The 'Tree' Sisters


















Naturally enough Christmas in another country presents challenges. None more than that of searching for a Christmas tree. So it was on the 22nd December that BrancoBlogger and the three sisters set out in the car in search of that all-important tree.

BrancoBlogger, having a preference for a 'real' tree, could not have foreseen that nobody in Castelo Branco would be selling them. We were reliably reminded of that old addage 'when in portugal do as the Portuguese do', that is, go to the forest/woods and cut one down! Later in the day having located a suitable tree what followed was one of those 'first in a lifetime' experiences of 'cutting down' a 2 metre high tree with a Swiss Army knife! Not easy, one has to say. Shanti and Jini 'assaulted' the tree whilst BrancoBlogger attempted to 'saw' it with the knife until it eventually snapped. We quickly loaded the tree into the car, somehow managed to get ourselves into the car and drove off in the direction of home.


















Of course there was the elevator to negotiate to get the tree to the fifth floor!