Wet and wetter!

Well it certainly looks like this years weather is continuing with an all too familiar theme; rain and lots of it. I have been trying to tidy up the nursery going into Autumn and to get on top of the abundance of weeds which we have not been able to kill because the incessant rain washes away any weed killer we have used this year. My head weed puller who goes by the name of 'Wife', has refused to tackle them anymore. There is so much to do this year including replacing display benches etc, but the weather makes it a miserable job. The task is not made any easier when it's so easy to get distracted by jobs you could do in the dry, which get more enticing by the hour. Well this morning I decided that enough is enough and that I would do something in the dry today. My severe attack of trench foot also swayed me little. 

I thought I would bring some trees into the studio and do some dead wood cleaning/preserving ready for the winter. So there I was scrubbing away with my vinegar water and bristle brush, my trousers totally soaked when I realised that a familiar theme had returned. Water everywhere, mostly over my trousers; I am just like those 5 year old boys you see who have been wrapped up to protect them from the rain, before taking them out to play. And the first thing they do is jump up and down in the nearest puddle of water.
So I am beginning to worry in case I am developing an aqua fetish!

Scrubbing with vinegar water I hear someone say! Yes I put a few drops in my water when scrubbing deadwood to help kill the algae. Vinegar is a mild acid and it does the job perfectly.

The 'DING DONG' of the drive alarm has saved the day. PARCELFORCE were at the door with goodies. I have received a delivery of 50 new bronze sculptures for stock so I decided to photograph a few to share with my Blog followers. Well, it keeps me in the dry a bit longer anyway.

These fighting cock Pheasants are a particular favourite of mine and I have added one to my own library of items I can use for display.
For use in a bonsai display, the fighting cocks would be used to depict the season of Spring, which is when the males fight over the females at the start of the breeding season.

This bronze of fighting Red Deer stags captures the movement in the animals perfectly.
The artist is phenominal for capturing movement in his subjects.
Like the cock Pheasants fighting, this is a very seasonal bronze that can be used to great effect for display and to convey the time of year. Obviously it would be used for an Autumn display as the rutting season is September/October. I decided to add one to my collection of bronzes. No surprise!

Something to consider for anyone wanting to use this particular bronze or even other bronzes featuring Red Deer. Is that you can use them with a low land tree as well as with a mountain tree due to the range of habitat of this species. However bronzes depicting Fallow Deer for instance, could only be used with with lowland tree bonsai as Fallow are a woodland/parkland inhabiting species. 

This roaring stag is fabulous and again can give seasonality to a display. I have also added one to my collection of bronzes.

This elegant Kingfisher on a Bulrush or 'Reed mace' as it used to be called, is a new favourite for me. With this bronze, your display is featuring water, hence the Kingfisher. But again it is defining the season because the 'spadix' or head of the Bulrush is intact. Therefore it is a Summer scene. Bulrush heads break up going into Autumn. Therefore the scene we are creating for our bonsai display using the Kingfisher bronze is in summer somewhere near water. We could have a lake or waterfall image on our scroll to complete the scene.
And you guessed right! I have added one to my collection.

Well looking out the window it is still hammering down. It is amazing how something that we, in fact the planet, depends on so much, can also be such a downer when it is so incessant.
Which reminds me of a conversation I had with my Grandfather. I said "Grandad, what was it like being a prisoner of war?" He said "Bloody murder, it rained the first three weeks".
And on that note...............
You can see the current range of limited edition bronzes I have for sale on my website;
http://www.stevetolleybonsai.com