A regular update on the life and times of John Hanby’s Newstead Bonsai Centre……..
Topical Times – “Travelling Times”…..???
Transportation has improved considerably over the years. Major towns and cities generally have easy access to the motorway network. We are all more mobile but as I am sure you will agree the vast advantages now seem cruelly outweighed by the problems of congestion.
Taking everything into account does this put you off travelling long distances?…… obviously not! Last Saturday I had an Extra time class which basically means a maximum of 4 students and therefore more time for you and your trees.
Last Saturday the four students were Patricia from Oxford, 
John from Lowestoft, Rob from Leicester and Chris ( whom you will appreciate knows nothing about football) from Liverpool. What an amazing turnout for this class. I applaud them all and am truly humbled by the distances they have travelled to further their bonsai knowledge.
They were all at different stages of the bonsai journey so it was nice to have the time to chat to each one of them about their own specific trees and how to move to the next level.
Most of my regular students travel in excess of one hour to get to the nursery. The fact that they keep coming back is a great reassurance for me because you know they must be getting something out of the classes.
Many have been coming for years so you can see how their knowledge and technical skills have improved…..you can see the improvement in their trees. Apart from the reassurance it also guards against complacency……it keeps the pressure on you to ensure they have a good day, otherwise they may not make the journey again.
Occasionally a new customer at the counter will say they would love to attend a class….. if only they lived nearer. When we enquire where they are from can you imagine our reaction when they say Doncaster!!!
You only get out of a hobby what you put in….put nothing in and you can’t expect to go far. When my work schedule allows I travel vast distances to support my team Chelsea …….at the moment they are successfully making similar endeavours to keep me coming back for more.
It’s the fact that we have such a large customer base covering such a large part of the country that enables us to put on so many classes and I suspect more than any other bonsai school in Europe. Thank you to all of you for travelling those long distances in all weathers and making this bonsai dream a reality.
The class schedule for 2015 will be out soon so wherever you are why not join our group ……we would love to see you.