After a morning playing Santa Claus, Carol and I decided to get some much needed exercise clearing what is hopefully the final dump of leaves this year from the nearby oak tree. It hangs over our house like the sword of Damocles and is our biggest single source of outside maintenance. Vast amounts of very cold, very wet leaves that, having stopped clinging tenaciously to the branches, now cling tenaciously to our path, patio and lawn. It’s a little early this year, normally waiting until the week before Christmas to shed its last leaves. The back-breaking task was finally finished by about 3:00 PM and one car load, all but two sacks, of leaf litter has been taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre by the good little citizens that we are. It is so tempting just to tip the leaves into the woods beyond our property line but, so far, we haven’t weakened. That would reduce our carbon footprint, though, wouldn’t it? Hmmm.
At least now we can see the patio again and we stand a chance of barbecuing the goose on Christmas Day. I cannot believe that Keith and Marlene travelled over here with two bags of wonderful Kingsford charcoal briquettes (if only they were available in this country) in addition to five weeks worth of luggage. With such devotion above and beyond the call of duty, I’m honour bound to barbecue the bird, even if it pours with rain on 25th December. If the current weather pattern is indicative, it probably will.
I thought British charcoal was supposed to be the best in the world – this is as bad as finding out there is no Santa.
No Santa? Ye Gods, what are you saying? 🙁