Thanksgiving Cactus, Holiday Cactus, or Crab Cactus — Fulfils its Promise

Plus robins and more robins

This plant is also known as the ‘Christmas Cactus’.

I’ve been watching this bud (above) in particular because it’s the first of this season and today it’s fully opened.

It’s like the first strawberry of the season, the first mince pie — the first Holiday Cactus flower is cause for celebration. And a wish, too.

“Behold fully flowered Holiday Cactus, here is my wish for your keeping.” (Of course, it’s a secret to the rest of the world.)

I went to a local school for my third vaccination against Covid19 yesterday.

And I forgot to put on the t-shirt under my shirt that I had even got out of the drawer when I got up — which meant exposing rather more flesh than expected when the time came to bare my arm …

These days, because of the dog thieves, expeditions like this are more complicated because I absolutely refuse to leave PupperJack on his own anywhere — in the house, in the car, anywhere — to be stolen by these (… blankety-blank …) (air turns blue) dog-thieves that are around everywhere now.

So a friend very kindly took me and stayed in the car with Doggo while I went into the sports hall to get my vaccination.

It was very cold in the queue outside while waiting to go in to the hall. Of course, I’d have been a lot warmer if I’d had a t-shirt on under my shirt …

It’s that time of year — Christmas preparations art-wise — so I’ve written a couple of articles about drawing robins: ‘How to Make a Blob Look Like a Robin’ and ‘How to Draw a Robin’

Having said that, for my business of greeting cards etc, Christmas designs and planning have to start in April …

At this time, too, my eBay ACEO (art cards) group start their ‘Winter Wonders’ event to encourage others to join in with this art form. And this year, I’ve actually managed to get my entry in! (I’m usually too business-harassed to do it, but this time it serves a dual purpose because that image was required for something else as well, so I’m chuffed I can join in.)

I’m up to my picture limit so I can’t put it in, but it’s a bit like the above carol-howling doggos, only it’s four Border collies.

I sent our Queen my first-ever colouring book in 2016. I sent it because it just happened to be a corgi book, and it also just happened to her ninetieth birthday — and received a letter and this lovely card in return.

I was reminded of it yesterday because she is not well. She had wanted to head the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph and was unable, which is a worry. Few details come out in the news, though.

And this is PupperJack wearing his feelings on his furry face — he has no idea why anyone would prefer corgis to PupperJacks.

(I know! It’s inexplicable, Jack!)

Last year, Dennett started the Photo-a-Day Challenge to help combat the pandemic blues. She takes photos during the week, chooses the best ones, and adds some narrative.

Other practitioners who share their week with us:

Erika Burkhalter, Eileen Vorbach Collins, Anne Bonfert, Sasha Meyer, Tracy Aston, Lisa Bolin, Juan O. Aguilera, David Wade Chambers, Susan Alison, June Nguyen, Mia Verita, LensAfield, Barbara Radisavljevic, Diana Lotti, Barb Dalton, Kim Zuch, K. Barrett, Penny Grubb, Ellie Jacobson

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

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Read more from me: © Susan Alison 2021