{"id":1491,"date":"2015-12-13T17:16:26","date_gmt":"2015-12-13T15:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=1491"},"modified":"2017-12-14T15:07:46","modified_gmt":"2017-12-14T13:07:46","slug":"a-tall-tree-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=1491","title":{"rendered":"A tall (tree) story"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This year’s tree – a much more manageable size!<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s nearly Christmas and the tree is decorated and the lights are up – I\u2019m getting in the Christmassy mood! One year though, I bit off more than I could chew …<\/p>\n

It was our third year in the Herefordshire house and feeling flush, Hubs and I decided to get a really big tree. I mean big.<\/p>\n

After doing a bit of shopping one Saturday afternoon, not long before the day itself, we tootled into a Christmas barn just down the road. We\u2019d bought trees from them before. Craig, the owner, was as big as a tree himself and I had a bit of a crush on him, despite (or maybe because of) the fact he was permanently dressed in overalls and woolly hat. (He later turns up as a character in a short story \u2013 check him out in the anthology The Pink Stiletto Cinderella and Other Stories).<\/p>\n

When he clocked us and hearing our request for a really tall tree, Craig claimed he had something really special in mind. I think his actual words were, \u2018I\u2019ve got something huge for you,\u2019 at which I blushed furiously.<\/p>\n

All we needed to do, he said, was drive further up the lane, where we\u2019d find a gate. We were to park up and wait.<\/p>\n

This we did. We sat in the car for a while, enjoying the rural view. Then, getting impatient, we got out. It was freezing! A wind whipped over the top of the hill and sliced through the thin suede jacket I\u2019d thought perfectly fine for an afternoon\u2019s shopping.<\/p>\n

As we turned to get back into the car and go home, a quad-bike towing a trailer roared up the field. A very tall, very bulky young man got off.<\/p>\n

\u2018You the folks Craig sent?\u2019 he asked, in ringing tones.<\/p>\n

Nodding, we went over to him and through the gate into the field.<\/p>\n

\u2018Get on then.\u2019<\/p>\n

As Craig hadn\u2019t said what to expect, we assumed we were being taken, by his hunky colleague, to another barn where the \u2018special trees\u2019 were kept. Hubs and I clambered aboard the trailer and crouched down, trying in vain not to get muddy.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m Shane,\u2019 said the hunk and flung a thickly muscled leg over the quad-bike. \u2018Hang on.\u2019<\/p>\n

You\u2019d think Shane would respect his elders, clutching onto the rail of a trailer being bumped over a sodden Herefordshire field, wouldn\u2019t you? Not a bit of it. Hubs and I were taken on a teeth-rattling ride, at top speed (well, as fast as a quad-bike can go) for about three hours.<\/p>\n

Alright, I exaggerate. It was probably twenty minutes.<\/p>\n

Eventually and thankfully, we stopped.<\/p>\n

\u2018Here we are,\u2019 said our chauffeur.<\/p>\n

Here we were \u2013 where?<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019d stopped in the middle of the field. By now, the light was going. Straining against the dark, I looked round for a barn, or at least some netted up trees ready to be taken to the shop, on the main road.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

Actually, there were trees. Lots of them. And they were pines alright \u2013 and they all had their roots firmly planted deep in the ground. And there was mud. Lots of it. Sticky, red, Herefordshire mud. I tried not to look at my ankle boots. Shane, I noticed, had on wellies.<\/p>\n

He disappeared behind one of the largest trees and returned with a chainsaw.<\/p>\n

The afternoon was now taking a slightly surreal turn.<\/p>\n

\u2018Right guys, you ready, then?\u2019 Shane revved the saw and grinned, his teeth gleaming malevolently in the gloom.<\/p>\n

I looked at Hubs and wasn\u2019t reassured to see him looking as terrified as I felt.<\/p>\n

Shane came closer. We retreated backwards, stumbling over the rough ground. Just what was going on?<\/p>\n

Having visions of the headlines in the local paper shouting, \u2018Couple Murdered in Christmas Chainsaw Massacre\u2019, I prodded Hubs. \u2018Ask him what we\u2019re supposed to do,\u2019 I hissed.<\/p>\n

Shane heard me. His face fell. \u2018Didn\u2019t Craig explain?\u2019 He jerked the alarming chainsaw towards the darkening field. \u2018You wanted an extra tall tree,\u2019 he said. \u2018You go and choose one and I\u2019ll fell it for you.\u2019<\/p>\n

The relief, dear reader, was enormous.<\/p>\n

Hubs and I cast about for a suitable tree. \u2018That one,\u2019 we said in unison and pointed to the nearest. The sooner we chose a tree, the sooner we could get home for a hot coffee.<\/p>\n

\u2018You sure, guys?\u2019 said our chainsaw bearing hunk, doubtfully.<\/p>\n

We nodded, as best we could, as we were now numb with cold.<\/p>\n

\u2018Okay,\u2019 he replied and began to saw at the trunk.<\/p>\n

It travelled back with us, in the trailer, its soaked and muddy branches flailing at our faces.<\/p>\n

Once home we managed, after a fashion, to attach it to a stand and put it up in the hall. It was certainly a tall <\/em>tree. And it was certainly special \u2013 it had a dog-leg bend halfway up and leaned, perilously to the right. To stop it falling over, I tied it to the banisters with some unprepossessing and very unfestive string.<\/p>\n

I looked at Hubs. He looked at me. We noted our cold reddened noses, the smears of mud on our faces, the twigs and dead leaves in our hair. And we agreed. Next year we\u2019d get an artificial one!<\/p>\n

Whatever your tree is like, I wish you a Very Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n

Love,<\/p>\n

Georgia x<\/p>\n

PS To find out how my utterly\u00a0gorgeous Christmas tree salesman inspired a short story, read The Christmas Tree Man in my anthology The Pink Stiletto Cinderella and Other Stories:<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0982\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Pink-Stiletto-Cinderella-other-stories-ebook\/dp\/B012OD77QK\/ref=la_B003VMVXN2_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450015888&sr=1-7<\/a><\/p>\n

For another Christmassy read, try Say it With Sequins:<\/p>\n

\"coplete\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Say-Sequins-Georgia-Hill-ebook\/dp\/B00MLR2JBI\/ref=la_B003VMVXN2_1_10?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1450016373&sr=1-10<\/a><\/p>\n

For a snowy story, read Pursued by Love:<\/p>\n

\"NewPBL\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Pursued-Love-Georgia-Hill-ebook\/dp\/B0037Z6NCO\/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8<\/a><\/p>\n

For a complete break from all things Christmas, don\u2019t miss While I Waiting:<\/p>\n

\"WIWW<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/While-Was-Waiting-Georgia-Hill-ebook\/dp\/B00OFLDV0G\/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8<\/a><\/p>\n

And for a snowy and Christmassy story on the beach, try the Millie Vanilla novellas!<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Christmas-Weddings-Millie-Vanillas-Cupcake-ebook\/dp\/B06XBHN5V9\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513256103&sr=8-1&keywords=georgia+hill<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 It\u2019s nearly Christmas and the tree is decorated and the lights are up – I\u2019m getting in the Christmassy mood! One year though, I bit off more than I could chew … It was our third year in the Herefordshire house and feeling flush, Hubs and I decided to get a really big tree. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[109,289,93,672,15,146,397,403,241],"class_list":["post-1491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-christmas","tag-christmas-tree","tag-georgia-hill","tag-millie-vanilla-christmas-weddings","tag-pursued-by-love","tag-say-it-with-sequins","tag-short-stories","tag-the-pink-stiletto-cinderella","tag-while-i-was-waiting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1491"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2343,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491\/revisions\/2343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}