With one tree left to put up, it's time for me to post my annual "rogues' gallery photo" in front of our largest Christmas Tree that we erect.
From the left, we have Ian (and his incredible blinding jacket), Claire S, yours truly (the giant), Debra (who runs the Christmas operation), and Claire D (the new kid).
This eighteen-footer is quite a work of engineering to install. First we decorate the top few feet while it's laying down then the five of us get some helpers and get it upright in the pot. Then a bespoke three-legged collar is bolted round the stem and supported with wooden battens. the pot is filled with ballast, then finally the tree is wired to the vertical columns behind. That thing's going nowhere...until New Year!
