hobbledown reminds me of the nonsense whereby, in the 1960's, mental patients were stopped from working on the farms attached to many mental hospitals on the grounds that it was either or both of slave labour and taking the bread out of the mouths of honest farm labourers. So they were shut up on their wards instead.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/03/wellingtonia-29.html.

Reference 2: https://www.bockettsfarm.co.uk/.

Reference 3: https://www.hobbledown.com/.

Reference 4: http://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/08/hobbledown.html. Visit to same. As opposed to peeping in at the camels and nilgai through the western boundary fence.

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