Mattbonsai

Well... I say that, but winter hasn't really come yet so I'm not sure if its autumn, or spring? or maybe its Summer! We'll just never know!

You may be thinking: Has he gone mad due to how quiet things are around here at the moment? Answer, probably, but sometimes the ramblings of the insane help us through this long dark period of year!

Right, back to the weather, currently in the garden (next to the brand new water feature - but thats for another ramble) we have Crocuses and Daffs poking their little heads out of the soil, and an Apple tree coming into flower and leaf. The first frost of the season was yesterday, and it wasn't very hard at all with the thinnest sheet of ice on the puddles that is phisically possible! We've had temperatures in the double figures most of the time, and almost constant rain! The soil is sodden, and I feel that at any moment the weight of water on the ground may well make the whole town collapse into the salt mines below!
Just north of me up in Cumbria and the lake district they've had the heaviest rains since records began, flooding entire towns, and cutting many people off, by rivers undercutting the foundations of decades old bridges causing them to collapse. Unfortunately a police officer was killed in one such bridge collapse.

My trees are loving it though, I assume.They've almost all finally dropped their leaves, with one or two Japanese maples retaining the younger ones still. Nearly ready for potting season, I plan to start repotting and branch sorting (they've been neglected for over a year) just after Christmas, which may take a couple of months, as with work, the only time I can get outside in the day light hours are at the weekends, which dont come around quick enough! The plans then involve sorting out the Herbaceous borders, a lot more splitting and dividing, and moving about, I've decided to start clumping similar plants together, such as Iris and Crocosmia - Strappy leaves with flowers on long stalks etc. And then its building the new decking I keep telling mum that its out of fashion, and much more work than its worth, but she wont budge, she saw the neighbours decking and wants some.

Talking of neighbours, the undesirables on the other side have dropped their 9th baby, and just purchased two puppy Yorkshire Terriers, poor animals, small dogs like that shouldn't be left in the garden in all weathers with just a cold unheated garage to go into for shelter! If they were Alsations, it would be acceptable! But Yorkshire Terriers are lapdogs, and should be treated as such! Thats a situation we are going to have to keep an eye on, I wont have animals suffering, and if they are I wont hesitate to call the RSPCA.

Reality T.V. season is coming to the end over here (thank the lord!) with the x-factor finishing in two weeks ( I think Stacey should win), and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here finishing later this week ( I want Kim Woodburn to win). Hopefully the X-factor winner doesn't get Christmas number one yet again, I'm rather fed up with a non-Christmas based and depressing song being Christmas number one! Bring back Slade, Whizard, The Pogues! (RIP Kirsty Mcoll).

I'm fed up with people demanding that we withdraw all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, In my personnal opinion (Which does not represent the views of the owner of BonsaiCHAT.net - Your Bonsai Community or vbulletin) if we pull out now, then every single life lost over these years was a complete waste! We can not pull out until the job is done, spend more money on troops equipment, less on politicians! Ministers can survive without their second homes and pay rises, Troops dont often survive without proper helmets and armour!

I'm working on a Perennial nursery now, growing a wide range of Herbaceous, I've finally found a nursery which does REAL horticulture! This one plants plants in a field, feeds them up and let's them grow for a year, and then lifts and divides them to make more plants! Not like certain large nurserys like coughHilcoughlierscough who just buy their plugs in, pot them, and then sell them straight away! Only problem I've got, is that I'm now in charge of the spraying programme, as I am the only one with the correct certificates and qualifications to do the job, unfortunately, I hate spraying! Wearing the stupid masks, gloves, and overalls! Very annoying and uncomfortable! Especially when you have a cold and runny nose!

I think I've rambled enough for tonight, and the fact that I keep adding letters to words that just shouldnt be there! (Explain how a z ends up attached to rambled) just suggests that I might need to go to bed now.

In the way of Lua

Ciao

-Matt-

__________________

M.B.

Pictures! Where are the pictures! I want to see what you're working on in the yard.
You must be getting the rains that keep missing us. We had one big storm that dumped 3 inches of rain in one day and a couple small sprinkles here and there but other than that, pretty much nothing. Sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine. Well after all this IS California but it's looking like yet another drought year for us. Fourth in a row. Things could change but I'm not holding my breath.
On the subject of bonsai this week I found 2 small future kusamono pots at a thrift store for a dollar each. I'll need to drill drain holes but for the price, what the heck.
I see we share "undesirables" for neighbors. Mine have a German Shepherd that comes over and deposits a little "present" in my front yard a couple times a week. It's not her fault, they never close thier gates so she likes to come over and fence fight with my other neighbors dogs. The idiots never correct her. I see her outside all the time so I don't think she gets to come in and be part of the family. I don't know why they even have a dog. I'd call the authorities but I fear the ignorant neighbors would just tie her up and since they did that when they first got her, well I would rather not listen to a dog barking constantly, opening up a new can of worms/problems. Thorn in my side doesn't begin to describe these neighbors.
Anywhoose, here's to spring! I wish it really was here but it will be soon enough. Oh all the repotting to do, there won't be enough hours in the day!
Mary B.