Saturday, October 20, 2012




I was greatly saddened this morning to hear the sound of chainsaws outside my home. At first I'd thought it was just some pruning of the trees by the road, but looking out my windows, I saw that it was in fact the beginnings of the complete destruction of the last parcels of forest that once carpeted this entire estate.

These trees have been here since I was a child; they used to grow so thickly together that you could barely make out what was beyond the first few rows. The whole place would be alive with the sounds of birds and frogs and crickets and numerous other animals scurrying secretly within the foliage. Everywhere it was a deep, deep green, and the air would be so cool and smell so clean.

And now, the incalculable greed of developers and investors has bulldozed its cruel way in. I had in fact written to a certain minister with regard to this, not once, but thrice; almost needless to say, I did not even receive a token letter of acknowledgment.

For those of you who are so blessed to live surrounded by nature in all its life and splendour and beauty -- relish and delight yourselves in it, be daily thankful for it, do all you can to preserve it.

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I'd taken these photos when it first became obvious that even this last patch of forest had been condemned. I felt we simply had to have some record of what it looked like. I didn't want my kids to forget.

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This picture kinda captures what it's all about.

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When I was a child, there used to be a tiny village in the midst of all this jungle; the people had little thatch-roofed homes, and raised their own chickens. I used, in fact, to play with a boy who lived there, a little ragamuffin who never spoke. They all disappeared when the land was taken for the construction of block after block of apartments.

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Ro is still too young to fully grasp that what we'd just walked through would all be gone. As it turned out, it was in fact our last walk through there; the very next day, they started boarding it up.

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Goodbye.

25 comments:

Sulky Kitten said...

Oh I hate when that happens. And it's not as if they replace the trees with something nice.

Gloria said...

This is sad. A refuge of greenery and woodland that remains for children to know and enjoy and for adults to protect, I hope they don't all disappear.

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

That is truly sad. We keep tearing down the beauty around us and creating a cold, harsh, concrete jungle. And then we go out looking for greenery because we crave and miss it. It's crazy. That video is gave me the chills. It reminded me of all the green areas that were destroyed in my old city when I was growing up, and there were plenty of them at that time. Now, those areas are just filled with building and roads and businesses.

AntiquityTravelers said...

Oh Janice! I know how hard you tried to stop this, and so sorry to see it go! I saw pictures from other parts of SE Asia where they are putting back in trees to urban landscapes via huge vertical forests because we do in fact need these lovely plants!

Unknown said...

I am so sorry to hear this. My little guy saw the pictures and was sad. He doesn't like the idea of your trees being removed either.

Audrey said...

Oh gosh, that is really, really sad. It just changes the entire feel of the place and wipes away so much nature. I hardly know what to say because it is truly a travesty.

Unknown said...

It is very sad watching that tree cut apart...I am very sorry to hear this dear Janice.

My Amazing Days said...

I hate to watch trees being cut down. It's so sad. Doesn't ANYBODY understand that trees let us breathe? Poor trees. :(

Venus-Suburbia Soup said...

I'm so sorry. I've always dreamed of one day living amongst nature and to see this breaks my heart.

CraveCute said...

This is so sad. It is all about greed! Some areas require the developers to leave a certain number of trees intact or make them replant other trees. Still... it will never be the same again. Just think of all of the creatures that called it their home. Now displaced many will not survive in this new environment.

Miss Val's Creations said...

That is so heartbreaking. I actually cringed seeing the tree limbs being cut. My parents' street was the same way. There was a lot of woods there as a child but during the 1980s much development occured. :( Luckily they still have a working farm across the street with cows and such and woods behind them. My property has woods behind it to the end of the property so it makes me feel good knowing that is protected. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve the woods.

Gail said...

That's so sad - Unfortunately it's the way of the world today, ever growing and ever 'developing'.
Memories never fade though so hold on tight to them.

Beth said...

Oh, Janice...I'm sorry. So heartbreaking to watch the slow destruction of the grand old tree in the video. We've had a lot of that here in the North Carolina mountains, mostly to build huge mansions for rich people. One of the few positive things about the recession here in the U.S. is that most of that kind of building and land clearing has stopped. I'm sorry about the loss of jobs it caused (especially with a husband who is a carpenter), but there is certainly a bright side in all the trees and forest and mountainsides that will be preserved.

A Very Sweet Blog said...

i hate to see that! there's too much of it going on and a lot is unnecessary. so sad!
http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Kay G. said...

OH, I am sorry, I hate it when trees are totally cut down like that. You would think when they build something that they could save a least a few trees!
Find somewhere near and make it into a nature preserve, that is our only hope in the USA.

willowday said...

Heartbreaking!

Katie Frank said...

what a lovely photos <3. this baby is too cute! x

Audrey Allure said...

So sad to hear that -- I live right by a big park with hundreds of trees, it would be unimaginable to see it without them!

Allison said...

awwww how sad! I always hate when things like that happen. I know that things change and we have to develop but I always thing its too bad when we get rid of forestry, and I'm sure it's especially hard for you, since you have childhood memories.
:)
Allison
A's Fashion Files
Shop Kawaii Kitsch by A on Etsy!

Almost Precious said...

Sadly, yes, it is all about money. Developers purchase prime real estate with the intentions of profit and give no regard to nature.

Our planet Earth is finite and so are its resources we can not continue to grow and over populate our world. Each living being requires so many things . . . such a land for homes, offices. schools, hospitals, shopping etc. A person needs food, materials for clothing, furnishings, electronics . . . the list is endless. And all of it comes from Mother Earth.

How long mankind will be able to live on this planet and continue to pillage its resources is anyone's guess. Though I'm pretty sure that if we don't change our ways, the future of humanity looks rather bleak and unpromising.

sanae said...

How terrible - I'm so sorry to hear about this. Our natural resources keep getting scarcer and it's really a travesty that they're not getting preserved. How brave and proactive of you to continually write to the minister!

Elena said...

I hate when this happens. Truly gut wrenching hate...

Triniki said...

WOW, I LOVE YOUR WORKS!!!!!

Brooke said...

Wow. So very sad. With each limb that fell my heart sank deeper and tears welled up in my eyes. I know there must be progress, but at what cost? Bigger, faster, cheaper, more...its dizzying and heart breaking. Thanks for a great reminder of what should be cherished. I dont think we are good stewards if our Creators work. Xo

CHELSEA ST PIERRE said...

oh................my heart goes out to you, we i London try so hard to preserve ny green space we have, there is so much Law to protect our green, we are truly blessed!!!

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