Christmas Tree.

During the second world war, when Germany swept across Europe, the Norwegian Air Force was welcomed in Scotland and many young men were billeted with local families enabling them to continue their fight for freedom in exile.

Since 1947 Edinburgh and London have each received a Christmas tree as an token of thanks.

There is also a large stone in Princes Street Gardens, on the front there is an inscription dedicating it with gratitude to the people of Scotland from the people of Norway, and on the back a statement that the granite was taken from a fjord and that no change had been made to it's natural form.

I once worked with a Norwegian girl called Trina, and in an attempt to explain to her the connection and history between our two countries I showed her the stone.

'It is a rock' says she,
'Yes, but it is a nice rock', says I rather desperately.
'Oh, we have lots of those' says she.

Pragmatic folk the Norwegians.

Anyhoo' the Christmas tree has arrived, and is on Regent Road..