Wednesday 13th December – Christmas Quiz
The first meeting of the year was a well attended event. Dianne gave an overview of the programme for the next few months. Joyce was called upon to go through the trees on the display table. This was followed by Sandra reminding members of the jobs they should be doing on their trees this month. After the break Peter gave an illustrated talk on Bonsai in the UK, highlighting the wide variety of species available over there.
 |
 |
The open day and Mame workshop at Sandra's was well attended. Following on from the workshop Sandra gave a guided tour of her collection which included a photographic history of some of the trees on display. The pictures showed the importance of taking photos of your trees as you work on them to show how they have developed over the years (it also enables you to enter for Dianne's Vision to Reality award). |
 |
 |
|
 |
The Penjing open day was quieter than the past few years as several of the clubs who normally visit have asked Dianne and Noel for a private tour. The highlight of the day was Dianne and Sandra attacking the Black Pine which overhangs the pond. Much to the disappointment of the spectators no-one fell in and the pine was given a new style. |
After the usual notices and reports on the three open days held in February, Ray gave a detailed talk on safety precautions when using chemicals in the garden. His talk covered using the correct protective equipment and the importance of reading the packet to find the important medical advice. He also introduced us to alternative recipes for some common chemical preparations such as ant killer and rooting compound.
A slight change to our plans for the evening as our original speaker has moved from Hamilton to Gisborne. Instead we were treated to an amusing and thought provoking talk by Royce Barclay on the philosophy of Bonsai and his experiences working and traveling in China.
The change to Sunday meetings saw a lower than usual turnout to hear Sandra talking and demonstrating wiring techniques. As numbers were small we also managed a discussion on feeding.
Following on from the normal minutes and notices, Les and Melody gave a report on their visit to the Australian Associated Bonsai Clubs Convention on the Gold Coast. The display table contained some very interesting trees showing winter colour. The main part of the meeting was taken up by an interactive talk and demonstration on slanting styles by Les. During his talk he covered the causes of slanting trees in nature and how their branches are shaped by the need for light. For the practical part of the talk, Les used a Juniper to create a slanting style bonsai. Part way through the talk he asked the members to have a close look at the tree and give their opinions on how the tree should be styled. These were then discussed and Les proceeded with his chosen style.
 |
Les discussing the options available for this slanting style bonsai. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Over the weekend of July 8th and 9th we enjoyed a workshop with John Marsh from Australia. Members bought along some very interesting trees either needing refinement or raw material requiring major styling. The before and after pictures of some of the trees can be seen here.
July also saw the club visit Adriaan and Poppie's in Tauranga to collect some trees for future workshops - pictures can be seen here.
After the usual notices and reports, Ann introduced the club an idea used in the UK 'Create a Camel' (a camel being defined as a horse designed by committee). The members were divided into groups with a range of skill levels in each group. A tree was then given to each group for them to work on. After 10 minutes work was stopped and the trees were given to the next group for them to work on for a further 10 minutes, until all the groups had worked on all of the trees. After work stopped, the trees were all displayed together and comments made on how the trees developed and changed during the session. A very good afternoon's learning with fun had by all. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Dianne and Noel gave a very good PowerPoint presentation on their expedition to Europe (the UK, Belgium, Germany and Holland - via Hong Kong and returning through Japan and Sydney). Some of the trees in private collections and for sale at the commercial nurseries they visited, drew comments along the lines of 'I want it NOW'.
There was also discussion on the forthcoming Auckland Convention and our own show in October.
Following on from the discussion on the forthcoming Show at the Hamilton Gardens, Sandra gave a report on the recent Auckland Convention.
Notice was also given of a change to our programme for November. Due to the hall being used for a week long music event, we are changing our AGM to the second Sunday, the 12th, at Ann and Peter's new house at 157 Chestnut Lane, Pirongia. If you need directions then please call them on 07 871 9510 or email peter
Jeff then gave a timely talk on show preparation, stands and the use of accent plantings. This was a very informative talk with Jeff giving away the secret of where he finds a lot of his pots.
October also saw the very successful show held at Hamilton Gardens. To see pictures from the show, follow the link on the left hand side.
Due to the hall being used for a week long music festival, the AGM was moved to Ann and Peter's house in Pirongia. Although the turnout was a little small we managed to get through a lot of business. Ray and Dawn have stepped down from the committee and we wish to thank them for their hard work and support. Gordon and Marshall were elected onto the committee.
There were a number of issues regarding shows under discussion. We have had to move our show in 2007 to accommodate an International show at Hamilton Gardens. A new date was agreed on and the possibility of us hosting the 2010 National Convention was raised. This will be discussed further in committee.
November also saw the annual Christmas Dinner. This time it was held at the Cock and Bull. The pub was a bit crowded when we arrived but with Dianne reserving a table for 20 people we had space to sit, eat, drink and talk. A very enjoyable evening.
After the usual business, Peter put on another quiz. This one was to identify the trees from pictures of the foliage, congratulations to Melody and Louise who managed to get the most correct. Congratulations to Sandra for winning the prize for submissions to the newsletter.
There was also a good display of decorated trees - congratulations to Gloria, Sandra, Ray and Dawn for their winning contibutions.
