Meri Kirihimete and Hari tau hou (merry Christmas and happy new year),
December started off wet and windy but by the middle of the month the weather was settling down into normal summer mode with hot nights and even hotter days (30 degrees Celcius where we live).
After three cancellations due to Covid, the Hamilton Bonsai Club annual show finally went ahead over the weekend of the 18th and 19th December. As it was so close to Christmas we weren’t sure just how many visitors we’d get (vaccine passes were a must at the venue) nor how many trees we’d have to show. But we needn’t have worried. The show had close to 500 visitors and there were over 120 trees on display.
Some of the trees we wanted to show were not at their best by the time we actually managed to stage the event but all those we did show looked great.
Peter was kept very busy with the setup, hiring a truck to take all the display kit over to the gardens on the Thursday before the setup because on the Friday we had a full car, Ute and trailer to take all our trees and stands in. Peter also took two trips to the gardens with the Ute and trailer on Monday and Wednesday after the show to bring all the display kit back.
Still, the whole weekend was a great success. The visitors were well pleased and the Hamilton Gardens organisers were very happy as the club was the first event held there in almost 6 months.
We both got Merit Awards at the show.
The time of year means the New Zealand Christmas Trees (Pohutukawas) are in flower. Sox and Peter see this on on their early morning walks up the mountain.
Christmas Day was quiet with an early morning walk before the sun made it too hot to be outside. Then a long chat with David and Ann in the UK. An afternoon of reading, napping, and bonsai jigsaw for Peter before popping round to neighbours’ for drinks.
Honey is getting very choosy about her morning walks. Sometimes she’s happy to saunter out the gate and down the road whilst other days she demands that Ann get the car out and drive her to the village so she can jump out the car, onto the bench and watch the world go by!
Sox is much less fussy about her walks – so long as she gets her 10-12km walk each day she’s happy. However she does know how to get Peter’s attention when she does want something.
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