Too soon?

My Christmas cactus was outside all the summer, but I brought it indoors a few weeks ago and fat buds appeared. Now it is almost in flower and absolutely covered with bright pink blooms, I wondered whether they will last until Christmas.
We watched the Remembrance service from the cenotaph this morning. It is wonderful to see the military precision and to hear the music. The parade of the veterans is so moving. We are both lucky in that we lost nobody in either of the two World Wars but my grandfather was in the Royal Navy and his cruiser was torpedoed in the North Sea early in the First World War. Many died in this action when three cruisers were torpedoed, but he was lucky and was picked up by a Dutch trawler. In later years he used to take us, his grandchildren, to Chatham Navy Days, a brilliant day out, and it always brings a lump to my throat when I see the naval ratings on parade and remember those happy days.