It’s that time of the year again

My shohin twin trunk Blackthorn is doing its thing again and is in full spring flower. Like everything in life it just doesn’t last long enough but it never fails to give me immense pleasure. So for what they are worth here’s a couple of pics

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All in the April Evening Treorchy Male Voice Choir

Good Friday. What’s Good About It

Thoughts About another Tree   
When at times our hearts would tend to Pride. When we may be tempted like Nebuchadnezzar (King of Ancient Babylon) to look around our little fiefdom and exclaim. Is not this great Babylon that I have built, we do well to remember that The First Man (Adam) and the First Order of Men is of the earth, earthy. Lit: out of the earth, made of earth.  For God had said:  Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.

Dust the very vehicle through which God displayed his power and glory in the creation of the man became the very symbol of the abject poverty, the great shame and the total weakness of man.

But turn to the cross, the tree of shame, and see nailed to that instrument of death, the one who cried, “ My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. In this we see the very vehicle through which man displayed the extreme of his corrupt and depraved nature become the very means through which the God of Glory displayed the Wonder of his Compassion, the Glory of his Grace and the Fullness of his Love. Is that not Good?

Some Recent Photos

This gallery contains 10 photos.

With a little more time on my hands at the moment I thought I would revisit my blog and just post a few pics of some of my trees. I am pleased with the  overall progress of most of my … Continue reading →

We are going through changes

Great logo

Munster Bonsai Club

After five yers we are going through changes. That’s our new logo. It is so fresh and powerful. What do you think.

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Larch Larix Kaempferi

As spring continues to do its thing I managed a pic of my second larch in the early evening sun. It is developing well and the ramification is building up year on year.

Jin and Tonic??

I have taken the head staggers and have made a couple of drastic additions to my large larch. Time will tell whether or not I was wise.

I have added two large jins to the tree that I think work well at first appearance.  The first one comes out of the top of a curve in the trunk and up quite a way through the branches to break out of the apex foliage.  I think it looks quite good at this point. The only question is that when the tree drops it’s needles in winter will the long extension be seen to be too straight ? if it doesn’t work it can be removed and given the fact that larch callous very quickly the wound will be well disguised in no time.

The second Jin works lower down on the trunk works very well I think and I am well pleased with the result. Once the wound callouses around the point where it enters the trunk I think it will be quite convincing.

Your comments are awaited eagerly. This is the tree without the Jins

And with

 

Blackthorn Glory

 

It has proved to be a long wait but at last my little Blackthorn is in full flower having battled its way so far through a long, cold windy spring. As usual it just does not fail to deliver.

I gave it a new Erin pot this year. Not my first choice but it looks quite good.

 

 

A Sam Miller Pot

A lovely tree in a great new pot. Nice

Nebari Bonsai

As I write this in early January 2018, the pot doesn’t yet exist. Only a brief exchange between Sam (Intermountain Bonsai) and me, and an agreement that it would be made. The pot was commissioned for this ume, which has lived in this Tokoname pot by Touyou for the last 6-7 years.

Looking through Sam’s Intermountain Bonsai images, the four I sent him as my vision for the pot were two for the shape:

And two for the glaze:

I told him I was trying to replicate an antique Chinese Namako container, about 13.5″x4″ deep.

Now, fast forward to the result…

And the repot…

Thanks Sam, well-done!

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About a tree and a “MisNomer”

It’s “Good Friday”! Whats good about it? Forgetting the historical accuracy  or inaccuracy of the actual placing of the day it is the time when the world remembers the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Carpenter from Nazareth, some 200o years ago.

In a very real sense it was the darkest day in all of human history for on that day was perpetrated the greatest injustice the world has ever seen and in that day was displayed the inveterate hatred of men toward the God of Glory.

Of that day Peter the apostle said ( Bible Quote) Acts 3:14 “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;”

But of that same event Peter said (Bible Quote) 1Peter Ch 2:24 Jesus Christ …Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

The following is a record of that harrowing event: (Bible Quote) Mathew Ch27 26-50

26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
33 ¶ And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

What was good about it? Paul the apostle said: (Bible Quote ) Galatians Ch 2:20….the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Now that IS good!!!!