of Christmas Trees (and sealing wax and cabbages and kings)

...

and now the replacement tree does not light!

Pifflebunk!

LATER:

I think this is a day when I should have stayed in bed.

First off, I packed up the Christmas tree and put it in the boot of the car.

Then I reversed out carefully from my parking space as another car was rather close to my nearside. Okay, so I did not touch the car, but I then had to turn sharply as I reversed and I kept a beady eye on my wing mirror to see where the rear of the car was.

Didn't check the other wing mirror, did I?

So, I touched against the corner of the building.

Anyway, off I went to my exercise class to find that it was SHUT!

And nobody said last week.

Chiz, chiz.

Back to Dobbies to find that they had no more of that tree, so I found another small one with holly and bought some white lights (and found a bulb tester, having been told they don't stock them!)

Back home, unpacked the tree and opened the pack of lights to discover they were rather horrible Santa disc lights.

So, back once more to Dobbies where I settled for green cherry lights as the lesser of several evils.

Next thing, I could not open the battery compartment, but eventually discovered, as is so often the case that brute force and ignorance won the day.

So, at last the Christmas tree is up and lit and I have hung all the wooden ornaments again.

I almost forgot to say that I went to the baker for a couple of rolls on my way home. A policeman was in front of me in the queue and I said to him "Is that a kevlar vest you are wearing?" He agreed that it was and so I felt the need to point out that it was not doing much good in protecting his kidneys (which were covered with only a white shirt!)