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It is not only in Britain that spring, this year, has taken everyone by surprise.
Here in the Ticino, on the borders of Switzerland and Italy,
the slopes overlooking Lake Lugano
have already burst into flower
at least a fortnight earlier than usual.
But what, you may ask,
has the early and welcome arrival (11)___ bees and blossom to (12)___ with food?
Well, it (13)___ simply that the past (14)___, one of the mildest (15)___ living memory,
has had (16)___ effect in other ways (17)___ well.
Most important of (18)___,
itís resulted in an (19)___ heavy spaghetti crop.
The (20)___ two weeks of March (21)___ an anxious time for (22)___ spaghetti farmer.
There is (23)___ the chance of a (24)___ frost which, while not (25)___ ruining the crop,
generally (26)___ the flavour
and makes (27)___ difficult for him to (28)___ top prices in world (29)___.
But now these dangers (30)___ over
and the spaghetti (31)___ goes forward.
Spaghetti cultivation (32)___ in Switzerland is not, (33)___ course,
carried out on (34)___ like the tremendous scale (35)___ the Italian industry.
Many (36)___ you, I am sure, (37)___ have seen pictures
of (38)___ vast spaghetti plantations in (39)___ Po valley.
For the (40)___, however, it tends to (41)___ more of a family (42)___.
Another reason why this (43)___ be a bumper year (44)___ in the virtual disappearance
(45)___ the spaghetti weevil,
the (46)___ creature whose depradations have (47)___ much concern in the (48)___.
After picking, the spaghetti (49)___ laid out to dry (50)___ the warm Alpine sun.
(51)___ people are very puzzled (52)___ the fact that spaghetti (53)___ produced in such uniform (54)________.
This is the result (55)___ many years of patient (56)___ by plant breeders
who (57)___ in producing the perfect (58)___.
Now the harvest is (59)___
by a traditional meal.
(60)___ to the new crop (61)________ drunk in these boccalinos, and
(62)___ the waiters enter bearing (63)___ ceremonial dish.
And it is, (64)___ course, spaghetti - picked early in (65)___ day,
dried in the (66)___,
and so brought fresh (67)___ garden to table
at (68)___ very peak of condition.
(69)___ those who love this (70)___,
there is nothing like (71)___ home-grown spaghetti.