Out of my tree

I had a tree at the far end of the section. A blue cedar of some sort. It was growing in an old washing machine bowl that Mum planted a little seedling in 17 odd years ago. Somehow it ended up under the plum tree and in against the giant bamboo and there it stayed,largely forgotten except by me each year when I suggested to the old boy that we drag it out and plant it close to the house for a nice outdoor Christmas tree, instead of buying a misbegotten pine bough each year. Each year he said "yes, we must do that".

After the giant Melia tree fell down 6 odd years ago, I suggested we move the cedar into that spot, but it never seemed to eventuate, but I really wanted a big tree out there to decorate, a bit like the huge Macrocarpa we had at the end of the garage when I was a kid that Reg climbed every year to string a huge array of colourful lights on that were visible for miles down the valley. You know, recreating memory Lane stuff.

When Tommy arrived a couple of months back, he took up sitting down that end of the garden on a drum in the sun - I thought he just liked the spot.

Finally, this week, we moved the tree and what a bloody mission it was. The little seedling had quietly grown into a 20 foot monstrosity, a bit deformed and a bit warped (so it really does fit in with this family) from its close proximity to larger neighbours and was hidden around the corner behind stuff that couldn't be moved.

It took a bit of accomplishing using simple physics, several wire ropes, a couple of snapped poles on my arbour and a little red car. Finally, after much huffing and puffing (that was just the car) we got it dragged down near the house, the bottom cut off the washing machine bowl with the angle grinder (it had 3 tiny taproots sprouting from 3 tiny holes in the base) and upright in its new home. Then Ads and I started decorating it with outdoor lights and big plastic bells, santas and christmas trees. It looked great - in the dark. In the daylight it looks forlorn and bedraggled but that doesn't faze Tommy, he likes sitting next to it in its new location, in the rain, casting his eyes up and down the tree whilst rocking gently.

Weird cat.

And then yesterday the bloody thing blew over in a big gust of wind (I refrained from saying "I TOLD YOU SO" at high decibel, it wouldn't have helped). So we picked it up again and with a little help from Muzz who rolled in for coffee at just the right time, got it upright, roped in place and stable enough to light it up again.

OK, so it's not a 40 or 50 foot tall pine wearing a huge garland of lights visible for miles, it's a bedraggled 20 foot cedar visible from the neighbours, but now it has room to spread its roots and branches, maybe it will make up for lost time and if I add a couple of mates in behind it, might one day stand proudly as the only outdoor christmas tree in our little village down here. This year, 3 sets of El Cheapo lights; next year, BIG lights pulsing to music and run by computer. OK, maybe the year after...



In town (well in harbour) yesterday was this



It's the Boadicea, reputedly owned by Australian magnate Reg Grundy. 70 metres long and $146m worth, it's a veritable floating palace. This pic was taken from the opposite side of the harbour as it looks like it's anchored more towards the Mount side, but even from 500 metres or more away, it's something worth driving into town to see.

You can read a little more about it here. If you can't afford to buy your own, you can hire it for a week for up to $US490,000 ($710,000), plus expenses.

Hmm, maybe next year, I have a couple of trees to buy first. And more lights.