That ****** Plant

My white Christmas cactus is in full bloom right now and is exceeding itself with blossoms as you can see.

There is a story behind this plant (which I've told here before but, because I have some new readers, I will repeat it. My mother absolutely hated white flowers in any form and if one had the audacity to rear its' head in her garden, it would meet a rapid demise. My husband had formed the habit of buying my mother a plant or flower for Christmas each year, which was something she always loved.

UNTIL.......


....the year he found a pretty little cactus in her *favourite* colour and couldn't resist buying it for her, knowing full well she would hate it. He has a diabolical sense of humour. So, Christmas came and Mom opened the wrapping and, through gritted teeth, said 'Thank you, John".

She dutifully hung her gift in the living room window and, we know, hoped that it would die - sooner rather than later. It didn't oblige and happily bloomed at least twice a year at which point we would get a phone call to say "You know that damned plant? It's blooming...again".

This went on for a number of years until finally she announced that she was never going to water that thing again and surely it would die. Well, you guessed it....

"You know that damned plant? It's blooming....again!".

Needless to say, when my mother passed away, that damned plant was the only one I kept! It blooms every year and we laugh every time.