Ravenna

Hi Lua,

where on earth have you been all this time? Hope you are doing fine.

LUA

Hi Ravenna

Nice to hear from you - I hope you and all your trees are well!

The last 18 months have been rather crazy for me, but hopefully after the summer things should be slowing down a bit.

I am still very passionate and addicted to Bonsai, but at the moment I don't have much time to dedicate to my trees, so I am just happy that I am keeping them alive.

How are you? Still going to Italy for Bonsai workshops?

Best regards

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Lua
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I am not a bitch, I have just been in a really bad mood for the last 30 years!

Ravenna

Hi Lua,

so far my trees seem to be doing alright (keeping my fingers crossed... ) Just trying to remember but I "fear" I haven't lost any trees last year. While in many ways that is nice it also means that I have less of an excuse to buy new trees... I don't know why I have this feeling that I am very restrictive with my buys but come to think of it I must have spent more on trees this year than ever before. May be I am in a stage where I am loosing complete control due to my addiction??? I have got myself a nice buxus this year which worked on in a workshop with Francois Jeker. It was a bit daunting as it was the first time I did any "real" dead-wood work.

Right now I am trying to pamper it so that it - hopefully - will start growing vigourously. Then I got myself two maples which I quite like (a Seigen and a Katsur and I am thinking of trying to get a third (if they still have it - a Kiyohime which was at a lower price because a branch is broken... ) And I have started with accent plants. Today was the Swiss national exhibition in Schinznach with Steve Tolley doing a demonstration. I had hoped to get more pots from Dan Barton but apparently most of his pots were sold already yesterday so no pots for me... Instead I did get myself a couple of pots by Heinzelreiter and some stuff which has been highly praised to give a boost to your trees called "Waldleben". So I am going to go and try that on my buxus. Just trying to remember: did you have some accent plants too?

I have had one more class in Italy this year because I missed it the year before last. I won't be able to take my exam this year though because there is no group doing their last year. So hopefully next year. But doing the workshop with F. Jeker I feel that I have had a lovely occasion to learn some completely other things and I am participate more in Swiss clubs.

Well, and now I better stop before I bore you to death... How about your trees and yourself? Everything fine and thriving?

Mattbonsai

Hiya Lua! It's great to see you back, even if it is for a fly in.

Hope all's well, and its good to hear that the end of it all may be in sight for you.

-Matt-

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LUA

Hello sweetie pie!

Thank you for your greetings and I am very pleased to see you are now a moderator on the site!

How is college? I hope you are still enjoying your courses!

Take good care...

Ciao

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Lua
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I am not a bitch, I have just been in a really bad mood for the last 30 years!

LUA

Hi Ravenna

Yes my trees are OK but only just I suspect! Due to my frequent trips to Italy in the last 2 years, I have not been able to do a lot of work on them, so I am just concentrating on keeping them alive.

Thanks to Centaura's suggestions, I bought a self watering device 2 years ago, which works brilliantly so I don't have to depend on friends coming around to water the trees when I am away. I was gone for 5 weeks last September, and when I came back all my trees were in much better shape than when I left .... which does not say much for my bonsai skills!!

However this winter I took a chance and on a couple of the trips and did not set up the watering system because I thought I could get away with it since I was only going for 6 days, and given the fact that the temperature was quite low and the central heating would be off I thought the trees would be OK. Sadly they were not and I lost 2 small ficus retusa , plus 3 other ones threw a major wobble and lost all their leaves..... but luckily they recovered completely!!

A couple of weeks ago I bought a very small Cork Bark Elm from eBay and believe it or not this was my only tree purchase in the last 18 months, so although I can't say that my addiction is completely cured, I am at least.... for the moment..... "on the wagon"! However, in a few months my Bonsai Club is going on a weekend visit to a well known Bonsai Nursery out of town, and I think there's a very good chance that I will have one of my psychotic episodes and make one or 2 purchases.

Anyway, I must go now because I don't want to monopolise the thread.

Take good care and best regards

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Lua
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I am not a bitch, I have just been in a really bad mood for the last 30 years!

JLDoggett

Welcome back Lua, now you have a thread you can type in til your heart is content.

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"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong....because sometime in your life you will have been all of these"

And I further resolve to click on an ad, each time I visit, to help support the site and to be welcoming to lurking guests when you join! After all, you're already here.

Phil

Who is Lua?

I think one of the longest threads we had going at one time on BCO was the one Lua started when she had first purchased the now dearly departed George! I still remember telling her how to unpack it when she received it so as not to cause too much of a mess and then hearing how the top was broken off when it was shipped to her. I believe after that the thread went on for about 10 pages!

~Phil

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Please, always keep in mind that the typewritten word does not always convey what you wish to say, and to always treat others as you would have them treat you. Think twice-submit once.
I started out with nothing....and still have most of it.
"Its hell out there, give them hell back." ~ Prowler/Victor Gray 12/31/1943 - 11/24/2008

Mattbonsai

It's good to be a mod, have lots of little buttons to fiddle with

College is fine, bit slow at the mo, and I can't wait to get out into the real world, going to holland next week with the college though, go buy some cheap plants!

Good to hear Molly is alive, My Serissa has perished, but Prowlers Ficus are Thriving! I think he may of sent down a curse with the last ficus, the same one that was put on him that made his serissa die!

Hope to hear from you soon.

-Matt-

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LUA

Thank you kindly JL!

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Lua
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I am not a bitch, I have just been in a really bad mood for the last 30 years!