As I begin the winter ritual of pruning, wiring, and
the general tidying up of my bonsais after their summer growth, I reflect on
the size which many of them have reached as they have grown and matured during
the many years I have cared for them. Along the way, some of my bonsais have
died, afflicted by old age or disease or inclement weather. Some trees have
withered, branches covered in lichen mingling with living limbs, aging much
like their human counterparts. The deciduous trees have lost their leaves, just
as I have lost my hair. This work, and this particular winter have induced in
me a certain degree of melancholia, having recently suffered a potentially life
threatening illness. At the age of 72, I decided that I should commit to paper my
life experiences, for my three children, and to give my eleven grandchildren a
record of their grandfather.
This will be an intriguing journey for me, delving
into my mind, trying to resuscitate memories of the many and curious incidents
in my life, particularly in some of the remoter parts of the world. Out of
interest I took the trouble to count the number of countries I have visited
during my many years of travelling across the globe and it totalled 67. Apart
from Britain, this includes the countries, where I lived for some years, Saudi
Arabia, British Virgin Islands, Spain and the Czech Republic.
 |
George J. Thomas running in
the desert in Saudi Arabia (1982) |
Due to the nature of my career, and the constant
travelling, there was little time to pursue hobbies or other leisure
activities, apart from long distance running which I took up in my 30’s after
quitting smoking. I became quite addicted to running and clocked up my first
marathon (3 hours 22 minutes) at the age of forty. During the period when I was
spending a lot of time in Russia, the company sent me on two intensive Russian
courses at Birmingham University, then again for an introductory Czech course
prior to moving to Prague. However since I retired, these fifteen years have
been a period of self-discovery and to my surprise a flourishing of hidden
talents.
Originally, from Glasgow, Scotland, my business career enabled me to travel extensively internationally over many years, especially in Europe, Russia, the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.
Have lived in Saudi Arabia, the British Virgin Islands, Spain and the Czech Republic. Now I live in Xàbia, Spain.
-George J. Thomas
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