Fragrant Wafts

I was flicking through Head Ramblings posts this morning and came across one where he lamented his allergy to fragrance, household or personal and how uncomfortable the waft of perfume or air freshener made him feel and having lived with allergy girl for so long, I understand what it's like. But . . . I love perfume. One of life's little luxuries is that small bottle of essence that makes you feel feminine, sexy, alluring, not for anyone else but for yourself. I have a very sensitive sense of smell. Odoriforous or otherwise. I can smell lizard poo from 20 paces and the waft of a cheap perfume which makes me wretch but I can also appreciate the nuances of a beautifully constructed fragrance. Jean Duprez' Balle a Versailles, Chanel No. 5 or Bulgari White then the American tang of Calvin Klien's Escape. I used to get anyone travelling overseas to bring me back some exotic pong but now I've discovered strawberry.net and can buy it cheaper than duty free. The key is to waft, not drown. You want to leave a linger, not a flood.

My apologies in the highest to the olfactory challenged and the sensitive and If I know that's your state, like when you visit Thailand and mingle with the Buddhist tigers, no fragrance no make-up no garish clothings to offend the great cat's sense of smell I will refrain from spraying myself with that mist of civet or ambergris . . otherwise, it's part of the daily ritual and as important as soft toilet tissue. I love my French perfume . . .melts, oil burners and air fresheners or even just the natural scent of orange jasmine on a warm night, wafting through my bedroom window. Even now, in the autumn, I can smell the gardenias, on their last legs but still producing that seductive summer wave of fragrance.