We had to approach the trees from our neighbours paddock (because our grass is as tall as us) and climb through the barbed wire fence. So far so good. One reluctant 17 year old male teen and a happy go lucky 14 year old teen female and myself climb through the fence with aforementioned tools and argue over which tree to pick. I, of course, want the tallest one but the teens want a medium sized one. Yeah right. I win argument as is appropriate.
The Young Negotiator (17yo) has a wallop with the blunt axe first. These majestic yet weed classified pine trees are a soft wood and should cut down easily. The blunt axe chips the bark. I advise we change tools but the Young Negotiator and the Dynamic Daughter must have some unresolved issues with pine trees and continue to hack at the poor thing and only achieving a scarring of the bark.
When their energy is spent I begin with the long handled tree lopper which does cut it but you have to stand back to allow for the handle. We take turns and then it is time to drag the ancient pine (probably 4 years old) up the hill to barbed wire fence. Holy Cow this is one heavy bugger!
Comically we manage the tree and tools through the fence when I decide to go back for a smaller tree for the Old Cheeses (my parents). Groans all round but I do it anyway. The three of us take turns dragging this huge and ravaged tree down the hill again and into the lounge room only to have it fall over as it is too tall for our 10ft ceiling.
To a chorus of "I told you so" the teens complain (17yo) and laugh (14yo) and I send them back outside to hack off the bottom quarter of the tree. Now it fits but is precariously top heavy in our tree stand. It has been decorated with care and I am sure a few complaints.
1 comment:
The tree fell down on Boxing Day just after the Young Negotiator had taken out the last two presents from under it in the afternoon. Not bad considering the angle it had been on. It can go out into the paddock and become one with nature again now.
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