The Copper Beech

 Winter a couple of years ago Lib was having cataracts removed at the private hospital in Neerim South when I visited a local nursery as I had time to kill. The nursery I had been to previously when I bought an advanced lemon tree a year or two before as a gift for my friend Maria when she moved into her current house from her farm on the Macclesfield Rd. It saved me $135 to go pick it up rather than delivered.

I'd seen on the website the owner, or one of, was named Crestani. I remembered there was a bloke who lived on the Beacy Rd Emerald who had a laurel hedge at the front and he allowed me to cut foliage from it back when I used to sell a lot of laurel. He was a self made mechanic and panel beater and worked on damaged cars that he bought cheap and did up and sold. He impressed me with his knowledge and generosity so for some years he serviced my van. He sold up many years ago and I recalled he went to Neerim South.

So it was with some glee that I found his daughter was the proprietor of the nursery and I called there while Lib was having her eye op. Had a nice chat and bought a small copper beech as a memento. I took it to the farm the next summer where I knew it'd be watered if we were away. It was still there the next summer, I didn't know where to plant it, no room at home and with dozens of mature beech trees at the farm I would have had to make room for it somewhere to no real advantage.

So it came with us last March when we moved to McCracken. There's really no room here for a beech tree over time as they grow so big. But seeing as we removed a large sycamore in our back yard in the months after we got here we decided to plant it in our little patch of grass where it will one day give summer shade but not reduce sun in winter. While I'm alive and able it will not grow big and trouble neighbours as I'll prune it desired size and shape.

I feel a strong attachment to this little tree. I look at it every day expecting it will burst bud into leaf some time in October as did the trees at the farm. Beech foliage was such a big part of our business, I picked it every week from November to March for forty years. I haven't seen one beech tree in gardens around here so I'm hoping the soil and rainfall will be suitable although I do hold some reservation. Definitely a beech tree is of symbolic value to me. So here's hoping.

The tree is the foreground of the photo. You will notice it's grand final day. I'll post another photo in a month or two if the tree successfully springs into foliage and growth.

Small things can bring great joy.

The Red Gum

When we moved into our McCracken house in March one of the first things I had on my list of things to do was to arrange pruning of the red gum tree growing in the gully adjacent, on the south side of our house. As it wasn't on our property but had limbs growing over our house, I had firstly to find out who owned the gully the tree is growing in, before I could make arrangements to have the overhang removed. The gully is about 10 metres wide and is between us and number 10.

I assumed the local council owned the land and thus the tree so I went there to inquire and get permission to have work done on it. Not so. The lady at the desk looked in her computer and told me it was not council land. To find out whose land it was I had to fill out a form and was duly given the name of a Land Company and an address in Adelaide. It was suggested that I write to them. I asked was that one and the same company as owned the golf course to the rear of our property, which is where the gully leads. It seems to be a man made drain past a few houses and under our road into the Hindmarsh river. They could not tell me that, emphasizing I would need to write to them.

Write to them I did. After doing so I thought I might save a bit of time by visiting the Country Club that includes the golf course, which I did, taking a copy of my letter. The chap in reception told me "No, we don't own that land, it's not our tree." So I went home and waited for a reply to my letter. A few weeks past and after no response I rang the Country Club again and asked to speak to the manager. When I introduced myself, surprised that I was able to get to him after being told he was not available when I visited on the earlier occasion, he said he had my letter on his desk, it had been sent to him by head office.

Now in my letter I had said I was having a contractor remove a tree in my backyard we didn't want, and this contractor said he did work for the Country Club, and he would cut back the red gum at the same time. He quoted $350 to remove completely the tree in the backyard, and $200 for the red gum, which he said he could do with a pole saw standing on the roof. The manager said he appreciated my offer to pay for the pruning of their tree, but because of work cover issues it'd be advisable if they were paying, so get the contractor to bill them for the red gum. OK with me (I'd had a quote from a different company - $2000 for the red gum and $400 just for two limbs to come off the one in the back yard). My contractor said he was busy and couldn't do it till the end of April.

Into June nothing had happened till one afternoon the tree man rang, said he'd had a cancellation and could do my tree today. Yes please. There was only a few of hours of daylight left  and he and his son worked hard and got the backyard tree down safely, no easy job as it was a large brute with branches overhanging neighbour's fences on two sides, the tree being corner placed, and growing right out to our house other side. He was happy I paid him cash, an extra $50 so happy was I, but they didn't have time to do the red gum, and I told him anyway I didn't want anyone on the roof working with a pole saw - I'd had solar panels fitted and they'd broken 15 tiles installing, the tiles are a dodgy sort for walking on. And, I wanted more off the red gum, I wanted limbs taken back further than my boundary, done in accordance with industry standards for best management of the tree. I said it might cost me more but I was prepared to pay myself to have it done properly. He said he reckoned he could get a cherry picker in to do it, so I said OK can you contact the Country Club to get their permission and book me in. I contacted the Club too, and the green's manager said yes OK. 

Weeks went by, no action. Getting pissed off, I ran The Arborman company in Adelaide and booked in an assessment. They said a verbal report would cost me about $260 and a written one $360-500, depending on the tree. I said OK. They don't do the work but would put me onto expert arborists who would. Seeing as it was not my tree and it was as Plan B thinking I'd need another arborist (unknown to the Country Club) who'd be climbing the tree and taking off more than originally discussed, I need to have all bases covered. In early August The Arborman came. He said the tree was sound, he didn't feel we were in much danger from it, but yes, it could do with overhang over the dwelling removed. I asked was it helpful to him if I paid cash and if so how much for a written report. He was happy with $200. He said he'd email the report. It took three weeks to come during which time I wondered if I'd been shafted.

So there I was with a written report which I emailed to the Country Club manager along with a quote from a one of the recommended arborists for 1200 plus GST (total 1320). He agreed (me paying) just wanted to know in advance when work was scheduled on their property. The arborist told me he was coming Friday 17th. Yippee! (His quote was done from the photos the Arborman had sent him and google photos).Blow me down if the first contractor didn't msg me Wednesday morning saying he had a cherry picker booked for the day and he could do our tree later that morning. I said good one let's see what you can do. An hour later he turned up towing a mini crane, a self drive thing that he could get in close enough to the tree from our house side. He operated it from the bucket and had a pole saw for extra reach. He and his son were there for not much more than an hour and when they finished what to me was a great job, amazing, I asked "What do I owe you?"

"$250," he said. I gave him $300. I told him the other quote for the work that was to happen Friday was $1320. He said, "Where's he coming from, Melbourne? I could only laugh and thank him. I cancelled the other fellow who was coming from Adelaide.

All the prunings were left the gully. I pulled them out Friday and cut up the wood. I've given some wood to an old bloke at the back who has a pot belly stove, and left the heavier stuff out with a sign for the young bloke who took the wood from the the other tree a few months ago.

I took all the tops to the tip in Goolwa today, it's a recycling joint so they mulch it up and sell it. End of tree saga. Sorry to be long winded, I had to get it off my chest, before I could move on and write on other things. It's been a big distraction for me for the six months we've been here.