I’ve always liked bonsai trees. It’s like being able to put a garden in miniature on my windowsill. So tiny, so perfect. The idea of them has always appealed to me. Seeing a whole tree, everything exactly the way it should be. Miniature trunk, branches and tiny, tiny leaves. Like a lot of kids in the 80’s, I got fascinated with them after watching the film karate kid. Dreadful film, but the old guy had these trees and taught the younger guy to clip them into all these wired and wonderful shapes before teaching him martial arts. Most of my friends were interested in all the fighting, I liked to look at the trees. I’m more interested in the trees with the natural shaping. Just a tree in miniature rather than something heavily manicured with every leaf in it’s own perfect place. That’s too formal, I just want a tiny tree. Something perfect and looking natural, apart from the fact that the tree I’m looking at should be as tall as my house, not 2 foot high in a small pot. I’ve thought about buying one, but I’m not good at caring for plants, and it seem disrespectful to get one that I can’t care for properly. I will get some books and learn about how to care for them before I try. What I really want is a Japanese maple. I saw one on a stall a few years ago and fell in love with it. Bright coloured leaves, twisting trunk, just the perfect image to me of what a tree should look like. I like to write, stories and poetry and I like to look to the natural world as my inspiration, few things could inspire me better than a bonsai tree. I can’t wait until I can get one.