Walking through the woods again, the increasing distance between tree trunks is obvious. It saddens me. It reminds me of my falling hair. The visible ground between the trees is like the scalp that can now be seen between my hair. It wasn’t like this a few years ago. This used to be a very dense forest. It was known to be one of the most traditional woodlands in England. The wise old forest has managed its health and prosperity for hundreds of years but now there is a perceived need for it to be ‘managed’. Every few hundred yards a signpost reads “Forestry Operations”.

We walk past many enormous piles of logs lining the muddy paths. A few feet ahead we are surprised to find daffodils and snow-drops. These beauties are here at least 4 weeks before their time. They seem confused. In fact the entire place seems discombobulated, interfered with, for the sating of greed – a microcosmic representation of what is happening in this country and around the world where under the banner of fine names evil stalks the planet rapaciously consuming all that it desires without consideration for long-term consequences.

How is it that we are made to feel so powerless? How come so much of the world’s wealth is hoarded and it’s beauty shattered? How can we speak of ‘economic growth’ and ‘environmental conservation’ in the same sentence and aspire for both at the same time? Isn’t it blindingly obvious that the two contradict each other in this gorgeous planet of limited resources?

The whole world is mad!