Thanks for all the replies on this; looks as if I have not chosen the right
time of year. In light of the weather outside that gives me the
perfect excuse for not doing anything for a few months!

However, next summer I will have to do something! We inherited the tree
when we moved in here and although it is very pretty at certain times of
year, forms a good visual barrier of the house behind and gives something to
hang our bird feeders on it is not a tree I am sentimentally attached to.
It is now far too big for where it is (= some idiot planted it in a garden
that would be much too small for it). So, I'll have to attempt a prune next
summer. If it dies it dies and if it doesn't I'll hopefully sell the house
before it gets too big again and it can be someone else's problem!

I will be doing the work myself - I regret that my experience of
tree-surgeons is that as a genus they are little better than vandals with
chain saws; any excuse to use the wood-chipper will do!

Thanks again,

M.