The big cat waits, Sporting fluorescent stripe, And purring sinew of steel. From his elevated post, He watches with laser eye, Choosing only the swiftest as his prey. Tom's treehouse is arranged as a stack of cantilevered platforms, connected to the ground by a ladder made from two long spruce poles. It is furnished with hammocks, a 15 tog duvet, television, video, a faded Persian rug, floor cushions and potted plants. Half the living space is roofed with canvas, so he can choose between sleeping alfresco or indoors.
Friends pop up.
They have parties and barbecues. Tom lights a fire in a bowl-shaped copper hearth made from the base of a defunct immersion heater. Tree houses are very versatile. Anything is possible. Being in an ordinary house is like going back to a twilight zone - it feels so enclosed and unnatural.