Would anyone care to join me for a cuppa? And some cake?
I put the kettle on. Can you smell the
steeping? And the cinnamon and sugar topping crisping on the cake while it's baking? See this wonderful blog by Maris Callahan, "In Good Taste", for an amazing recipe featuring this:
Oh, dear. I still have 25 minutes to wait.
Today's conundrum: What happens when you move from the big city to the flyover and you can't just walk a couple of blocks for lemongrass, sultanas, or white peach puree?
Future conundrum: What if we all planted a fruit tree in our back gardens?
Thanks for perusing this blog; blog you again soon!
I was thinking about scents. I smelled something the other day and for a flash I was 10, stepping out of the Green Room and into the hallway leading to the auditorium to perform in the end-of-piano-camp recital. It was a combination of coconut oil, sweat, air conditioning, polished wood, fresh carpet, and Lauren (by Ralph Lauren) perfume. Quite a combination, no?
And so many, many years later - with not a drop of either coconut oil or Lauren in site - it came back.
Fascinating.
I have been thinking about scent memory ever since. And while thinking, I was trying to remember all of the fragrances I've worn over the years. Can I even remember all of them, would be a better question.
So, I'm going to try. Right here and now. Here goes: (and feel free to comment openly about what you remember about each of these, too)
Love's Baby Soft - my first and I will always remember it
Bill Blass - thought this was v high brow as a teenager; back when I started reading Seventeen and Town&Country
Alyssa Ashley Musk - the smell of my summer holidays in Arizona
Lauren - my 'I'm-not-going-to-wear-Liz-Claiborne-too-no-matter-how-cute-the-bottle-is' scent
Samsara - first perfume chosen for me; happily abandoned when a wonderful friend declared her love of it (we literally swapped scents and I got...)
Shalimar- my scent of choice - still; like a comfortable sweater on a cool night and a mug of Earl Grey, perhaps because of my memories of that great friend
Obsession - my second scent of choice; my bold, 'you-can-smell-me-coming' scent
Kiehl's No 1 - this became my 'I-want-to-love-this-but' scent
L'eau d'ambre - close cousin (to my nose) of Shalimar; just lovely
The par un ete - LOVE this; so wildly different from anything I'd ever worn or do wear
Paul&Joe Bleu - light and powdery (imagine that); perfect for summertime or a scent pick-me-up in winter
Hypnose - another cousin to my beloved Shalimar; reminds me of how royalty smells - perhaps due to color as have no idea how 'royalty' smells
Also, I always wanted to wear "White Shoulders". It's too flower-y for me. And the girls who wore it were as well. Same with "Amazing Grace".
Ten-O-Six and Noxema were hard to keep off the list, but I had to - strictly speaking. You understand.
Now, I seem to be a soap-and-water girl. And I get swept-up in the scents of moisturizers instead of perfumes. Some of them I want to eat! But isn't it interesting to sit and ponder about such things as scents. They really do make a lasting impression.
And when I grow old, I will try to wear Chanel #5 with grace and aplomb. My grandmother did, and it always seemed to be the perfect 'grandmother-ly' smell. That and pie crust and lemon wood polish.
No conundrums today, kids. Let's just breathe deeply and reminisce.
Thanks for perusing this blog; blog you again soon!
