There are a few foods that are really seasonal and are with us for just a brief period – my two favourites are Cherries and Asparagus. I absolutely love both of them and neither of them are anywhere near as good eaten out of season. So when the season is right we eat them most days and enjoy them while we can. Asparagus is really easy to grow and even a small patch will provide you with some mouth-watering meals. Read More…
Our original travel plans didn’t include England but as my brother’s tiny Philippine island was invaded by terrorists we had to quickly reschedule so as not to lose all our flights. This gave us six days to fill in and what better way than to call in to stay with the nephew in the Cotswolds! Late May is too early to see the gardens at their best, as we knew. It’s that time when most of the best of spring has finished and the best of summer has yet to bloom. However, we were not to be deterred of course and first stop was Wisley – so close to Heathrow too. Neither of us had been to England for nearly twenty years! Gosh the time has gone so fast. The Green Door has gobbled it up. Wisley was looking amazing – the borders so full with hints of the spectacular colour that was to come – just peeping through. The obvious winner was the new Allium Purple Rain. Phil just couldn’t get enough of it. It was a bit reminiscent of – “how many pictures of blue Gentians do you need”! The upright stems carrying the deep purple globes looked fabulous wherever we saw them – through purple foliage of Sage, through bright yellow flowers of Euphorbia. The key was to have foliage flowing around the stems so that when the Allium flowers were finished the garden wouldn’t be left with an unsightly gap.
From Montesinho, northern Portugal we moved through the rain to the mountains of Potes. We couldn’t complain as this was the first rain we had experienced in over a month.
From the sparse mountains of Montesinho, over the border just ten minutes away, we travelled through countryside that looked very much like Waiouru! Bare with only a few settlements and lots of gorse. This soon gave way to rivers and green hillsides.
After a hot meal en route we came across fields and fields of wild daffodils just below Riano. Not just little miniature alpine Daffs like we had seen on our hikes, but quite large ones similar to what we would grow in our gardens at home in New Zealand. How amazing. The rain didn’t keep us in the car long! I’m sure the locals thought we were completely mad – but then that wouldn’t be the first time.
Potes turned out to be all it said in the guide books. The perfect base for exploring the east side of the Picos. We were here four nights and could easily have stayed seven if the weather had been better. Luckily the next morning dawned fine, sunny and slightly warmer. We drove to the Fuente De chair lift just before 9am – it’s only 20mins drive from Potes – and found ourselves the only ones there apart from the staff. What a huge bonus. We were the first on the mountain and had it all to ourselves! Gentians greeted us the minute we left the buildings and by the time we had completed the short climb to the top the day was perfect and not a breath of wind. So, so, so lucky.
The next five hours were spent drifting down the mountainside tripping from one patch of alpine flowers to the next, occasionally taking a breath to enjoy the splendour of the soaring peaks around us.
Lucky us – we found some tiny Daffodils still in flower on the top of the hills en route to Manteigas, Portugal – growing at 1450m in practically pure rock. Growing with them were tiny alpine bluebells.
It just goes to show that when all the books tell you to put grit underneath your bulbs when planting – it’s because they really like very good drainage and choose to grow right on PURE grit given the chance! In NZ the best thing to use in your pots or garden would be small, sharp gravel or pumice.
