As I dragged the debris clear I was pleased to find that much of the basic structure remained intact. Putting everything back together again took about twenty minutes. The rebuild is rougher and less intricate than the original but stronger.
The winter storms have passed over and now the world feels autumnal. I was crunching the husks of horse chestnut seeds (conkers) as I walked under the tree. The air is warm, the clouds are big, the sun comes and goes, the butterflies are fewer, the bees are dying.
It matters that I should have my fence up because we have horses again. They came earlier than expected because (a word to the wise) they'd been escaping from the field where they'd spent the summer. There are two of them at present: Snowy (who is one of our regulars) and a tiny Shetland Pony called Splodge. My daughter took her dog for a walk in the field and Splodge subjected them to a one-pony cavalry charge.