It was more than 20 years ago that I fell for a Havre-aux-Maisons man, for his charming, ever-so-changing ocean eyes and his breezy voice filled the wind's secrets. This handsome Islander was also harbouring in his backyard bushes of wild roses, those delicate flowers with blush petals and multiple thorns, also known as rosehips - you know the ones. Together with the fresh scent of June's seaweed, this exquisite backdroplent a romantic aroma to our first encounters. I remembered arranging wild roses in precious bouquets as a child, plucking each flower with care as if retrieving priceless gems from a prickly treasure chest, basking in the sweet perfume for days. The flowers were as firmly rooted in my childhood memories as they were in the sandy soil in his backyard in Dune-du-Sud - it had to be a sign... After a first summer of romance, I moved in with him, in his house facing the sea, becoming a Havre-aux-Maisons woman myself. And we got engaged.
Our hearts blooming with desire, in the vicinity ofthe wild rose shrubs, we brought our own two beautiful flowers into the world. One morning glory and one evening primrose. Our daughters grew up by the sea, under the Islands' sun. They brighten each and every one of our days with their shimmering hues and unique aromas. And each year, in the early days of July, a crowd of vibrant flora rises towards the sky in a haze of peppery notes. For us, those lupins are synonymous with perennial bliss. We've even immortalized them in our first family pictures.
As the seasons passed, our daughters grew up, and they can now gather by themselves the gifts left by Mother Nature within their reach. There are no words to express the joy a mother feels when offered a bouquet of dandelions, held together with love and pride by the tiniest of hands... Even the Butte Ronde's treasure doesn't compare!
A few years ago, I was delightfully surprised to discover three harlequin blueflags growing gracefully next to our shed. There they were, stunning, flaunting their many shades of violet and blue streaked with touches ofyellow and white. They've come back every summer since, and I've gratefully welcomed them, new neighbours to the wild roses, lupins and dandelions. These many flowers, all equally loved in their own way, generously gift us with their annual return on the small patch of land we're blessed to call home.
The Magdalen Islands are often described with impressions of the sea, the beaches and the lush green hills. For those of us lucky enough to live through the four seasons of the archipelago, the many wonders to discover also include flowers. This carousel of colours and perfumes goes round and round from May to October, and lights up the earthly facets of the Islands, much to our delight.
