Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

A Tale of a Tree

by admin - 22:53 on 20 December 2010

Christmas in The Rural Retreat began ten days ago, just before Matchgirl's most recent Shetland jaunt

Before she left, a tree appeared and was decorated – a task which involved the traditional Cursing of the Festive Lights; they insist on tangling themselves, it seems. Two jolly red-and-white stockings were hung at either end of the curtain rail and the gaudy, sparkly reindeer (Graham Norton would love them) left to graze beneath the tree. The herd seems to grow every year.

In her absence I was left strict instructions to ensure that the tree's water supply was replenished every day. So on the morning of her last few hours away, as I drove towards another fun-filled shift at GNoME HQ, a feeling of doom fell across me when I realised that I'd forgotten to water it at all.

Matchgirl took the news quite calmly, and when she found water still in the tree's reservoir all seemed to be well. I'd got away with it.

But maybe not. Matchgirl claims to detect a droop in the tree's branches, and a shedding of needles that's ever heavier than usual; the Yuletide sacrifice isn't drinking much, either. The tree still appears healthy to me (well it would, wouldn't it) but Matchgirl fears it might not last until Christmas and certainly won't until New Year.

That's why she was in Howdens today, sizing up the artificial trees with a view to a long-term investment. The one that caught her eye was black.

Nothing's been bought. Yet. Which is just as well. Storage for eleven months of the year could be a problem, although I'm sure that the mice in the outhouse would welcome something new to get their teeth into.

At least Bess has left the tree alone, although she has been seen giving it some very thoughtful stares. She may have seen the latest Simon's Cat video...

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