A regular update on the life and times of John Hanby’s Newstead Bonsai Centre……..
Topical Times – Next door’s cat and the moat
Watering and pruning trees, organising and conducting classes……there is always plenty to do at Newstead. Unfortunately the powers that be in that great control tower in the sky don’t like to see things running smoothly, calmly, and “under control”.
They like to poke things with a stick, liven things up a bit, make life a little bit more interesting. Why don’t we increase the water running off the car park and block up the drain a bit that sits right in front of the rear door to the studio……great result!!!….
……first a very pleasant full maple class and then a one to one with a student from america…….don’t you just love watching the tide come in?!!……water lapping against the walls, you just can’t help having a paddle……on the beach..brilliant….in a bonsai studio..never!
We had to dig an emergency trench to get the water away from the studio…..the next downpour filled this up immediately and hey presto we have a moat…….and as I stated on my Facebook page this is in no way intended to stop students escaping with full wallets…where do these rumours start!
We have now piped this trench into the drains and hopefully solved the problem. Sorry to disappoint my regulars who can now put away the wellies, flip flops, and colourful shorts as things are back to normal……but then again when you look at normal….just maybe……
Our nursery family is really quite settled…..the two rottweillers and the cat just about manage to get along. Why not introduce a runaway cat who just happens to like living in the garden centre next door…….
…….whoever heard of a cat being curious?………I suppose a four acre nursery gets boring after a while……wonder what’s over that fence?
He’s taken to evening visits, usually when the dogs are asleep…..directly below the window sill upon which he now likes to sit…….have you seen those films where the chasing devil dog leaps straight through a window……I nearly watched one last week!!!
Just to make things a little more interesting sometimes he comes around when the conservatory doors are open or when the dogs are sleeping on the decking outside.
In between these various escapades we do still manage to find time to do some bonsai….. there is never a dull moment as they say…….sometimes I think I would give anything for a dull moment!!!……..Maybe I should be a bit more like Felix our own cat, and just adopt a more laid back carefree approach?