I bought a Bonsai tree this afternoon - this will be my third shot at keeping one alive. The first one I had lasted for a couple of weeks and then it simply lost all of its leaves and that was the end of that. The second made it through a whole year with me. It seemed to like wherever it was living and only gave up on me when I thought I had moved it to a 'better place'. So there's a good lesson in perspective for us all - just because something suits you better, doesn't mean the same is true of the other thing.

The new tree has made it to the window ledge in the kitchen. I'll keep an eye on it. It already needs some attention in the topiary department (apparently some shops don't know how to look after them properly either) but I think I'll let it settle in before I go at with the scissors.

Looking after small things is tough.

What I didn't expect in the Bonsai shop however was to be served by somebody I know reasonably well and didn't recognise because he was 'out of context'. I am very used to seeing him in the showers, used to having him pinning me to the ground with his sweat dripping into my face or... actually, such gags could go on forever but I'll stop now. I know him from my JuJitsu club.

Five years on from being too damn hurt to continue, I still miss it. "Come back," he said. "Come back, say hi and see what you think." I already know what I'll think. I'll think that I should be there next time without fail. I think this so much that after I had found a home for the Bonsai, I pulled out my sports bag and threw everything in the washing machine... just in case. Not that it was dirty, but it had kind of been in there a while.

Looking after small things can make you look closely at how things work out sometimes.