A Wisp of Spring

Yesterday I walked by Minou's flower shop - a small but colourful hole in the wall on a main street near us - and notice yellow sprigs of one of my favourite harbingers of Spring: Mimosa. They also reminded me that International Women's Day was approaching. Over the past few years I have written about both the day and the lovely Italian tradition of presenting the women in your life with mimosa as a token of love and respect.

The feathery pompoms of the Mimosa were chosen as a symbol for the day in 1946 by the Unione Donna Italiana.  It's colour was thought to denote vibrancy and joy but more than that, despite its delicate and almost fragile appearance, the mimosa is known for its resiliency.  Nothing could be more appropriate in my mind to honour the women I have known through the years.

As so many of the women who have enriched my life (and at times frustrated and baffled me beyond all belief - part of the enrichment!) are scattered throughout the world I'll take this opportunity to present each and every one with a virtual bouquet from Minou's shop.

And I have always preferred the Italian greeting for the day:  Buona festa della donna

March 8 - 1896: Charlotte Whitton, the controversial 46th Mayor of Ottawa, was born in Renfrew, Ontario.