Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas tree...

The current husband has a real live christmas tree.

He bought this tree five years ago when he was a batchelor in a batchelor flat and when the tree was young, short, bushy, green and healthy.
It generally lives in his parents' garden until each Christmas when he collects it, installs it in his 'pad' and decorates it.
Unfortunately, as with many young and virile things, it has had its day. It's now taller, gangly, straggly, balding (no, it's actually bare from the middle down) and not looking as if it's full of life.

He tried to convince me last night (as I tried steadfastly to catch both flavours of CSI - which were both bloomin' exciting, let me tell you! Oh-wuh! Yes they were! Horatio's being targetted by a gunman as he MARRIES Eric's sister, while over in New York that rip D.J.Pratt(!!!) killed Aiden who was running her OWN investigation on him, but the CSI-ers banged him to rights. man!) that the tree would look fine with some tinsel on it.

My parry: (after the incredulous laughing subsided) "No amount of tinsel will make that sad specimen look festive. I'll be quite embarrased if anyone visits and sees that as 'our' christmas tree. I really don't want a tree that looks as if the squirrels have been at it to be a lasting memory of our first Christmas together."

Him: Do you think if we repotted it and pruned it, it would bush out at the bottom?

Me: "Well, for starters, there'll be no 'we' about it. It certainly won't suddenly pop out new lush green branches in the next four days, no. If you want you can plant it in the garden, visit it through the year and keep an eye on it, but I won't be decorating it anytime soon. If tinsel is your solution, the tree will be covered in the stuff before it looks bushy enough."

Him: stares at tree for further 20 minutes while I do other things
Me: screws up face
Him: screws up face, looks at tree, looks at me
Me: "It is quite sad, isn't it?"
Him: screws up mouth "Hmm. I suppose so."

(praise be - he's seeing sense)

Proceeds to humph the tree outside and position its 'best side' towards the kitchen window.

So I guess we're shopping for a new 'real' tree tonight.

I'd love to go on a rant* about environmental issues and of the significance of bringing a tree indoors - unrelated but both appropriate to today's blog - but time doesn't allow.

Ah Well.

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* sample rant follows
including the environmental impact of getting a tree every year, origins of bringing a symbol of life indoors in the most bleak of seasons, and particularly that the WEATHER - the random, warming, cooling, CHANGING Weather is sponsored by FLY.BE - not even promoting a carbon neutral scheme, but encouraging people to - and here's the irony - get away from the cold weather on a (climate changing) plane - aaaaaarrrrgggh! Hubby: "You really do get wound up about some things, don't you?" Me: "What???!!! Is the outrageouseness of the situation lost on you? Do you not care that the very industries that play a huge part in climate change are sponsoring the weather?


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Number of car park enquiries so far today: never mind that!

Today there were loads of vans, lorries and workmen at the carpark, finishing off the DISSASSEMBLY of the automated barriers! Yesterday I suspected that the barriers were being moved to another part of the car park, but today Graham asked the workies what was going on and was told that "The car park is closed". Not just closed until they sort the flooding problem, but CLOSED permanently.

This afternoon they have angle-ground away the last of the posts and signs, and are just finishing putting up a fence where the ticket barriers have been.

And yes, you've guesed it, there are STILL holidaymakers and travellers being parted from their cash by the pure dead brilliant airport thinking that they have booked in to Car Park 5 and asking us why they can't get in.

Would a short courtesy email to all customers really be too much to ask? It would solve so much frustration and bad feeling.