This morning, we head “across the pond” to the Islington district of London for another just really cool story. We have a little true love, some artistic endeavor, and one of the odd linguistic quirks of life that just thrill me every time I run across one of them.
Tim Bushe is a semi-retired architect who has an aptly-named avocation: he trims bushes and hedges. But not in the way that most of us might think; he is a creator of art in the hedgerow, so to speak. Tim is more of a sculptor, who says he “finds the shape within the hedge” when he works. His list of creations (so far) includes cats, fish, and a train locomotive.
It was actually the locomotive that got him started about 15 years ago when Tim was working in the yard and his wife, Philippa, leaned out the window and suggested he make something interesting while he was at it. She thought a cat would look nice. That’s when the locomotive turned out.
It didn’t take long until a neighbor across the street asked if Tim might do something with his bushes, and Tim complied with the cat request from Philippa, which she could look out and see every day.
Tim and Philippa were married for 47 years, having met as teenagers at art school. When Philippa died of breast cancer in 2018, Tim decided he would carry on his topiary creations in her honor. “It’s her legacy,” he says.
One of his more, um, interesting creations is an homage to the late British sculptor Henry Moore, whose famous work includes a statue titled, “Reclining Nude.” Tim processed the request from his neighbor Polly Barker, who sings in the church choir with him. They were a bit worried (in a British sort of way, I suppose) that the neighbors might be offended, but so far no one has complained. Tim’s hedge work has become famous on Google Maps, with tourists regularly searching out his work for admiration. (You can check it here, somewhere between the Dog Hedge and the Cat and Squirrel hedge.)
Tim does receive compensation for his work, usually around $320 for the initial design and $125 for ongoing maintenance cuts. All of the money is donated to worthy causes, such as the local association that provides services to learning disabled persons. “"My young sister has got Down syndrome, and the people looking after her down in Kent, I decided to raise money for them," he said. "I raised about 10,000 (pounds, or about $13,000) for her."
Bushe said he enjoys seeing the results of his hobby making people smile, and he acknowledged the coincidence of his name so accurately referencing his passion — but he said to him, it feels less like a coincidence and more like destiny.
“People thank me for brightening their neighborhood up.” That’s mainly what motivates him to keep going. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing that people like them,” he said. “It’s a joyous thing.”
Bravo, Tim. Keep on trimming, brother!
We gratefully acknowledge reporting from CBS News and the Washington Post for content contained in this post.
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