I admit. I was feeling a little bit smug. Not an interesting trait I know. But i was. I was off to Spain. From the cold of London. Where we have been having work done at the front of the house and the door step had a grille missing and the wind was howling through the cellar and up through the hall door. Hurrah I thought. I am off to Espana and I will be warm.

Let me tell you. No one likes Mr smug. So he gets his come up pence. He leaves on that jet plane. Knows when he is back again. He arrives in said Spain. And. As a punishment for his smugness his suitcase doesn’t arrive. Still hasn’t.

And its cold. Very cold. An unseasonal cold. People say they haven’t seen it this cold in years. Not since the snow 12 years ago. There is snow on the mountains. But that’s far enough away to look pretty. No snow in town and then there mountains are high.

I have ditched my smugness. But still no suitcase. According to the inter web and the airline website they have located a case that might be mine and they are verifying it. I am not sure why it is taking over 16 hours so far but if they want to try on my clothes, taste the coffee, out of the coffee set whilst perusing the photo book I packed then good for them. But please let me have the case soon. I have seeds that will need planting. Or reordering if they don’t arrive.

Did I mention that I am starting Spanish lessons. Well I am and I have. I have homework to do and verbs and tenses to learn. Yes I am tense! One hour one to one three days a week. I need to practise. Ian is worried ill get mixed up. Some words are similar but have very different means, and he’s bothered i will embarras myself. Mmmm so am I.

But I digress from the garden.

It’s amazing how the garden changes here so quickly. Two weeks ago I was lamenting the fact that our Almond trees were not in full blossom yet our neighbours was. I had blossom envy. But on our return we have some blossom on the three trees – no four – I found another today {careless of me not to have noticed before really} Each tree is at a different stage and I think that there are two varieties.

It’s a shame that its so chilly I am sure it suppresses the scent. The flowers are so delicate. So pretty. I picked most of the almonds last year and dried them. I have yet to taste. I will this week. If I remember.

The Australian wisteria over the garden gate is going great guns. I had never seen it before we bought the house, but then again there are a lot of plants in this garden I hadn’t seen before. Thankfully I have a great go to book to use as a reference which tells me that the plant is Hardenbergia Violacea. Drought tolerant. Will tolerate short spells of 0* – a bit like me then. But its pretty rampant and is a gorgeous colour. All I need to do now is cut a little back so I can actually open the gate.

I have tried to grow Foxtail Lily’s in Somerset to no avail. One year I planted at the wrong time. The following they didn’t appear. No I did plant them the tight way up. Well I think I did. So I bought 6 to plant here. Hurrah 4 have come through and are doing well. The other two well if I knew where I had planted them and labelled them I d know. But I am rubbish at labels. If they come through I will know then. But I am excited to see how they do. Two varieties. One is Cleopatra. The other is – I need to check.

The alliums are staring to poke through. Though where my tulips are is anyone’s guess. There are two just poking through one of the pots but this cold spell may shock them into a growth spurt. Fingers crossed.

Down on the access road and on our bank is a mimosa tree. I now know its a mimosa tree as its formed its flowers. Not yet yellow. Not yet in full bloom but definitely mimosa. We drive past it every day and to be honest I rarely walk that bit. So I am looking forward to it in full bloom. It’s a pretty sizeable tree and it is covered in what will be flowers. I understand that its not a great plant if you suffer from hayfever. That’s me done then and I need to stockpile the antihistamine. But some things are worth it.

The roundabout which isn’t a roundabout – its just someone’s (ME) childish name for a piece of land at the rear of the house and across the road is full of yellow oxalis and they look great. A bit of an acidic yellow but a welcome sight on the scrubby ground which has two fig trees which produce tiny tasty black figs – oh and the 4th almond tree which is flowering.

Remind me to stay away from spike. The unfriendly cactus. The needles look lethal – I am not getting too close. It’s on the bank on the way up to the house and again I don’t see it very often. Perhaps that’s the problem It feels unloved. I know nothing about cactus and I am learning pretty quick re succulents. I have to. The garden has many. Of both.

I planted 75 or 100 freesia in the garden and in Pots. I love the flowers and the scent but boy are they a pain in the proverbial. As well as a rubbish labeller I am also a poor staker. Yes I know Ive grown dahlias and they need staking. I am afraid I was rubbish at that too. I am getting better as I have tied the freesias so they don’t keep falling over like me after a sniff of ale.One of them is out already. Guess what colour. Yep yellow. But there are buds galore.

I had a bit of a panic this morning. It was cold when we arrived in the dark last night and I admit I had a late wander around the garden. But I couldn’t really check the two orange trees we have. When we left two weeks ago one was full of blossom. As well as hanging heavy with oranges. Not quite ready to pick, but nearly there. Had the cold spell killed off the blossom, had the oranges frozen on the tree. No. They are both fine. As is the single pink grapefruit which is scheduled for picking when two of the Dream Team arrive in two weeks time. Whether they like grapefruit or not.

This morning is the taste test. But it needs to warm up before eating. Just a tad. . But it looks good enough to eat.

Before I came away i made Seville Orange gin – the recipe a post i saw from Otter Farm and on their FB page. I managed to get the oranges at a local shop in Peckham. Local to me. Not to the oranges obviously. Try getting seville oranges in Spain. Little chance. Exported to the UK to make marmalade!

We have a second tree which I believe the oranges to be slightly bitter so after a taste test this week I will see if they will be ok to immerse in a vat of gin!

Today will be a bit of pruning. The neighbours have cut back a lot on the boundaries and its amazing the extra light you get even at this time of year. I may be a while …..