Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Tuesday 24 December 2013

An Exotic Christmas ...

If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I'm a big fan of orchids. Over the years I have collected a nice little family, currently made up of nine members. My most recent acquisition has many rather small flowers of a delicate purple-lilac colour. I bought it mid-November and it is still going strong, although I noticed that some of the 'older' flowers are starting to wilt. 

Over the past few years I've noticed that some of the older plants, which are not very active during summer, try to put on a great show towards the end of the year. Despite their efforts, however, none of them actually managed to bloom on Christmas Eve. Until this year ...


When I came home this morning after a rather stressful trip to the bakery to pick up the 'Bûche de Noël' that had had ordered last week, I found this little beauty sitting on my kitchen window sill. It really made my day. And I guess that by tomorrow morning its siblings will be blooming too. Can you think of a nicer way to start Christmas?

Wishing you all
a Wonderful Christmas Eve
and a Merry Christmas!

8 comments:

Niall & Antoinette said...

We have a 'family' of three; the oldest plant is 5 and still flowers regularly.
They seem to do really well in this house.

prettige feestdagen!

Louise said...

Merry Christmas Martine...it is always such a joy to have an orchid bloom...best wishes to you and your mother for a wonderful Christmas..Louise

The Beaver said...

Merry Christmas to both you and your Mum.
Mine has been in bloomed for the past 4 weeks and it is still standing - I am lucky this my orchid but no flowering Christmas cactus

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Merry Christmas Martine. How wonderful that you can grow and keep Orchids .. Hope you have a lovely day tomorrow and a Happy New Year xox

Amanda said...

A very nice present indeed from your orchid family. I think of you every time I through away mine. They are really cheap in the US and I would run out of room if I had to keep them all. I wish they had an orchid orphan center where they could be recycled.
It is reveillon time in Belgium right now. I hope you are having a wonderful time and a very merry Christmas tomorrow!

VirginiaC said...

What could be more merrier than beautiful orchid blooms on Christmas Eve?
Merry Christmas to you and your Mum...have a wonderful day.

Ken Broadhurst said...

Bon Noël, Martine, et bonne pintade !

ladybird said...

N&A, Geniet van deze Kerstdag! And the good life in your beautiful corner of France.

Louise, Merry Christmas in sunny Australia! Will you be having a beach party?

Narimma, Merry Christmas! The flowering cactus your 'cousin' sent out is very beautiful indeed.

Anne, Have a lovely Christmas too. The orchids grow with a little help of 'Substral', a fertilizer stick that does wonders ... if you have enough patience.

Nadege, Joyeux Noël! Orchids aren't that expensive here. They used to be, though. I just enjoy the fact that I can make them bloom again. One of my few skills :)

Virginia, Have a lovely exotic Christmas! Blooming orchids are the first sign of a new spring, for which we yet have to wait for another couple of months. :)

Ken, Un tout grand Merci! Same to you, Walt, Callie and Bertie. Je viens de mettre ma pintade au four et je sens de bons aromes ... coming from the kitchen. I'll be sticking to our 'deal' and will be posting photos tomorrow :)