La Route du Mimosa

It’s February, our northern skies are grey and heavy with snow. Spring seems miles away and even a walk around the block is treacherous with black ice and compacted snow. Our days are spent predominantly indoors, huddled behind a screen attempting to do ‘home school’ – Phonics, Zooms and Oak Maths fill our days.

We are trying to keep our spirits up and have taken to watching old episodes of Rick Stein in France and the fabulous ‘Dix Pour Cent’ on Netflix (would highly recommend) just to get our French fix.

My husband spends a great deal of time watching French cycling on his mobile phone and sending me photos of sunny screen shots of cyclists on the way to Marseille. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I have a desperate yearning to return to the sunny south of France.

One of the most beautiful sights at this time of year is the Mimosa blooming in the verdant, pine clad hills, against a cerulean blue sky and sea. The sight is truly gorgeous, and really makes your soul sing. I used to buy armfuls of Mimosa from the market, or we would even pick it ourselves and display it in our homes - but it’s true that it’s far more glorious in its natural environment.

The famous ‘Route du Mimosa’ extends from Bormes-les-Mimosas to Grasse and is 130Km of pretty towns, villages and picturesque views, all framed by the beautiful Mimosa blossoms and heady scent.

I may be dreadfully sad that we can’t do the Route du Mimosa trip this year, and travels to the sunny south of France are off the cards for the moment - but I have my glorious Mimosa French soap as a small consolation. And the hope that one day we will return…… croisons les doigts!