Down the lane from the farmyard is a solitary oak tree, several hundred years old.

it’s one of a small handful of old oaks on the estate

There’s another solitary oak in a field nearby

That was once a pair, but its neighbour was cut down and now only the stump remains. You can tell by the tree’s shape that it had a companion as the growth of branches is lopsided.

I work just down the lane from the old one and pass beneath it several times a week. It’s always grown alone, sprouting out of an old hedgerow and next door to an immaculately cared for garden. Its branches aren’t affected by any shade from neighbouring trees.

One morning I was walking to work as the sun rose. It was a beautiful and very cold start to the day and I realised that if I scrambled over the fence I be able to see the sun rise through the branches of the tree.

It was a bit of a struggle as the light icing in the ground hadn’t penetrated deep enough to freeze the soil. The recently harvested field was wet enough for me to sink into but after a bit of plodding I got to just the right spot at just the right moment.