In the garden, with the air filled with the scent of apricot blossom and the sound of bees around the tree, the wild cherry buds are beginning to appear on our sapling, planted just a couple of years ago.
Leaf and flower buds are appearing on the Rose banksiae. I was worried about it because it began to flower in January (much too early) and those buds were killed by the cold weather, but it seems now to be recovering and flourishing after its pruning last autumn.
The jasmine is flowering:
And there were wonderful shadows on the olive leaves:
It’s St Joseph’s Day today, the date when it’s traditional here for haricot beans to be sown, and we sowed our first row. Although the instructions on the packet suggest the end of April as the earliest sowing date, this is for more northern climates and here all the gardeners sow them at the end of March. We’ll sow several more rows later in the spring to ensure a steady supply.
Back home after our morning’s work, we started our lunch with some leftover foie gras on toasts and then ate Lo Jardinièr’s adaptation of a recipe for pumpkin and chickpea salad from Sam and Sam Clark’s Casa Moro, adding feta cheese to the pumpkin and arranging it all on a green salad with parsley and sorrel from the garden.
olivesandartichokes 
Absolutely delicious – I could happily eat that now.
You are much further ahead of us. My apple and pear trees are still in tight bud. They usually bloom around Mother’s Day but I think they will be early this year as we have had two days of record warmth.
Our apple blossom isn’t out yet, either. It’s usually later than the apricot.
Excellent lunch 😉
You’re ahead of us too. That’s interesting about St Joseph’s Day and haricot beans. I’m about to head out now and put a row in – in the rain and fog!
Good luck with the beans!
beautiful shots of new growth but what a fantastic lunch!! Wow, i wish you were my mum! c
Thanks, but it was Lo Jardinier who made the lunch.
Really enjoyed seeing the signs of Spring in your area and, at least for me, there’s nothing at all ordinary about that lunch! Well done!
No, you’re right, lunch should never be ordinary!
The salad looks delicious, I’m always jealous when I read about French produce particularly the cheese which I miss but I have started makin my own Camembert!