Those arriving early for a Virgin Atlantic flight from Narita airport are rewarded with the chance to take a lesson in origami at a shop/workshop right by the departure gate.  Last time, I left it too late, but on this occasion I was there, Y200 in hand, ready and eager to have someone teach me the finer points of crane folding.

Then, for the first hour or so of the flight home, I practised what I’d learned, trying very hard to get everything crisp and neat, scribbling reminders in my sketchbook as I went along.

Here at home, I’m trying very hard to retain the know-how and have more or less got the method in my head, only referring occasionally to the diagrams which show a couple of small variations on the method shown to me by my teacher.

The repetition is good, therapeutic even. 

I now have a string of a dozen, which isn’t quite the requisite number according to tradition, but in lieu of a get well card, could be enough to be going on with.

Whether it’s enough to constitute a herd or a siege of cranes, I have no idea. 

Perhaps it could be described as an Elegant Sufficiency ;-) ?