Summary

The website content is a personal blog post by Susan Alison that reflects on the natural beauty and festive remnants observed in her neighborhood, including an abundance of holly berries, Christmas baubles, and the resilience of a year-round flowering clematis, alongside her dog PupperJack's antics and the recent rainy weather in the UK.

Abstract

Susan Alison shares her delightful observations of the post-Christmas natural world, marveling at the untouched holly berries and oversized Christmas baubles adorning a neighbor's home. She documents the continuous blooming of a clematis and the early appearance of bulb shoots, reflecting on the unusually warm weather. The narrative includes humorous anecdotes about her dog PupperJack's fondness for compost and his philosophical moments. Amidst concerns about widespread flooding in the UK, Susan expresses gratitude for staying dry at home. She acknowledges contributors to the Photo-a-Day Challenge, which aims to uplift spirits during the pandemic, and provides links to her previous articles and her Amazon page, Etsy store, and newsletter sign-up.

Opinions

Susan Alison expresses admiration for the natural beauty that persists after Christmas, such as the holly berries and the year-round blooming clematis.
She is pleasantly surprised by the discovery of her neighbor's enthusiasm for Christmas decorations, which she feels has given her a new perspective on him.
The author finds humor in PupperJack's behavior, particularly his preference for eating compost over appreciating new shoots, and his contemplative demeanor.
There is a subtle concern about the impact of unseasonably warm weather and the recent excessive rainfall in the UK, which has led to flooding in many areas.
Susan values the community's engagement with the Photo-a-Day Challenge, recognizing it as a positive initiative during challenging times.
She is proud of her work and invites readers to explore her other writings and artistic endeavors, indicating a sense of accomplishment and a desire to share her creativity.

Holly Berry Bounty and Other Left Over Christmas Treats including some Mince Spies; and Rain — Lots of Rain!

And some amazingly outsize Christmas baubles!

SUCH a bounty of holly berries. They’re just sitting in someone’s hedge — it’s pretty amazing they escaped being plucked to decorate someone’s dining room over this Christmas!

Or maybe they were hiding under their leaves until Christmas was safely over before coming out to show themselves off.

Spotted these mince spies this morning!

Heavily camouflaged though they are.

Plus these unassuming Christmas baubles above the door of quite a near neighbour.

I had no idea he delighted in the season so much, and I shall now view him in a completely different light!

This clematis is amazing. It seems to flower all year round on the fence at the bottom of the road. It’s certainly persistent.

PupperJack and I like to see it and always stop to look at it as we reckon appreciation is partly what keeps it growing.

PupperJack was snuffling around in someone’s front garden so I had a closer look and saw these bulb shoots — gosh — they’re optimistic!

Although it is worryingly warm for this time of year …

However, it turned out that PupperJack wasn’t awed at the wonder of new shoots — he was eating the compost. He likes a nice mouthful of fresh compost, does PupperJack …

When he’s not eating compost, he’s thinking deeply about his New Year and what he’s going to do with it.

It’s done nothing but rain here recently. Rain. Rain. More rain.

Many places in UK are flooded and there are some pretty uncomfortable looking pictures of it around the internet.

Luckily, so far, PupperJack and I are only getting wet when we go out. We’re still dry when we’re at home …

Dennett started the Photo-a-Day Challenge to help combat the pandemic blues. Since then many others kindly share their week with us:

Erika Burkhalter, Anne Bonfert, Tracy Aston, Lisa Bolin, Juan O. Aguilera, David Wade Chambers, June Nguyen, Mia Verita, LensAfield, Barbara Radisavljevic, Diana Lotti, Barb Dalton, Kim Zuch, K. Barrett, Penny Grubb, Ellie Jacobson, Shruthi Sundaram, Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Ann James, Louise Peacock, Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms)

(If your name should, or should not, be on this list, please let me know.)

Pyracantha Orange Glow, the Scent of Hyacinth, a Perfect Leaf Formation and Something is Creeping…

PupperJack is very worried about the creeping thing!

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Luminous spindle berry and the unexpected arrival of a three-bird Christmas dinner

For those who were worried — PupperJack found his bone! Plus soft toys. Plus masses of treats. It’s almost as if he’s…

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Pink Rowan Berries Light up the Neighbourhood while Frosty Nights Flatten the Less Hardy

In the meantime, something is creeping up on PupperJack

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Cosmos, Sweetgum, Risky Hospital Waiting Rooms, Nutmegs that aren’t Nutmegs

and: a New Exciting Look for PupperJack. But he’s resisting …

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Susan’s Amazon Page / Susan’s Etsy Store/ newsletter sign-up