Note: This story, originally featured in the news in July 2012, is being republished.
Seventeen years ago, Howard Howes lost his wife Janet. In the months following her passing, he embarked on a touching tribute by planting thousands of oak saplings across a six-acre field adjacent to his farmhouse. Amidst these saplings, he created a heart-shaped meadow with its point directed towards Janet’s childhood home.
The existence of this secret heart-shaped meadow came to light when Andy Collett, a 42-year-old hot air balloon enthusiast, flew over the area and captured its beauty from above.
Reflecting on his tribute, 70-year-old Howes shared, “I came up with the idea of forming a heart in the clearing of the field after Janet died. I thought it was a wonderful idea – a sudden inspiration – and I planted several thousand oak trees. Once it was completed, we placed a seat in the field overlooking the hill near where she once lived.”
“I visit there sometimes just to sit and reflect. It’s a beautiful and enduring tribute to her that will stand here for years,” he added.
Howes owns a 112-acre farm near Wickwar, Gloucestershire. He married Janet in 1962, and she passed away from heart failure at the age of 50 in 1995.
The heart-shaped meadow is accessible only via a track leading up to its apex.
“We brought in specialists for the job – there are thousands of trees. We planted large oak trees around the perimeter of the heart and decided to encircle it with a hedge as well. The heart faces Wotton Hill, Janet’s hometown. In the center, we plant daffodils that bloom in the spring – it’s a sight to behold. Every now and then, I go out there and sit on the seat I placed,” Howes explained.
“I even flew over it myself about five years ago,” he added.
Andy Collett, speaking of his remarkable discovery, remarked, “I fly my own balloon regularly, but this was the most incredible sight I’ve ever seen from above. It was a perfectly shaped heart hidden from plain view – you wouldn’t know it was there.”
“You can just imagine the love story,” he added.
Sources: Daily Mail
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