Chris Jefferies
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scilla.org.uk
Chris Jefferies
@scilla.org.uk
Interested in everything!
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Days are slipping by with no Hippeastrum photos. Here's one for today. The second flowering stalk from one of the bulbs is about to open, and sunshine from the window is backlighting some of the petals. Leaves are developing from the two youngest bulbs.
December 16, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Blog chains were popular back in the day, let's see if we can still get one started!
December 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Here's this month's helping. Look out for these posts around the middle of every month. As usual it's a long article made up of short, monthly chunks.
I put out a family history post in the middle of each month, December's has just dropped and covers September 2025 right back to 1800. Joy and sadness, success and failure, good and bad choices - it's all there.

#Family #History

jhm.scilla.org.uk/2025/12/14/g...
Great-great-uncle William
It might have been William who requested and obtained the title ‘Royal Nurseries’ This was a forerunner of the later ‘By Appointment to’ designation denoting high status businesses (1800s).
jhm.scilla.org.uk
December 14, 2025 at 9:31 AM
A frosty, misty start to another fine day.
December 13, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Here's another in the Hippeastrum series, taken from above this time. All four of the flowers on the first cluster are open or almost open, and the second cluster is close to opening.
December 13, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Here's today's shot of the Hippeastrum 'Bronze Lion'. Getting more and more impressive by the day!
December 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
This is Daglingworth Brook running from right to left in the foreground. The channel heading away from the brook was dug to fill the pond in the middle distance, presumably to water cattle in the field. All of this - brook, channel and pond are all dry in the summertime. but look at them now!
December 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
More action from the Hippeastrum 'Bronze Lion' today.
December 10, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Global warming is causing all sorts of strange things to happen, These cowslips were flowering in my garden yesterday, 9th December. The photo was taken today.

#GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #Cowslip #Primula
December 10, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Here are some festive lights in Black Jack Street, #Cirencester, #Gloucestershire. The town is decorated for Christmas. Everyone loves the lights, of course, from the very youngest to the oldest! Even the sky is getting in on the act at Riverside Walk.
December 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Iris unguicularis in flower in our garden yesterday. These are native to North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria), are fully hardy in the UK, and keep their leaves all year long. Always a nice surprise to see the flowers in December or January!
December 9, 2025 at 1:14 PM
I had a short hospital appointment this morning to attach a self-adhesive 14-day heart monitor patch. After two weeks I post it back to the manufacturer for reading and, perhaps, refurbishment for re-use. It's all clever stuff.
December 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM
The Hippeastrum story continues. The first flower is open and other three are beginning to bend down towards horizonal, the second flower cluster will open soon, and the third is starting to extend from the first bulb.
December 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Mr #Trump tells us that Ukrainians LOVE his pro-Russian 'peace plan'. One counter example is enough to disprove a claim. This video from an American, Greg Terry, is well worth watching. He puts a few things straight, makes a few things very clear...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyTH...
December 8, 2025 at 10:15 PM
As you can see from my last two posts here on Bluesky, I've started to share articles, videos and other items I've enjoyed or found helpful. Keep an eye out for more of these in future.
December 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Here's a recent video from #MarcusHouse in #Tasmania, all about #SpaceX's continuing work to develop the third version of #Starship and the hardware for #Lunar #Landing. It's a great watch.

youtu.be/xdxRlnHNtgU?...
Ad Free - SpaceX Just Dropped the Biggest Starship Lander Update in Years! 🤯
YouTube video by Marcus House
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 8:48 PM
China is replacing the USA as the world's leading country for science. The prestigious British journal Nature reports on this in its free Weekly Briefing. The study is based on citation data and blames, amongst other influences, Donald Trump's direct actions.
www.nature.com/briefing/sig...
Sign up for Nature Briefing
An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, free in your inbox every weekday.
www.nature.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Here are the latest photos of the Hippeastrum 'Bronze Lion' flowers opening, yesterday on the left and today on the right. When each flower bud is mature enough, it moves from a vertical position to horizontal.
December 7, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Chris Jefferies
Chapter 18 of John's Gospel this time. Jesus appears before Annas, Caiaphas, and Pilate.

#Jesus #Arrest #Trial

jhm.scilla.org.uk/2025/12/06/a...
Arresting Jesus
If Jesus is in John and is glorified, John shares in that glory too! Even if John doesn’t fully grasp what exactly the glory is, he certainly grasps that through Jesus that glory is already i…
jhm.scilla.org.uk
December 6, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The Hippeastrum flower bud is getting larger and the individual four flowers are starting to separate. A second flower stalk is forming on the same bulb but there are no leaves so far.
December 6, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Sunsets are at 15:51 in Cirencester at the moment, just about the earliest they get, by 13th December they will be at 15:52, and becoming a little later every day so the evenings will be improving while the mornings will continue to worsen for another week. We're at a turning point!
December 5, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Gloucester Street, Cirencester, on a sunny winter day. I love this grand old town so much.

#Cotswolds #Cirencester
December 4, 2025 at 10:59 PM
I can ß at least for flower buds now
December 3, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Detail of an orchid in our kitchen area, such beautiful detail and colouring in these long-lasting flowers!

#Orchid
December 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM
The individual flower buds are now becoming visible on the Hippeastrum 'Bronze Lion'. Scroll down for earlier shots.
December 2, 2025 at 9:41 AM