Flowers in February

Back in the UK, one of our favourite moments of the year was when our cherry blossom tree in the garden started to bloom. It felt like the cold winter months were finally at an end, meaning we could look forward to spring and a bit of warmer weather!

Here in Portugal we have watched in amazement at the early blossom that appeared in late January, and the gorgeous little flowers that have started to appear as we go through February.

The cherry blossom that we used to admire so much has been replaced by that of the beautiful almond trees.

Portugal is among the top almond producers in Europe but until we spent our very first full winter in the country, we didn't realise quite how beautiful the blossom is. Further North, in the Douro region, there is actually an official Almond Blossom Route, and there are various festivities and hikes organised to celebrate the natural phenomenon.

While almond blossom is the classic winter flower of the Algarve, there are little flowers springing up everywhere and the lovely Bermuda buttercups are brightening up the fields as the weather slowly starts to warm up a little.

As each day goes by we feel more and more settled in the Algarve, and we love seeing the landscape change around us. It certainly feels like spring is starting to knock on the door!