Nature Diary... Sunshine plants in the sun

The sun shone warmly through the south window where a couple of dozen plants of mine are now safely sheltered from the strong winds and the night time cold, not to mention the torrential downpours of late which would have pulverised them had they been left outside. So here they now are, just a few of them arranged together for this photograph, looking cheerful in the bright sunshine. A mixture of Crassulas (one cutely named Crassula Ovata Hobbit), two Pachyphytum Oviferum with the marvelous common name ‘Moonstones’, and three tiny cacti which had been accidentally knocked off three different parent plants, popped into some cactus compost mix in miniature pots, and then had quietly grown roots and are now happily surviving. In the middle sit a few offshoots of my Tradescantia plant which root so very easily in water and have so far produced two smaller plants given as gifts, with this third group ready to be potted up as a Christmas gift. A couple of hours after taking this photo the sun disappeared behind a blanket of clouds and once more torrential rain pelted down. I hope this cheerful photo will help in some small way to bring a little cheer to all those who see it who have been so badly affected by the recent flooding. My youngest son always used to say, with the unfettered wisdom and optimism of youth “After the rain the sun always shines”. With the stresses and strains of his now adult life I sometimes have to remind him of the optimism he brought into my world when he was a youngster, and my plants and I share that ray of sunshine with you now.