One of the things that keeps drawing me back to this forum is the variety of views that people are able to take of the same scene.
Your opinions on this one are starkly different from mine, which is fascinating. I'd spent some time opening up the shadows on the foreground because I liked the way the light played on the tufts of grass; and I also liked the warmth of the sunlight on the trunk of the tree, which is why I'd not gone for a b&w rendering (normally one of the first things I try).
Thank you, all. Food for thought indeed.
Jeremy