Trees...and a lightening strike of an old and great..

Today I was on the way to Sheffield Park Gardens (in the sunshine) when I heard on the local radio that one of their trees has been struck by a lightening bolt in the brief winter storm last Thursday night.  It was 26 metres high being the 2nd tallest in the garden and 125 years old - even older than me :D

Whilst the sun shone gloriously all the way to the gardens it went into hiding the minute I got there!!

I must have somehow changed my camera setting to black and white.. hence the first picture.  However, I thought the building looked quite good in B & W... your views?

It really was quite incredible to see this.  The Head Gardner suggested that it had "exploded" when the lightning bolt struck.  The shaft of the trunk (on the right of the picture) had impaled itself into the ground!!  It was a good two metres long!

 Elsewhere in the garden, fortunately, all was calm

The gardens have many many trees and their structure is wonderful!

Having had lunch (Leek and Potato Soup and, I must confess, a chocolate brownie...naughty but very very nice) I headed off.  The light was really dull now but en route to home I made a detour to Ditchling Beacon.. the sun was coming out very occasionally.

There's one road across the top and when you go down the road on the other side it's very narrow - a speed of 20 mph is advisable!!

The views at the top are staggering.... and I will have to go back when visibility and light are both much better!!

So not a bad day out and quite rewarding.. lovely to get some fresh air and stretch my legs again!!