Earlier this week I enjoyed an afternoon in the company of friends as we visited a newly discovered local attraction: The Tree of Imagination. It is situated in the village of Lower Peover, near to Knutsford in Cheshire, which is a short drive from our home town. We discovered it during the summer when our friends took their children and told us how magical it is. So, while the big kids were at school, the little (and not so little) kids went to play.

The Tree of Imagination really is magical. It is an old, damaged tree that has been carved and decorated so that it looks like a fairy house, or maybe a home for Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. My friend and I, along with our three-year-old daughters, were open mouthed in amazement when we saw this beautiful structure standing proud on the junction of two country roads. You really do have to see it to understand. It stands near to an old oak tree, and we set up our picnic beneath the boughs, taking shelter and shade from the burning sun that shone down.

Sitting on the picnic blanket, looking at the Tree of Imagination, my friend and I could physically feel the magic of this beautiful space. It was as though the tree marked a portal through which our fairy friends could enter and be a part of our human world, just for a little while. The tree provides their shelter, their home, and reminds us about the magic that is present all around. Our daughters absolutely loved clambering over the tree and peering into the windows in search of fairies.

My friend had brought along some facilities to provide tea and coffee, and we both sat with our little decorated children’s cups, and pretended that we were having a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, or something similar. Looking at the Tree of Imagination, sipping our cups of tea, eating dainty sandwiches, we were content and happy in our own magical little world. Beautiful!

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