As I usually do, I have made some lemon curd - I associate the sunny yellow and slightly sharp taste with Spring. I made a cake (the thought of lemon curd and buttercream was too much to resist) and to avoid the usual problem I have of the layers of buttercream and lemon curd fighting against each other and causing slippage of the top layer of cake, I mixed the lemon curd into the buttercream. Success!
The cake stays intact, no slippage of the layers and the delicious lemon flavour comes through the buttercream.
Other things making me happy are in the garden. My Lathyrus vernus Alboroseus is flowering again...
...and the patio peony I bought last year - Madrid I think, or it could be Athens - has six buds.
It's the start of my tulip season and these Ballerina tulips (my favourite) were from last year or the year before as I planted them in the border after taking them out of their pots. They are also earlier to flower than the ones I bought this year.
Muscari latifolium which is my favourite grape hyacinth, due to the lovely shading.
New patio peonies, bought as bare roots last month. This is 'Rome'.
Another patio peony just nosing out of the ground. Rome again (as I received two small and separate plants in the order, rather than one larger one.)
An epimedium which I bought many years ago and thought was lost, has just made its presence known and is flowering beautifully.
Erythronium Pagoda is also doing well.
Clematis Alpina Rosy Pagoda has some buds...
...and one open flower. I hope there will be lost more to enjoy for the next couple of weeks of April.
