Until just recently I had only an inkling of what a bonsai was as my one and only effort to grow a conifer from seed into a bonsai tree ended in a disaster as the poor thing didn’t last more than a couple of months. I now know that I was being a bit too snip happy with the roots too soon.

So that was that for quite a few years and even flowers didn’t get a look-in. When we had a house with a garden Jan, my wife, did (and still does) the fancy stuff. I was of the school of ‘if I can’t eat it I won’t grow it.

We were given a Chinese Elm by our daughter a couple of years ago and again that failed, but I was becoming more interested in the hobby.

Our friends gave us another Chinese Elm for our anniversary and I am glad to report it is still going strong.

Steve (our new spin doctor) and I work together and he started to enthuse about this Bonsai Club and I thought to myself ‘that’s it’. I came along to the next meeting and I have been hooked on bonsai ever since. It has been a great year - in fact my wife says I have become obsessed!

I still make mistakes ‘as the man who never made a mistake knows nothing’. (I should be a genius). I imagine the art of bonsai can be learnt quickly but takes a lifetime to master - but hey, what is life without a challenge.