I like the way Nature kindly provides some much-needed zest and zing at this time of year, particularly in the form of fresh, seasonal lemons. Our local supermarket is selling new Spanish lemons with their leaves on and they look and smell marvellous. Handling them reminded me how much I loved Bronnley lemon soaps when I was growing up; every Christmas I was given a box of four (or, occasionally a lemon soap-on-a rope) and thought they were incredibly, exotically realistic and very extravagant, and I never left a lemon soap in the bathroom after a bath as I felt it was far too good for my younger siblings. A couple of years ago I discovered that the pharmacy in Aldeburgh stocks them, and every time I visit I have to go in to smell them and admire their shape and tissue paper wrapping, and sometimes even buy some. I should really set them aside for when they, like real lemons, are most appreciated, which is now.
