Algarve Letters

Summer's Coming

Summer has at last come to the Algarve. The mornings and evenings are still a little brisk, but the sky is blue, the fruits are ripening on the boughs, the grass in my field is up round my ears. My broad bean plants are as tall as I am, and I have been eating the pods whole, finger sized, and delicious they are too. I've now started letting the pods grow a little, and the beans inside are thumb nail size and wonderfully sweet. I could eat a meal just containing them on a bed of noodles.

The temperatures are up above twenty degrees now, and it is time to spend a couple of days roaming around on the western coast, and visiting a few of my favourite restaurants for lunch. I'll take the camera and bring you some nice snaps for next week's bulletin.

The Algarve is great in the spring. I say it over and over, the place may be a political and economic basket case, but if your favourite season is spring then this is the place to be. Spring really starts in december with the daffodils and jonquils all in flower, then really gets into gear in february with the mimosa, and by then you have the almond blossom and the peach blossom, and everything just follows on in a pretty and delightful cavalcade.

Right now we have peaches fattening up with that charming blush across the fresh green, while further down the orchard the apricot is in full blush. It looks startling against the clear blue sky.



Indoors I am surrounded by vases filled with orange blossom, and the scent is everywhere.

The nightingale sings day after day, and oddly, it sings during the day here rather than at night. We only await the arrival of the golden oriels.

john