Worth the wait?????

Hi again to everyone, and apologies for being so slack.  I don't have work to share just at the moment, and time is short.  Thank you to all who have expressed concern for my absence.  I am trying.  I wanted to quickly share this gorgeous flower with everyone.  Quite some years ago, probably around four, I was given a small piece from a succulent by a long time friend, Joan.  Her husband couldn't stop bagging the plant, but she insisted it 'had a very pretty flower'.  Well, after four years watching this scraggy piece of 'cactus', my reward was this bloom.  And, yes, Joan was quite right.  The bloom was gorgeous, and huge.  There was only one on the entire plant, but so worth the wait.

I took a photograph from the back too.  I'm not sure why, but I just thought it might look nice.  When you look into the photograph, you can see lots of smoke haze in the background, the result of so many every present fires in and around our area at the moment.  Sadly, there are many more areas which are being threatened.  I believe a number of them have been started by lightning strikes.

Both of the above photographs are shared as taken, but the one below has been cropped and slightly enhanced in PhotoShop.  I really can't stop looking at it, and have decided to get a print made to send to Joan for Christmas.  I don't see her very much, as we don't go visiting, and neither does she.  Anyway, for all of you, please enjoy, and thanks again for your friendship.

One gorgeous bloom