Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Christmas Cactus

The sun has finally come out, late afternoon, but it has been a cold day today, with an unpleasant cold wind (which has just started to pick up). Had a routine dental appointment this afternoon and when I got back home, I noticed that the first flower on my little Christmas Cactus had fully opened. Thought I'd make the most of it - after all, a day without using my camera is not my favourite kind of day, LOL! Hope it sends out lots of cheer : ) Rebecca (Red-Star) - this is to celebrate your successful, but bittersweet, house sale.

I'm finding it almost impossible to believe that Christmas is only five weeks away! Being away on a week's holiday in mid-September and now having so many summery images to go through is partly to blame, I suspect : ) Happened to come across this photo of a beautiful Christmas Cactus flower from my archives, that was taken on 10 November 2009, and thought it might help me feel in a Christmas mood. I have dozens of Christmas letters and cards that need to be done so that they can be posted overseas. I used to love doing these, but have to admit it gets harder with every passing year.

A little out of season, though you'd never guess so if you could see our snow-covered city this morning, after a winter storm passed through, ha! So, back to winter we are : ) Wish I could stay home, but I have to drive part way across the city this morning for a walk - need to go, partly so that I can get myself off my computer for a few hours, to give my extremely painful arms (from too much mouse clicking) at least some rest. I'm supposed to do more walking, anyway, as I have to increase my bone density. Sigh .... Photo taken on 10 November 2009. Add to Groups is not working (for some of us) this morning - argh! Now fixed.

A Christmas Cactus that has bloomed way before Christmas : ) Or is this a Thanksgiving Cactus? Taken yesterday in my kitchen.

It's -3C (26F) this afternoon, so I yearn for warmth : ) Just another macro view of a Christmas Cactus flower with a lovely red, WARM bokeh, ha. Supposed to be -9C (16F) tomorrow morning when I plan on going on a walk - haven't been on a walk anywhere for about two weeks, which is not good! Of course, -9C is nothing compared to what we are in for during the winter months, but it still always takes a bit of getting used to.

Macro shot of a pink Christmas Cactus taken on November 4th. Seven of the next 10 days have snow in the forecast, so I thought I'd better get out this morning, just in case the weather forecast turns out to be right. Such a beautiful morning once the sun came out. Met a few friends down at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and though there was not all that much to see, we did have a pair of gorgeous Hooded Mergansers fly in and land on the lagoon. I've only ever seen these from a great distance, but today they were a little closer and I think I have finally got a few closer shots.

Used my little Raynox 250 macro lens to get a closer look at the stamens and pollen of a Christmas Cactus flower. A warm glow, which feels good after walking all day today. Had a full day of Christmas Bird Count in the Canmore area (near Banff, in the Rocky Mountains) today. It's recommended that a person does 10,000 steps a day - well, I've done 23,377 today, LOL, and it feels like it, too! Feel exhausted, so won't be on Flickr much tonight. Got less than two hours sleep last night and tomorrow morning I have to be up early to go looking for Owls with a friend. Aren't I lucky?? No walking though, just driving.

This is the tiny pistil and a few stamens of a Christmas Cactus flower : ) Seen though my little macro lens, a Raynox DCR-250. Still have a long way to go before I (hopefully) succeed in getting greater clarity with my supermacros, but it is fun to see things so much closer. Needed a "lazy" day (i.e. a day at home) today, ready for another long Bird Count day tomorrow.

Just a few teeny water droplets on a pink petal : ) Loved the colour that they turned out. Can't remember if this was on a Christmas Cactus flower.

Pearl, I don't know if you loved RED like your Mom (Rebecca), but I know for sure you spent a lifetime being surrounded by this gorgeous, vibrant colour. When I looked at this photo this evening, it made me think of you and your Mom. I'm sure you are looking down from over the Rainbow Bridge, watching her - she is so lucky to have such an amazing Guardian Angel who will watch over her at all times. She deserves that, you say? Oh, Pearl, we all already know that! I know you will likewise be looking down on your Dad and your furry siblings, too : ) What a family you have, and what joy you have brought them for almost 20 years - and vice versa, I know! You will be so greatly missed ..... Our thoughts are with you all, Rebecca : ) Hugs.... Our weather was atrocious this afternoon/evening. Snow made the roads really bad and traffic was awful. Took me two hours to get home after a volunteer shift - a drive that would normally take about 20 minutes! I can't imagine having to do this day after day - I really feel for all you people out there who have to put up with that.

Just a supermacro of the goings-on under a flower petal : ) Messing around with my Raynox 250 again. Sorry I'm being so slow with commenting, everyone! I've just been told that I have dangerously high blood pressure (after being without medication for quite a few months because I didn't have a family doctor, and the last walk-in doctor I saw almost a year ago refused to give me more than one month's worth and told me I HAD to find one - impossible in this city!!! Finally, I have managed to find a doctor (though I have to admit I can barely understand him, as his accent is very difficult. I wonder if his patients are leaving him because they can't understand him? Anyway, I am back on BP medication - a side effect is that it is causing awful tiredness, which does not go down well with me at all! Hard to make myself get out of bed and get ready to go on an occasional walk, too, which isn't good. I'm just functioning at a MUCH slower pace - grrr!

Oops, didn't do a very good job on focusing close, but at least half the flower is in focus : ) The flowers of the Christmas Cactus are so pretty when looked at from underneath. Sorry, everyone, I'm not getting a chance to comment much at all this week, thanks mainly to taking part in quite a few Bird Counts that are out of the city. They go from very early morning to late afternoon/early evening and I'm functioning (barely!) on two or three hours of sleep a night. I should have a chance to collapse for a day on Wednesday, but then I have two or three more busy Count days. By 5th January, I should have more time to do other things - phew!

A similar photo to one I posted quite a while ago, but not as close a macro. This is looking down on a beautiful red Christmas Cactus, which bloomed a good month too early for Christmas : )

I really realized how bright this photo of my Christmas cactus was when I accidentally hit a wrong key last night and ended up with this photo as my desktop image, LOL! I decided to keep it there and it helps give a (false) feeling of warmth as I sit here with cold draughts from my window gaps swirling around me : ). Not the sharpest of photos, but thought I'd post it anyway. By the way, Rebecca, thought of you when I saw how this photo turned out - RED for the birthday girl (well, for yesterday, but close enough).

I didn't realize how pretty a Christmas Cactus flower is if you turn it upside down : )