TINY TUESDAY - SCHLUMBERGERA

I decided I would join in with the TT challenge this week, having seen that our Christmas Cactus or Schlumbergera to give it its proper name, is blooming again.  This was given to us by a Blip friend’s son several years ago, and it has kept blooming, despite sitting in our cold and draughty hallway.

Deciding to take the photograph and actually getting a decent shot were two entirely different things though.  I wanted to see the stamens, but of course, the flowers hang down, so that was quite a difficult exercise.  I then had the idea of putting it on a shelf in one of the kitchen cupboards so that it hung down, which meant I could look up, but that wasn’t too successful.

It was then that I decided to “rope in” or should I say, ask very nicely, the kind Mr. HCB to see if he could help.  After a couple of rubbish shots, he then thought that he could hold the flower up if he got a fork between the leaves, but I also needed him to hold a piece of card behind the flower.  We had just got ourselves set up with our arms intertwined, when our doorbell rang.  It was our lovely neighbour, Lynn, to give us yesterday’s newspaper and a map telling us how to get to the farm shop she and Mike visited yesterday.  Mr. HCB was still in position by the kitchen cupboard, so she said, “Not wishing to be rude, but what ARE you doing?”  Thankfully, she knows how nutty we are, so when we explained she just laughed, and said she would leave us to get on with the job!  

Having taken the photographs, and by now it was after 10 o’clock, I was in the middle of making my breakfast porridge, when I saw Lewis, our lovely postman at the door, pushing another package through.  I was glad to see him, because I had printed off a copy of yesterday’s Blip for him and I also wanted to give him a little “Christmas Box” to show our gratitude.  He was pleased and said that he did enjoy getting to know people.  He also mentioned that he was doing a Training Course so might be off one day next week.  I asked what the course was and he told me he was training to be an Express Delivery Operative, a posh name for a Postman!  We both had a little chuckle and Lewis then went on his way smiling.

The weather is atrocious with high winds and the rain is hammering down, so I have been having a little fartnarkle with the shot I took and this is the result, with special thanks to Mr. HCB for being willing to help.  I got rid of the background using the PhotoRoomApp, put lots of borders around using the Carbon App, which I know it looks a bit fussy, but it does contain all my favourite colours and what else can you do on a wet and miserable day?  I also wrote my own Haiku today :

Advent Haiku
Christmas cactus blooms
Brightening our window sill
On dark dismal days
Maureen Iles