I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
But only God can make a tree.
Joyce Kilmer
Trees have fascinated me since I was a child. Without realising it,
I've looked at trees with awe and admiration. I look at the colour,
shape and the way the branches form and the sheer beauty of trees.
It was only when the children got older and could have a conversation
with me that I became conscious of my love of looking at trees !
They would say, "Mummy, why are you always asking us to look at trees?"
Maybe due to my enthusiasm, my son Joshua starting crying one day
when he came home from school and found the Land Transport Authority
had cut down some beautiful old Raintrees outside the entrance to our home
and all the way down to a major road.
He did what I'd wanted to do all day when I heard the
electric saws going. What would happen to all the little baby
birds, the beautiful ferns and the tree itself ?
In the mornings, the rays of sunlight would come pouring
between the leaves and branches of the beautiful old trees.
It was a truly wonderful sight which I will always miss.
The trees had been there long before I was born. They were
bothering no one, in fact they'd given us shade for the ten years
we've been living here and they're a wonderful sight, those
magnificent rain trees. Joshua was echoing my thoughts.
In 1981, on a visit to San Francisco, I went to the Land of
the Redwoods. It was an unforgettable visit for me. I shall never
forget what it felt like being in that forest amongst those tall
old trees.
Treetops Walk, Western Australia
In December 1997 on our annual holiday to Western Australia, we
drove south to Pemberton where we visited the Karri Forest. There
we visited the Tree Tops Walk. It was a wonderful experience. Nothing
on earth could persuade me to go up the Eiffel Tower in Paris, a cable
car in Hong Kong or a bubble lift anywhere in the world. I have a fear
of heights.
The children enjoying Treetops Walk
But, the sight of those trees made me forget how high up I was going!
Treetop walk really is a walk on metal bridges linked and gradually
rising up to the tops of the trees. It was exhilirating looking at all those
magnificent trees close up.
and the trunk of a fallen tree in the foreground
We in Singapore are very fortunate to have lots of trees and
parks although our city is highly urbanized. I can imagine
what it would be like to live in a place bereft of trees
because I spent two years in a place where there were hardly
any. It could be depressing to look out on a landscape of
buildings and browns instead of greens.
Children and trees belong together and I had the pleasure
of climbing trees when I was a child. Unfortunately, not many
children have the oppotunity nowadays, however I make sure
that my children get a chance now and then to climb a tree.
Its amazing how they take to it.
In the
Botanic Gardens in Singapore, there are lots of
different plants and trees. Some have been there for generations.
There is one tree in particular that I and probably a few
generations of others love. It is a Tembusu tree. We climbed and
played on it as children and now our children and in some cases
grand-children are doing the same. The branches of the Tembusu
tend to grow out at an angle, horizontally,and this results in
beautifully shaped large trees with branches on which you could
spend a lazy afternoon.
Beautiful Stories of Trees
The Three Trees
A story of hope and faith - author unknown
There is a great variety of trees on our little island of Singapore.
One which grows just about everywhere on the island is the Raintree.
Its name comes from the fact that when it rains, the leaves of the
tree close. A great number of these trees are very old and not
planted by man.
Several roads in the western and central part of the
island are lined with Raintrees. The foliage of this tree are thick
and form an umbrella over roads and pavements giving shade and
in many cases shielding apartment blocks from the noise of traffic.
Another of my favorites is the Flame of the Forest. Its a large tree
like the Raintree and its flowers are a brilliant vermilion. When in
bloom, they are a sight to behold.
In an effort to provide greenary and shade and to soften the city scape
the Singapore parks and recreations department have done a fantastic job
of planting trees whereever its possible. One of the most commonly found
of these trees are the Angsanas.
Angsanas grow quickly and have thick and abundant foliage.
Unfortunately, I have read that they are also susceptible
to a disease which attacks Angsanas. Because of this, there are now a
bigger variety of trees being planted and I have honestly not seen a
tree that I do not like.
To break the monotony of greens, colour has been provided by planting
more more flowering trees. After the rainy months of November December
and January we get absolutely brilliant displays from our flowering trees
due to the sudden intense burst of sun and heat. I love these tree-shows
and am always moved to thank God for the wonderful gift of trees.
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