Easter is called Paques here in France. There are similar traditions to do with eggs and Easter bunnies and cute fluffy chicks as the ones I’m used to from the UK. In village centres, traders make a special point of decorating their windows, and, of course, the chocolatiers go all out to catch your eye and entice you indoors.

Some villages have their carnivals at Easter. The poulain is the totem animal of the town and he will be dusted off to do a tour of the streets while children follow and throw flour at each other.

The mayor of our village asked for restraint this year. It’s not a good idea to mix flour-throwing with real eggs. You might be able to wash the sticky result from your hair and clothes easily, but cleaning the streets is another matter.

After recent heavy rain which saw the end of the Hanumi blossom, my garden is blooming with fresh delights.

I like to see a mixture of spring bulbs in planters. Grape hyacinths and miniature tulips make a good contrast in this pot. I’m not a fan of scarlet red flowers; I think they can be too loud and take over the garden if you let them, but a little is okay with me. Blue flowers, on the other hand, are a must. Somehow, they knit everything together.

On the wall by the garage, the jasmine is beginning to open. Its perfume is intoxicating.

Doesn’t this picture just make your nose itch for the smell of it?

In another pot, pink Ixia has already started. I’d never grown this plant before, but I wouldn’t be without it now. It flowers all the way through summer and thoroughly deserves its place in the garden.

I wish you all a very Happy Easter. Himself and I and Gollum Boy are having a few days away. Back soon!