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that's a great shot! From a Kindle? wow! I'm a techno dinosaur. It has taken me years to get to know my camera and all it does is take pictures. congratulations!

and that is backward as my kindle doesnt have a frontfacing camera! That is my cambria orchid "massai red". I need to repot it but its too late now i should think, it had masses of fabulous flowers, so keeping fingers crossed i will have at least some this year but no sign yet. It might need a bit of a rest after all that effort.

Is the name Massai a fanciful appellation or does your orchid come from the dry massif in Africa? Perhaps it will rest during our temperate winter? It looks very healthy and robust. I have (as you know) only the phals and they struggle because I don't have a properly lit, moist environment for them. I know they are the least picky of the orchids but I hate to see them looking so sad. I have received a small bonsai pot with two bonsai-ed schefflera in it. That's going to be a challenge. I haven't been into indoor plants to any degree for years. I have my little african violets and I'm managing to keep them alive along with a Dragon Wing red begonia which has plastered itself against the window in the porch...it's going to suffer when the freeze arrives and the window is frosty... must find it a more suitable spot, too. lol... I guess I should quit the computer and do some watering! ;-)

It seems to be a hybrid from unknown parentage so i doubt if it has any connection with african dry massive conditions, but who knows... i have not managed to find it on google.
I used to have loads of indoor plants, dutch houses when i grew up were often more like conservatories, plants everwhere. Just a few now, but they are creeping in. Yesterday i got an amarillis, i love them they are so spectacular, only a bulb still. Other than that a few cyclamen, better than cut flowers! and some yuccas, forever burning myself on the oven! An aeschynanthus lobbianus or lipstick vine from a cutting now flowering its socks off and a gloxinia and that's it. For the moment..i could get hooked on orchids if only i get this lady to flower again. I just posted a pic of my lipstick vine.

Used to have a major gesneriad fixation...it started with african violets and spread to gloxinia, episcia, aeschynanthus, goldfish vine, and a lovely trumpet flowered hanger which had glistening white flowers with a lovely purple throat and little stippules on the edge of it's lower lip that looked like tiny drops of dew! That was MANY years ago and it's taken a major effort of memory just to draw them up from the depths!
Saw a very pretty amaryllus last week at the market. (still in the box!) but the illustration promised a dark red confection of a bloom. They are so cheery as the days get shorter and shorter. Can't wait for the lengthening days. Always feel tired and grumpy this time of year. ;-)

Mine was a boxed amaryllus, feel tempted to talk to it every day, a la prince charles, and willing it to start sprouting. I need some growing flowers. As the outside of our house is finished, no more scaffolding! i can now start thinking of winterbaskets and some xmas wreaths etc. I'll post a pic lori.

Whatever works. Follow the example of HRH.
Went to the little local farmer's market on Saturday and a lady was selling large Christmas arrangements. I have so much stuff growing on my hill and in the field that I started thinking about doing a trough. something large for the front deck. Since we've been here I have not had any lights outdoors. Was thinking that a spot light under the cedars might be an interesting feature.

Spotlights under a cedar would be fantastic, fairytale stuff in midwinter with all your snow! is it a big specimen and is it visible from the house? A christmas "trough" eh, you dont do things by halves girl, but you have given me an idea!

All our snow has gone! We had about 5 inches then it got warm again. I think this will be an El Nino winter. Muskoka has been buried in "lake effect" snow, but over here in Matawatchan we're dry. A few snowflakes yesterday but no accumulation.
I removed the low branches of the cedar, and it's on the crest of the hill above the stream. The deer come to forage in the extreme cold but haven't seen any yet. (just their tracks) It's also on the turkey trail... and we have had 20 birds pecking and squabbling. No partridges, the woods have been silent... I don't have a poire tree... lol... have not cut down the phlox, echinacea, and verbascum in the garden beside the cedar...so perhaps just a light would be the best to add some interest and not disturb the deer feeding.

Turkey and a pear tree? Its partridge here lol, how about the "seven swans a swimming", with your own stream?

Could you watch at night from the house with your binocs?
I get pheasants in and am hoping for some hedgehogs but no luck sofar. Bit of a letdown after all our wildlife in the Gers but on the other hand it will be so easy and a joy to garden here, just have to plant it with wildlife and insects in mind come spring..

Cambria orchid "Masai Red". Success! I followed somebodys (?) advice on GOY and started to add a v small amount of orchid feed with each weekly watering. Within weeks of starting this regime i cld see a flowershoot appearing and now a second one is making its appearance. I have never managed to get any orchid to reflower, so i am so pleased with this one. Looking thr orchid posts i found it was Amsterdam who posted this advice, thanks ever so much.