Whenever I see some declaration of love daubed on a wall, or carved into a tree, I always wonder if the love it so proudly proclaims is still alive. Did the kind of love that inspired an act of romantic vandalism fade faster the paint on the motorway bridge? Did the wounds to the lovers’ hearts heal faster than the tree that tries to forget the names cut into its bark?

The actor Bill Murray said “When I see lovers’ names carved in a tree, I don’t think it’s cute. I just find it strange how many people have knives on a date.”