I had no idea Jésus would turn out so… flamboyant.

You may remember that almost a year ago, I rescued a plant from certain doom. I didn’t know if he would recover from the experience, and was delighted by something so simple as his first new leaf.

Well now, behold the glory of Jésus, the Christmas Cactus completely restored to health and beauty:

Ain’t he perty?

And just for macro-enthusiasts… no prizes available for finding the bit that actually is in focus.

That actually is how bright the flowers are. It’s brighter than my fantastically bright pink shoes. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

First signs of life.

He hadn’t grown at all since the trauma of Christmas but at last, Jésus is showing signs of recovery.

He obviously likes his new vantage point of the coffee table, horribly dusty as it is.

Meet Jésus, the newest addition to the Careless family.

He’s a Christmas cactus, rescued on Boxing Day from the evil ministrations of Homebase. He had been dressed in orange and confined to the ‘reduced to 99p for quick sale’ for the simple crime of having flowered too soon.

Welcome, Jésus. There is no danger of floral recrimination in this house.