Paris News: Mimosa and marmalade from the south of France

Before we knew it, it was already March! It's gotten so warm.
A friend in Tokyo told me that the cherry blossoms will soon be in bloom.

In mid-February this year, I
I went to Cannes in the south of France to see the mimosas.
I think the yellow, fluffy mimosa is popular in Japan too.
Among the fans of Brand Julie,
Some of you may say, "I decorated my room on International Women's Day, March 8th."



I have always
My dream was to "see mimosas in Cannes in February."
In fact, it was already 30 years ago when I went to Cannes to study English.
I didn't believe my Japanese friend when he told me, "Those are all mimosas."

"Mimosa is a small flower, right?
There's no way it could grow into such a big tree."
That's how big the mimosa trees are in Cannes.
It continued along the highway.
However, I am so ignorant and don't listen to what others say. I need to reflect on myself.

Now I know that all those big trees were mimosas.
And along the Mediterranean coast in the south of France, there is a stretch called the "Mimosa Route" that stretches for 130km.
Every February, Mondelieu holds the Mimosa Festival.
I know very well that Tanneron is famous for its mimosa fields, and so on.
You can easily find out more on the Internet.



So, this year, don’t miss the timing.
So I went to the south of France in mid-February.
Unlike cherry blossoms, mimosa is not a flower that lasts for a short period of time,
I'd like to go out just in time for the flowers to be in full bloom.
As a rough guide, it is said that the flowers can be enjoyed from January to March.

This time, I actually went to the site and found out that
There are many different kinds of mimosa.
There are flowers with large, fluffy parts, flowers that are tight like balls, flowers with small leaves, flowers with wide leaves, and so on.
Apparently there are over 1,000 varieties, and even in the same garden, they flower at different times.

Moreover, mimosa is not native to the Côte d'Azur in southern France.
Apparently it originated in the 1800s when a wealthy Englishman brought it back from Australia and planted it near Cannes.
From there it just grew and grew, like a weed...
By the way, eucalyptus also arrived in southern France at the same time and by the same route.
It has now become a representative plant that shapes the landscape of this area.



At Dominique's house, where I always stay,
There are lots of mimosa and eucalyptus trees.

The house originally belonged to his wife Magali's grandmother.
Magali has been looking at this garden since she was a child.
"When I was little, there wasn't a single mimosa in the garden. The whole garden was covered with pine trees and heather, and there were no flowers like you see now.
"We didn't plant anything, the plants just grew on their own and this is how it turned out," he told me.
Eight large mimosa trees have sprouted up on their own! If we don't pay attention and remove the young shoots from time to time, the number will only grow even more.

If the tree is that strong,
I wanted to try growing it on my balcony in Paris,
Magari gave me two small seedlings to pick and throw away...
Will they become accustomed to me?
I'm not very confident.



Now, at Magali and Dominique's house,
When the weather is nice, we eat on the terrace, even in winter.

Even in mid-February, I ate breakfast outside many times.
Morning, noon or night, anytime if it's not too cold, you can sit at an outside table.
What a luxurious life!



What's more, Dominique's homemade marmalade is delicious!
I picked bitter oranges from my friend's garden,
Dominic will take three days to complete it.

"Don't make marmalade if you don't have time," advises Dominique!

Dominique Fantino
https://www.instagram.com/unchefalamer/



Just looking at these photos makes my heart full.
I always remember those memories.
I want to have it in my heart.



Until next time,
Avianto!