CVET

Dejan was a next student at basic workshop in Tora. He is interested in bonsai for as long as I, but he didn't do a first right step until now - education and knowing a real bonsai. And his better half helped him to do that step ;-) . Dejan was enjoying and now he understand an essence of our art. He went home with nice little spruce.

Dejan je bil naslednji študent, ki se je oglasil v Tori na tečaju za začetnike. Zanimivo, bonsaji ga zanimajo že približno tako dolgo kot mene, pa se je šele zdaj odločil za prvi pravi korak - izobraževanje in spoznavanje pravega bonsaja. Pa še za ta korak je kriva njegova boljša polovica ;-) . Dejan je užival in dojel bistvo. Domov je odnesel simpatično smrekico.

Meanwhile trees are wakening up. Some are still sleepy but other are already in full growth. Prunus mahaleb, one of mine oldest trees, is preparing for great flowering ...

Med tem se drevesa dokončno prebujajo. Nekatera so sicer še krmežljava,druga pa že v bujni rasti. Rešeljika, eden najstarejših primerkov v moji zbirki, se pripravlja na bujno cvetenje ...

Until the end of the first part of the season there are still some free spots in Tora: for basic or advanced workshop, or even for help with yamadori digging.

Sicer pa je v Tori do konca prvega dela sezone na voljo še nekaj prostih terminov: tako za tečaje za začetnike, kot tudi za bolj poglobljen študij. Tudi pomoč pri izkopavanju jamadorijev.

MIHATISA

Yesterdays workshop was great experience even though Steven Tolley could not come to Slovenia. And all who didn't come should be sorry. I was working on Taxus which Miha gave me. Only for designing of course. Miha is a special character but I love him anyway. Yew was not a promising tree, this is a material which I am not interested in: not enough movement, too hard brunches which were dictated a design. But I was enjoying working on it anyway.

Kljub temu, da Steve Tolley ni mogel dopotovati v Slovenijo, je bila včerajšnja delavnica lepo doživetje. In tistim, ki so manjkali, je lahko žal. Delal sem na tisi, ki mi jo je v obdelavo prinesel Miha. Miha - poseben karakter. Ne razumem ga čisto dobro, a to ne pomeni, da ga nimam rad. Tisa ni obljubljala veliko, materijal, ki me ne zanima več: premalo gibanja, pretrde veje, ki so že same po sebi narekovale dizajn. Ampak sem vseeno užival.

This is a tree after shaping. Skeleton is set. now Miha must concentrate on pinching a new growth. And next year he could re-pot it in first bonsai pot.

Tako drevo zgleda po prvem oblikovanju. Okostje je postavljeno, zdaj pa se bo moral Miha posvetiti skrbnemu vršičkanju. In že naslednje leto jo bo lahko presadil v bonsajsko posodo.

P.S.: I was using a lot of wire, a lot! ;-)

P.S.: Žice sem pa porabil, žice! ;-)

VULKAN

Instead of having a dinner with Steve Tolley I am writing this blog. Icelandic volcano has stopped Steve from coming to Slovenia; we were planning a workshop with him this weekend. Unfortunately all plans are history now. But something I did rescue from all that plans - I visited Valter in the morning. He is Slovenian candidate for NTC at EBA convention in Switzerland this June. I recorded a interesting interview, I'll publish it in first number of new internet newspaper Literati. I can tell you just that Valter is really interesting man, the rest you'll read in the newspaper!


Namesto, da bi prav zdaj večerjal z Steveom Tolleyem, pišem ta blog. Islandski ognjenik je preprečil, da bi Steve priletel v Slovenijo; z njim smo ta konec tedna načrtovali delavnico. Skrbno načrtovan konec tedna je tako žal padel v vodo. A nekaj sem ga le rešil - dopoldne sem na Krasu obiskal Valterja, slovenskega predstavnika, ki nas bo junija zastopal na tekmovanju novih talentov v Švici. Nastal je zanimiv intervju, ki bo te dni objavljen v prvi številki internetnega časopisa Literati. Več kot to, da je Valter nadvse zanimiv fant, ne povem. Boste morali počakati na izid časopisa!

Valter with his first bonsai - even after 20 yrs it is still a small stick ...

Valter s svojim prvim bonsajem - po dvajsetih letih je še vedno palčka ...

Valter is growing home Karstic species and he is master of details

Valter se posveča vzgoji kraških vrst in je mojster podrobnosti

He also renovated a well infront of the house

Poskrbel je za obnovo štirne pred domačijo

Instead of workshop with Steve Tolley we'll have one-day club workshop. See you in Vrhnika!

Od obiska Stevea Tolleyja je ostala tudi jutrišnja enodnevna klubska delavnica. Se vidimo na Vrhniki!

RDEČI

Last two days I was digging Pinus sylvestris, this pines are my goal this spring. I'll dig this trees for several weeks now and then I'll compare the results. But there is not a lot of philosophy: more root system is intact - more success you can expect. But most of all I was enjoying the nature, silent, exceptional environment, sounds of eagles and climbing of chamois. And if you find something like this at photo below, then the day is perfect! 

Zadnje dva dni sem se posvetil izkopavanju rdečih borov, ki so to pomlad moj največji cilj. Izkopavanje bom raztegnil na več tednov in primerjal uspešnost. Ampak veliko filozofije tu ni: večji del koreninskega sistema ostane nedotaknjen, večji uspeh lahko pričakuješ. Sicer pa sem predvsem užival v naravi, tišini, izjemnem okolju, oglašanju ujed in plezanju gamsov. Če pa najdeš še kaj takšnega kot je na spodnji sliki, potem je dan več kot izpolnjen!

Tomorrow I'll meet you at workshop for beginners in Tora!

Jutri se vidimo na tečaju za začetnike v Tori!

TROPI

Already at our first workshop Damjan wanted to work on tropical species, on ficus, which could stay in his apartment. But then we did a basic workshop on juniperus chinensis. But today Damjan's wish came true - special for him we found a good ficus retusa in Tora: first we shaped it and than we re-potted it into new elegant pot. 

Damjan si je že na najinem prvem srečanju želel delati na tropski vrsti, na fikusu, ki ga bo lahko imel v stanovanju. Takrat sva osnovni tečaj opravila na kitajskem brinu. No, pa se mu je želja le uresničila - posebej zanj se je v Tori našel kvaliteten fikus vrste retusa: najprej sva ga uredila, potem pa sva mu privoščila še novo elegantno posodo.

Meanwhile I moved to tropic ... Characteristic smell, temperature and high air humidity in greenhouse - if I closed my eyes I moved to nice tropical island with no trouble ...

Jaz sem se ob delu s fikusom preselil v trope ... Značilni vonj, temperatura in visoka zračna vlažnost v rastlinjaku - če sem zaprl oči, sem se zlahka preselil na kak meni ljub otoček ...

In the afternoon I worked on this azalea for the first time. Last spring we came up to a good offer in one of the Italian bonsai-nursery. Azaleas with nice nebari were lying on the asphalt without pots, but price was really good. Now, in its training pot, it was time for first selection of brunches and first wiring. I am always  glad if my son Jakob helps me around bonsai trees. Now we hope that some bud will pop up in the middle section. If not, we'll made something up!

Popoldne sem se prvič lotil še azaleje. Lani spomladi smo v eni od vrtnarij v Italiji naleteli na res ugodno ponudbo - azaleje z lepimi nebariji so bile sicer izkoreninjene in so ležale kar na asfaltu, a nakup je bil vreden vsakega evra. Zdaj, seveda v trening posodi za hitrejšo rast, je bila na vrsti prva selekcija vej in prvo žičenje. Vedno sem vesel, če mi pri bonsajih pomaga Jakob! Zdaj upava, da bo kakšen brst pognal še v srednjem delu elegantnega drevesa. Če ne, si bova pe že kaj zmislila!