Bonsai aka Bonzai aka Banzai Trees

Just a quick post as I am frantically trying to squeeze three days work into one, but I had a great trip to Norn Iron to visit the Bonsai eejit and the NIBS Crew.  full details can be found here if you haven't already seen them... there are plenty of posts and pictures there.

The post title refers to the name we were given at the Belfast Parks show I was taken to help set up...and also from this awesome video. Not sure if anyone has posted this before but the preview alone is worth a look.  I may even buy the whole thing.

BONSAI TREES aka BONZAI TREES

Looking at the video, there are some incredible antique Chinese and Japanese pots there...I wonder where they have gone to?  At the time they would have cost very little, the Japanese still in post war economic depression and not valuing what they had, but now...  A great video nevertheless.  Rock on British Pathe.

A full month of work is ahead of me, trips all over including Willowbog and Florida.  I wonder which will have the nicer weather? I know which will have the nicer fried breakfast....

A rare occasion...

It generally doesn't happen that often, but every now and again, it pays to step back and smell the roses.  I have found that it does wonders for the private parts of life and it also allows you to see everyday things differently.  Yes dear readers, I took a holiday.  I won't overshare too much with you but these are the holiday snaps of a bonsai professional...a very sad one.

Incredible textured wood, weathered from hundreds of years exposed to the elements...

No real reason for it to grow like that.  It just got it's groove on at an early age

A weird textured landscape.  Like a Chinese "suiseki", as natural as Cheez Whiz

Big Bad Ass Pine, dominating the skyline

A rare sighting.

So that's what windswept branches look like...

A perfect Shima-gata suiseki...

The autumn season kicks off in earnest from err...tomorrow. It is going to be non stop until Christmas with trips to Belfast, Willowbog, the US (twice), Poland, Japan and Cornwall all to squeeze in around some stupid exhibition I decided to do..(.http://naturalflux.co.uk/ if you didn't know).

Expect some updates along the way...