Pots - Starting the discussion...

We finished the talk last night and cleared the hall. As I was packing the car (its a bit like a jig saw with everything going in to a pattern or having to leave things behind) when a secondary conversation picked up an earlier point.

Bob Bailey's Juniper at Noelander's Trophy 2006(?)

Suddenly there were 10 of us stood around my car talking about the finer points of pot selection. GHU at one point I was even accused of being an expert, whatever next.

We talked about colour and why it was important to think about when you would be displaing so that leaf and colour worked, shape, size and all the usual bits. We even touched on masculine and frminine properties.

Tony Tickle's Hawthorne as displayed at the EBA Convention 2007 in Vienna

Why a cascade, why a sypathetic blue, why cream, why cut corners and all of the other whys?

This is a conversation that is about bonsai fashion, tradition and the personal confidence of the bonsai artist, it is a conversation that I never tire of and one that you can never be right or wrong in.

Ray Beddow's Wakabusu (?) Satsuli Azalea at Midlands Bonsai Society Show 2007 (?)

Thankfully only a short conversation this time, 45 minutes later and I was on the road bound for home...

A Serious Reflection on April Fools

It was April Fool’s Day yesterday and managed to steer around all of the spoofs and practical jokes unscathed.  Well I think I did anyways.

In a fit of madness though I agreed with myself that I would post one note here every week at least.

So this is the first of what should become a more regular series.

Today’s foul weather here has set me in an inquisitive mood and as I explore the workings of clubs and organisations it strikes me that we humans are quite vindictive rather than helpful and supporting.  Yes I know some will say that this is Maslow and Darwin playing out with a dash of Taylor but this is pleasure time not business or some life and death situation. 

   

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

 Darwin's first Evolutionary Tree 

Why is it, that organisationally we adopt the politics of might, in what should be a community of kindred spirits?  There is a preponderance of ego over rational co-operative support for our leisure pursuits.  It becomes a competition of idea survival and my friends do more than yours rather than mutual support.  The result is faction and fractioning of an organisation; they spin in internal turmoil and waste effort on internal dis-functional activity rather than promoting their inspirational and aspirational objectives.

It seems at times that we can destroy what is good regardless of the cost to those around us and to ourselves.

Perhaps it is time to redress some of this as it is the few that cause the upset and not the mass membership.  The Activist are able to disrupt the organisation that is quietly developing and improving by virtue of the majority who are passively led into believing that Activist A will be better than Activist Z.  Generally the belief is manufactured out of smoke and mirrors and the reality is that both A’s and Z’s programmes are limited by the financial resources of the group and the willingness of the mass membership to participate actively.

It is a  well documented phenomenon that groups are made active by the handful of Activist and that at best the masses attend in support.  Engagement and involvement are very distinct and the mass Membership engage by turning up for meetings and some events and that is as far as the matter goes for them.  Actual involvement i.e. doing something that adds value is indeed a rare step and moving out of the mass membership into the Activist camp is one fraught with difficulty and challenge.  The clique of the Old Guard, guardians of the past and key holders into the inner sanctum, the caution of the New Management watching with a nervous twitch what the Old Guard may or may not approve of and knowing thta yesterdays answers will not respond to today’s needs and the Cynics who hover around the boundary waiting to pick up the scraps and use those to whip up a frenzy that is usually froth.

Is it a wonder that the mass Membership keep their head down.

I have in mind examples from several different activities that we call pleasure time or hobbies and all can be seen to operate in the same fashion.  It seems that an individuals passion for an art, craft or sport drains  common sense and normal social interaction  out of their being and creates a monstor that is absolutely certain that everyone else is wrong.  Ask them what is right though and the silence is deafening...

Not so bad.

The Federation of British Bonsai Societies satnd at the RHS's Chelsea Flower Show 2006

Out of interest the Federation has some 10 Gold Medals from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and continues to show there when invited by the RHS.

Bob's Juniper at the 2007 Noelanders Trophy Show

The Noelanders Trophy show is held in Belgium each year over a weekned late in January in a small village Heusden-Zolder and is well attended by bonsai artist from around Europe.

I still need tp play a little with the photos to see how they work but that will do for now and I hope you enjoy the pictures and I promise to move onto more current photos in the future.

Photos are the next trick...

I know plain text is a bit bland , even boring, but I need to work out how to get photos onto the blog.

So here goes first attempt...

The Federation of British Bonsai Societies' stand at the RHS's Chelsea Flower Show 2008 

Old picture but some very nice trees.  The picture was taken early in the day before the crowds arrived.

The Mud

The garden has not faired well this winter.

Having had bonsai lesson with Master San Friday and my first Kendo session at the Dojo in some time today I git to clear up the debris left over from the lesson.  We ave some challenges because the path is full of the accents as at the same time as our lesson we had the shelving that is normally theeir home remade.

But the real problem is the grass, or should I say mud.  The winter has taken its toll and as we have no where else to work we had to work on the "lawn".  It was looking sad before we started after today I think we will be returfing when the weather warms up a little.

Glad that we have more drainage in  their now.  The first winters as soon as rain hit the ground we would slide up to the greenhouse.  The downhill slalom back to the house was at least a black run and the double bend around the corner of the house was "challenging".

By the third winter I had some drainage in and we could move a little easier.  Only a little easier mind you...

Then we had the first layer of drainage in and it made a huge difference.  The slide reduced to a sticky drag and Her Indoors would only complain about the mud tracked into  the house occasionally.

The second layer was a much more extensive system and deslt with the flooding and deep mud we still had across the bottom of the garden.  In a wet winter we could have a couple of inches of water at the bottom of the garden after rain and this would take a day or two to clear.

The problem now appears to be overwintering grass in deep wet cold...

Needless to say we now have mud every where.

The bonsai are looking better and I am still ache from all of  the excersize at Kendo.  But then that is what a good weekend is all about.

Its's Early Days

To finish a Journey you have to start.

This is my first attempt at creating a blog and while I know many of you are well practiced and experienced it is going to take a few bumps and kicks before I graduate from the University of Hard Knocks.  Bare with me though and enjoy and we should both come to the end of the Journey with more knowledge and having enjoyed the trip.