The unforgettable scent of citrus blossom

I grew up on an island famous for its citrus fruit and its potatoes. There was nothing like travelling through the orchards heavy with flowers and inhaling that sweet unmistakable scent of orange and lemon blossom. 

There would be festivals to celebrate the fruit and parades of floats made exclusively of oranges and lemons. A few months later the taste of those first oranges, mandarins and clementines was unparalleled and I have never found the intensity of their flavour nor the freshness of the fruit until now. 

Some person years ago planted a mandarin tree in my garden. Some of you who are readers of the blog may recall that I collected the fruit, ate it and made the most delicious juice out of it. Now it is as if I am transported back to my youth, to spring time on the island as I sit on my deck and take in the sweet smell of the blossom. The markets are awash with Australian oranges and mandarins- the essence of winter fruit and now we are heading unmistakably into a heady spring.  There is no greater joy then sitting in the ambient light of dusk and having this scent envelop your night.