Persephone's Return

Less than three weeks ago, in Frost and Feathers, I contemplated the struggle that Winter was facing in evicting Autumn from our garden in the Valley on The Mountain.  The battle continues, with icy assaults shredding leaves on some of the most delicate plants, but Winter is now under attack from the other side, as Spring brings daffodil sunshine to many corners of the garden, and the first new shoots are opening on a nectarine tree that has not finished shedding last Summer's foilage.

Most of those old leaves are still verdant, as are the remnant leaves on the Chinese Elm out front, though the calendar says they should long ago have fallen.  The secateurs are hard at work as I try to complete the pruning that normally might wait until mid August.  The Honeyeaters are brightly coloured and loudly assertive in their territorial campaigns, and our Magpie landlords are flat out gathering nesting material.  Yet there are still yellowing leaves on some of the Apple limbs for the Eastern Yellow Robins to imitate as they sit and watch for their next morsel to show itself.

Is it too early to venture a few bean seeds in the garden yet, or should I sow another row of peas?