Well, here we are.  As promised we replaced Colin's Christmas tree, which sadly we had to cut down, by a very fancy 'cryptomeria japonica'.  The Tree Shop at Cairndow is a wonderful place to buy unusual firs, so we felt we should try and buy somethig special.  How to chose?  It so happened that we came home via the Dunoon ferry the other week-end (a lovely journey and well worth trying out as an alternative route to Carradale)  and of course at Dunoon are the Younger Botanic Gardens at Benmore - the arboretum of the Edinburgh Botanics.  If you like gardens and trees, this is a real cracker.  Beautifully maintained, and now with a delicious Victorian fernery half way up a craggy hill.  It was an open day when we went - sunshine, a fiddle orchestra, plants, ice cream - very summery.  Anyway we wandered around and chose 5 trees which we thought possibilities (they are all beautifully named) and tracked one down at Cairndow.  There was another but it was about 6 foot long and the car was already stuffed full with still the dogs and shopping to squeeze in, so we gave up on that idea.

Mike is going to put a wee fence round in case deer come in to have a nibble and we will take good care of Colin's Christmas Tree mark 2.