A Christmas tree ...

This Christmas has a bittersweet taste. For the first Christmas since 1990, Cath and I will be spending Christmas without any close family around. Of course this situation is no different to that faced by many, if not most, people in this rather extraordinary year which even in its dying throes continues to wreak havoc with carefully laid plans. 

In our case, the circumstances this year will be slightly better than in 1990.  Back then Cath and I were absolutely broke newlyweds living in Scotland. Cath was working as a junior house officer at the Ballochmyle Hospital outside of Ayr, near Glasgow, and was rostered to work on Christmas Day. Ballochmyle Hospital was established as an emergency facility in 1939 and, apart from a grand old house, it consisted of a series of wooden huts that looked more like the film set of “Battle of Britain” than a hospital. I hung around the hospital quite a bit to keep Cath company in case she managed to grab a minute off. As I recall, it was a freezing December on the Ayrshire moors.  One day I particularly remember, the mercury dropped below -10C and I rather foolishly tried to defrost the car with hot water, only to have it freeze again immediately. (Interestingly, I just Googled ‘coldest temperature recorded in Ayr’ and found -10C on 26/12/1990!) While this year we are once again alone, I think it is safe to conclude that our log fire will largely be for show. 

This year trees are very definitely the theme of our Christmas and hence the name of this post. Nothofagus is the genus of beech trees native to the southern hemisphere. In particular,  the nothofagus gunnii  is Tasmania’s only native deciduous tree – it is rare and quite difficult to grow. We have searched in vain to find one. However, we were out and about in Geeveston the other day when we came across a beautiful tiny specimen of nothofagus cunninghamii – also native to southern Australia –  for sale. We bought it immediately and have planted it in a pot to nurture for a while. Although it is not truly deciduous, its leaves start out golden and slowly turn dark green as they mature. Moreover, the shape of the smallish leaves is absolutely exquisite. So imagine Cath’s delight when she discovered that a Tasmania jeweller has created a series of pieces inspired by nothofagus foliage. No guesses as to what her Christmas gift is!

Nothofagus cunninghamii

For my part, I have been obsessed with the golden elm tree for quite some time. Its golden-green foliage can be seen for miles around and it also puts on a spectacular autumn display. So my Christmas present is a lovely golden elm which now stands proudly in the front garden in close proximity to our copper beech tree. I can’t wait to see them as established trees with the purple leaves of the beech contrasted with the almost lime green foliage of the elm. As an special treat, I was also given a variegated silver elm tree. It also stands close to the copper beech and the golden elm. What a trinity they will be.

The golden elm

This is our first Christmas on Cracroft Farm, but I can only hope that there will be many more as I can’t think of a more beautiful spot to relax and be thankful for so many things. It is stark contrast to our time living in Ayr in Scotland, where we moved soon after Christmas of 1990. If I were being charitable I  could describe the hospital accommodation we were given as rudimentary: in fact it was more like a minuscule, draughty prefabricated caravan on bricks. The accommodation was in the grounds of Seafield Children's Hospital in Ayr,  Our view of the grand old house which served as the hospital was very much like this photo taken in 2017, although, sadly,  it appears that the building has become derelict.

Seafield Children's Hospital 

Our little prefab cottage was, however, only a stone’s throw away from the Brig o’ Doon which is immortalised in Robbie Burn’s poem Tam o’ Shanter. This year I guess it is the lines of another poem by the Bard of Ayrshire penned in 1785, which seem particularly relevant:

“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”  (Robbie Burns “To a Mouse”)

A joyous festive season to everyone and hopefully 2021 will allow good plans to made with some degree of certainty!