Farewell to our plum tree

It’s the end of an era at Casa Anderson. Our plum tree, which already graced our back grass when we moved in to our house thirty-one years ago, has finally given up the ghost. We have known for a while that it was dying, but thought we should let nature take its course. It produced a few flowers this spring and there were even a few tiny plums growing on its branches.
This afternoon James attached his hammock between it and one of the pear trees, as we have done for many years. However, as he climbed into it there was a loud creaking sound and the plum tree came crashing down and James landed on the ground in the hammock. The hammock of course pulled the tree towards James so as he sat on the ground he saw the tree falling towards him. James rolled out of the way just in time, like in a James Bond movie.
Meanwhile Cat, who was sitting in the garden on a Birthday Zoom call to her Mum (and her Dad too), heard the commotion and came running up the garden to see if James was ok. Davie heard it too and fetched Ally and me. I feel rather sad for our plum tree. It has been part of all of our lives for so long; we have eaten its fruit and the cats have climbed on it, and it features in many photos of family celebrations in the garden, going back to when the boys were babies. Farewell noble plum tree.