Is it really Monday again, already? (Also, World Rainforest Day, and happy birthday to Prunella Scales.) What fragrance are you wearing?
I am probably not going to get a whole ton of points this week, so starting off with one in the bank for Vilhelm Parfumerie Purple Fig.
Reminder: on 6/26, wear a perfume by Une Nuit Nomade, Ulrich Lang, Vilhelm Parfumerie or Vero Profumo if you have one. Partial credit for any other small-ish brand that starts with the letters U or V.
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2020, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Scheherazade [cropped] by M's photography at flickr; some rights reserved. Yep, it's rose week.
The perfume that got away. Perfumes that we think about with a sigh of regret. I have precisely three. One of them would be any Vero Profumo. I have some precious samples which I will wear this week. I have begun the day in Slumberhouse Norne 1.0. A kind perfumista gifted me a set of the original samples before they were reworked and refined. I also have a set of the 2.0. The comparison has been quite interesting.
I’m your Vero Profumo Regret Twin today. ?
Then I’m your triplet. I dithered too long about acquiring a bottle of Rubj extrait, and now it’s no longer to be had.
I didn’t know this! I’ve been out of the perfumista loop for such a long time. From your comments, I’m getting that Vero Profumo is out of business? I didn’t adore the scents I sampled, but I thought they were very interesting and often went back to reconsider, wondering what might grow on me with time.
She died a while ago, and there does not seem to by anyone able to continue her business.
Ah, I’m sorry to hear this. Thank you for letting me know.
I remember really liking Mito.
I’m with you on regrets. I planned to buy Mito once I’m done with the sample.
Yep, this is one I’ll always regret. Should have saved up for Rubj or Rozy when I could.
Happy Rainforest Day! Loved seeing the Hoh Rainforest in Washington last summer. STUNNING!
I’m wishing (and kicking myself for never buying a bottle of Onda!) I had a full bottle of Vero Onda, but I do have a little bit remaining in a decant of Naja, so I’m compliant with the CP today.
Only 3 more shifts and I’m off the the heat box that is Florida. Already sweating thinking about it.
Also, emailed Luckyscent since my missing bottles are still MIA and asked them to ship me a new order. We’ll see what happens ??
I had a little convo with Vero on Instagram when she was developing Naja. It was about what snakes actually smell like. We keep a very rare locality boa so I felt qualified, for once, to chime in. Their true smell is dusty, dry and slightly animalic. I get the same odor from my parrot’s feathers. It is a really pleasing smell.
How interesting! I’ve often thought snakes had little to no odor because of all the years I’ve had dogs, they have never paid a bit of attention to them unless they spotted the snake actually moving. I mean, they would walk right over a snake in the middle of the trail if it wasn’t moving. No acknowledgement at all.
You’ve blown my mind this morning–I never even considered that snakes would have a smell.
The John Prine song Paradise has a line that says “Where the air smelled like snakes”.I have a big snake phobia so I remember things like that!
I’ll have to check it out. I don’t have a snake phobia, but although I’ve held one, I haven’t ever sniffed one. Maybe I’ll try that too…
You are heading back to your condo, Deva?
Not a condo, just an regular home. It’s under contract and although I don’t have to be there for closing, I do have to have everything out by 7/9. I was hoping to sell some of my nicer belongings but I don’t think that’s going to be possible due to the (exponential) increase in covid cases in Florida. ?
Will you miss your little retreat in the Woods?
Well, there’s a story attached to my stay here. I’ll keep it short and sweet-
1) The hospital had started cancelling almost all travel contracts at the end of May.
2) They cancelled mine also the first week of June, giving a two week notice.
3) The second week of June they asked me to extend until October (talk about whiplash!)
4) So, I will be returning here after I wrap up the house business in Florida. At least until they cancel me again ?
I can see you and T-Rex staying at the cottage for a long while! And whomever did the scheduling for the hospital should be fired.
It’s not a scheduling issue. It’s the corporation’s decision to decrease spending. This for profit hospital system received a 1 Billion federal bailout due to covid but are cutting frontline workers while still giving CEO’s (making millions of dollars annually) large bonuses. Sad, but true.
All in all that is rather good news, isn’t it. At least the place you live is nice and seems to suit you really well. too bad about the planners at the hospital, it does not sound like they really think things through.
Hopefully you will be able to resume van life afterwards
Yes, it’s good for now. I have itchy feet, but the travel nurse industry has taken a huge hit because hospital corporations are cutting frontline workers. Not just nurses, also housekeeping, physicians, etc. things will be getting pretty ugly…
I’m afraid they will. Still you can only deal with your own stuff. I do hope you will be able to continue this kind of life, as you seem to enjoy it so much.
Else you will have to become a park ranger, ably assisted by T-Rex.
Autumn in the Asheville area is so beautiful.I hope you get to enjoy it.
It is! I lived here about 20 years ago and I still remember my first fall. Stunning colors, cool breezes- just perfect. One of my favorite times right now is leaving work and walking to my van and looking out at the mountains in the rising sun, all misty and tinged a beautiful warm Soft pink. ⛰
So, they’re laying off staff, are you not getting many Covid patients?
Yes, we are having increased numbers in the community and hospital. As I’ve mentioned, the times I’ve gone to the grocery store or gas station (really the only places I go outside of work) hardly anyone wears a mask.
FYI, I just reposted this on my IG. It’s really effective in demonstrating how this virus has cut a swath of death right through the other fatal suspects… https://www.instagram.com/p/CBvkH1PJO4O/?igshid=vuuwhe7h3t39
If they are laying people off with an increased work load, then the remaining staff must be really overworked. Doesn’t sound good.
Well no it’s not good but it’s also not new. Hospital corporations are always looking to decrease spending and one of their major money outflows is nursing. It’s all about the bottom line, bonuses, and multi-million income for upper management. ?
I won’t be participating in the CP this week, because I have nothing by those houses, or, as far as I know, by any other houses starting with U or V. So, today I am wearing the aromatic green of Niki de Saint Phalle.
You smell marvelous!
It’s a beauty, also the bite. I own the zodiac bottle with my sign, a Leo
Barging through my samples, I stumbled across an old-ish (15 years?) sample of Chanel No. 19 edt. Knowing I hate iris, I doused myself with it anyway, and… I don’t hate it! Lots of galbanum, lots of other flowers to temper the iris-ness of it all, nice Chanel leather in the base. I’d never buy it, but it’s not a scrubber.
It is such a wonderful perfume. My husband and I both wear it!
I’m not an iris-lover, either, but vintage No. 19 is lovely! I get so much more galbanum than iris, and I agree, it’s nicely balanced with other floral notes.
Boy do you smell enchanting!
I love no 19!
Oh yes, EDT is very well balanced, not iris forward, of course the older the better as it keeps very well with the oakmoss.
How lovely of you to mention that it’s Prunella Scales’ birthday today, Robin. We had a few series of television programmes called Great Canal Journeys over the past few years as she & her husband, Timothy West, are huge fans of & participants in canal boating, & have also been active in canal restoration in various parts of the UK. Sadly her decline due to dementia has meant that they won’t be making any more of these travelogue programmes, & it was heartbreaking to hear Timothy West describing their current situation in the last episode of the final series.
Oh interesting! I will have to see if I can find that. I actually know very little about her other than the obvious — Sybil in Fawlty Towers.
Hope you manage to find it, Robin – assorted canal journeys in the UK, but also in many other parts of the world. I was never a Fawlty Towers fan, but my husband is. Prunella Scales is best known here for her theatre work, but I should think the canal journeys episodes have won her a lot of new fans.
I think I’ve seen an interview with her husband or a documentary about her. It’s always sad to see someone who was once so witty and sharp so lost.
I know her chiefly as Sybil (I adore Fawlty Towers) but I have seen her in a few other things as well. And I remember from another documentary that she is a very well respected theatre actress.
Some of her best work is as Miss Mapp in the Mapp & Lucia series. Both she and Geraldine McEwen were hilarious.
Oh duh, right, loved those.
Ah Prunella Scales, the wonderful and long suffering Sybil.
My SOTD is Totally white by Parle Moi de Parfum, which I’m rather enjoying. It’s got a really nice lilac note.
Favorite so far from the brand?
Yep. I also enjoy Garden of India (or Indian Garden) and had expected to like Tomboy Néroli, but TN dries down to something I don’t enjoy, sort of similar to Orange Sanguine.
Saffron Wood is interesting, not quite my taste, but not unpleasant. All in all I don’t think Michel Almairac is going to replace Patricia de Nicolaï or Duchaufour any time soon in my list of favourite perfumers.
Thank you, that’s really helpful — probably will not get a sample set. (Probably wasn’t going to get one anyway but now I won’t even think about it, ha.)
Hi Austenfan, I wanted to give you enabler points for A Ce Soir by Pont des Arts.
I broke down and ordered a sample because of your remarks. It has a beautiful vanilla opening…. I can’t wait to see where we go from here.
Eau des Sens for me today. I went a bit crazy and sprayed Hajusuuri-like 8 or so times. I really love this one for summer.
Two lovely picnics this weekend in the park! Plus, (very bad) I hugged a friend. Oh I miss my friends faces and giving and receiving good hugs. I think picnicing in the park will be big this summer. I’m seeing so many people doing this and given that restaurants aren’t open and apartments are not the most comfortable to entertain in right now the park is the only solution and it’s a wonderful one.
On the hunt for a picnic basket that also provides a small table top. Any recs appreciated!
8 sprays seems perfectly reasonable to me.
I’ve hugged myself…weeks ago with friends. Not even sure that’s very risky.
I think 8 is the perfect number. Since WFH on March 16, every full wear, which is at least 6 out of 7 days = at least 8 sprays.
What will we do when we return to the office? Our noses will not be happy.
We still have to wear a mask while in the office except when we’re seated because we’ll be at lest 6 feet away from each other.
Someone here mentioned spraying the inside of her mask but I don’t think I can do that. Back to office friendly perfumes!
I spent most of the weekend at various outdoor, social distanced picnics, and it was wonderful.
I also found a new spot I love. It’s closer to my apt. too!
With all these masks, 8 sprays is the new 2 sprays!
Haha! Makes sense to me.
Eau des Sens for me today. I went a bit crazy and sprayed Hajusuuri-like 8 or so times. I really love this one for summer.
Two lovely picnics this weekend in the park! Plus, (very bad) I hugged a friend. Oh I miss my friends faces and giving and receiving good hugs. I think picnicing in the park will be big this summer. I’m seeing so many people doing this and given that restaurants aren’t open and apartments are not the most comfortable to entertain in right now the park is the only solution and it’s a wonderful one.
On the hunt for a picnic basket that also provides a small table top. Any recs appreciated!
Do remove one of this please, Robin! Sorry about that.. not sure what I did here.
*these
Time for more coffee.
Sorry, I am late, and you have answers under both!
You won’t hurt my feelings if you delete my comment, Robin! I didn’t notice the repeat until it was too late.
Nah. One repeat isn’t going to kill anybody.
Eau de Sens is a great one for summer!
8 sprays seems perfectly reasonable to me.
)
(She says, redundantly, in case the other one gets deleted.
Le Chevrefeuille – for me a truly joyful scent.
Keeping my only U/V perfume for credits on Friday. Might have a dig through my samples and see if I find sth else in there.
Yes it is! And honeysuckle is blooming all over near me.
Mine just finished blooming & I miss it already. There’s nothing like that smell to take me right back to my grandparents back yard!
there is also a lovely honeysuckle from l’erbolario “centifoglio” which I have several times almost bought while in italy. worth checking out.
Woke up in vintage no 22 edt. I am so happy that we got rain last night and it’s drizzling now. I am happy that my Ulta has shipped. I noticed with the face mask that I wear at work, I am getting more pimples, so I ordered more face wash. Seven more days before my parents leave for California. I am wearing a tiny dab of Deneuve.
Yep, the mask wearing is wrecking havoc with my skin, too. Plus, after twelve hours of moisture laden exhalation, my formerly dry skin now feels like an oil slick. ?
Every time I get off work, I have to wash my face. I have started to skip the whole moisturizer thing because of breakouts.
Was wondering what masks especially in the summer heat would do to our skin. Teens in particular do not need extra skin aggravation.
I’m breaking out more than usual, too. Annoying!
Sous le vent before shower
no 5 eau premier after
Cappuccino
Summer dress
After being outside and sweating, had to shower again. Shalimar cologne
We’re at 90!
Socially distanced BBQ with my in-laws yesterday afternoon. It was so nice to talk to other people!
I made fresh strawberry tarts (sweet, short crust, pastry cream, Hood strawberries and homemade, seedless raspberry jam for the glaze, for any foodies out there who are interested). They were perfect and so beautiful! I don’t have an Insta, or I’d share pictures, I’m so proud of them.
SOTM is Eau de Magnolia, because I always forget to wear it, and the Magnolia Grandefloras are in bloom now in Portland.
Those tarts sound wonderful!
Mr. Spicebomb (my hubby) said this morning that they might be the best dessert I’ve ever made. ? Sorry I can’t share with everyone! I’d bake all the time, if I didn’t have to eat them all myself. ??
You smell lovely!
Thank you! It’s a wierd one, and boy is it feeling BIG as the day is heating up, but I do like it. Natural social-distancing facilitator between me and the rest of the world as I go out for a walk in a bit.
Oh I would love a tart, sounds delish
I will happily share!
Oh tarts, yum, I bet they looked beautiful.
Usually my food tastes good, but suffer a bit on appearance. (I’m really good at making delicious but dangerously slopey cakes, for example.) The tarts were a pleasant exception!
Tarts sound amazing! Strawberries in summer are a favorite thing.
Agreed. I look forward to fresh, local berries all winter long! It defines the summer for me. I can easily eat 2 pints a day, and then I preserve many so I can enjoy them the rest of the year until the next summer.
Fresh local fruit is one of the best things about summer! ?
Agreed!
Nine hours sleep for another cool, sweet California night. I’m on a roll here…three in a row.
No u or v I can think of. Maybe some JM dark amber and ginger lily post shower for another exciting day at my home office desk.
Not furloughed yet, so that and sleep will get me to Tuesday.
Picked out my kindle book. The Beauty of Your Face.
When I was off work and getting enough sleep, I had a significant reduction in my dark circles under my eyes.
I’ve noticed that too, Lillyjo, I don’t have bags but very dark circles usually, since forever.
Same here re: dark circles under the eyes.
That makes a trio of us with the same problem
Well I had to open my spiltmeet package of Dilletante,
Oh Man is this perfume a
marvelous glorious orange blossom. Thanks again AmateurDilletante. I remember many here liked this one, ElisaP in particular, and now I know why❣️
Orange blossom ! Enjoy!
Grazie l2sg!
Welcome to the club; it is heavenly!
Thanks. I think this is my favorite Hiram.
It’s one of my favorite perfumes! Enjoy!
Good morning. I am wearing Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay and drinking a cup of Irish Breakfast tea. It is very quiet here except for the thunder that seems like it is shaking the house every now and then. Steady light rain and gray sky to go with it.
We had heavy humidity and thought for sure it would rain, but no. Sorry yours was so bad!
Still feeling blech but comparing two perfumes w/ banana for Science…I smell fairly edible.
Solstice Scents Blackburn’s Parlor…Vanilla Waffle Bowl, Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Creams, Banana, Caramel, Whipped Cream
Profumi del Forte Vittoria Apuana…Sweet Brazilian orange, Sicilian mandarin, Coconut, Tahitian Gardenia, Banana, Madagascan Vanilla, Amber
You can come sit next to me while I eat a scoop of vanilla ice cream..
Makes me hungry, I am on a diet and have to loose at least 5kg
Yikes! That’s a lot of sugar. But, for science…
Ah, Vilhelm, such confused feelings. I have tried only four of them and like two (Don’t Tell Jasmine, Purple Fig) and LOVE two (Modest Mimosa, Dear Polly). They have so many other offerings that sound good to me that I don’t know where to begin sampling – and with the prices I am not really sure I want to! It’s that mixed feeling of: on the one hand maybe I’m missing something I would absolutely love; on the other hand can I afford to know about that thing?
Plinked my sample of Modest Mimosa today. Despite the price, I would say a must-try for lovers of mimosa. It is the closest I’ve smelled to the (pink) tree. In high school I used to wander, Ferdinand-like, off the edge of the field hockey field to sniff them. There’s a slight green acerbity to this fragrance that I never noticed was present in mimosa until I smelled MM. I love this perfume a lot but so rarely want something powdery-soft that I’ll never be able to justify a bottle, alas.
Just looked these up at Aedes dV. Spendy, but I see travel sprays, which is nice. (Although whenever I love something, I also get fear that it will go away, so I never buy travel sizes for things I adore!) Your comments are tempting me to invest in some samples! Too bad I don’t see a set available. . .
I’m currently in 1000 Kisses Deep, which I applied lavishly before going out to mow the lawn. I think I was trying to trick myself into thinking I was about to do something fun. Post- shower I’m thinking I may move into Hermes. Perhaps Vetiver Tonka?
Have a fabulous fragrant Monday!
Good for you for getting the lawn mowed! And there is something funny about mowing the lawn in 1000 Kisses Deep.
UK readers might be interested that L’Artisan are having a bit of a summer sale…
https://www.artisanparfumeur.com/en-gb/unmissable-summer-offers.html
Wearing Yves Rocher Cuir Vetiver today.
That is a great sale. Fortunately I already own the ones I want that are on sale. But for people getting some cheap Dzing, Bucoliques or Mimosa pour Moi, now’s the time.
Absolutely!
Thank you Bob, and I approve of Yves Rocher as so many of their scents are good, but I am not familiar with Cuir Vetiver.
My dad wears L’Artisan Patchouli Patch, but says it seems “lighter and thinner” since they rebranded a few years ago. Wish I could find him an older bottle.
I have no small U or V companies for the project. I have VC & A and Villoresi. Is Villoresi small enough? Dunno. I have to go to Costco and I’m not looking forward to it, it’s a zoo when things are normal and it’s crazier now. It’s close to the border with Washington, and since Oregon has no sales tax, the Washingtonians come to save. Maybe I’ll go to another one. I’m wearing Desarmant and thinking of applying more for a protective scent bubble. Mid-80’s today and sunny, so I’ll go for a walk, too.
Desarmant is gorgeous. Spray away…but I’d be following you at a non-appropriate distance.
Okay, I’m laughing.
Villoresi is small enough but we keep him under L
I’ve been testing Ormaie 28° and spending some time to write a review of it for my blog.
It’s a surprisingly good summery floral.
Citrus opening, then creamy, slightly salty and breezy jasmine with tuberose.
Thanks for reviewing, I ordered the sample pack but it’s at my house in San Diego so I won’t get to try them until October.
I can definitely due a Vilhelm Veek. Starting off with Mango Skin — froooooty musky. Very summery.
8 weeks of work left until I retire, woo hoo! There’s still no plan from my management as to who will take over my tasks… but hey, that is not my problem, is it.
Nope, not at all. And there’s quite a difference in post-separation obligations between voluntary and involuntary ?.
I am just curious, what differences would you expect?
Voluntary – other than your 401(k) and / or retirement plan and any retiree health benefits (if you’re lucky, I’m not because the rules changed) AND a possible non-compete (either you working at a competitor firm or you recruiting others away from your former company) for a defined period, you have no obligation to “cooperate” after your last day employed. Also, since you are at a worker-friendly state, make sure you check your last paycheck which you should receive on your last day worked (since you have more than 72 hours notice) and that it is 100% correct. If not, your former company owes you 8 hours per day of what you would normally earn for every day they are late, up to 30 days.
Involuntary – and I am referring only to the being part of a reduction in force, you have to sign an agreement which usually includes not only the aforementioned non-compete but also an obligation to cooperate when the former employee calls requesting your help (not to go into the office but to answer questions). Of course the employer has to be reasonable and not expect you to be on call for let’s say someone on the east coast to call you at 8am Eastern. Also, if it feels like they really ought to pay you for consulting work, it never hurts to ask to be a 1099 employee.
There’s an in between – mutual consent departure which is usually customized so obligations may vary but will typically cover what I mentioned above.
You’re in a good place since you made the decision to retire with knowledge of what you have to fall back on!
Ah ok. What you describe is beyond the usual in CA. This will be my 6th change of jobs in CA so I’ve been thru the drill before (for my employer, retirement = quitting, there are no retirement benefits whatsoever).
What’s standard here (whether laid off or quitting) is just an ongoing duty of non-disclosure of corporate IP. Maybe help in future patent lawsuits. That’s it. Non-competes are generally unenforceable in CA and I’ve never had an employer even try to ask for one. Never seen termination paperwork ask for future free consulting.
Pretty much, once you’re done, you’re done. FREEEEEE!!!!
We ran out of nested comments ?.
There are many nuances to non-competes having to do with domicile of the company, etc etc. The most egregious I’ve seen is 3 years and my boss, who hired a person with a non-compete, had to certify (quarterly) that the person has not been assigned projects having to do with industry x.
As to free consulting, the language on the agreement one has to sign in order to receive severance pay does not talk about consulting but more along the lines of responding to reasonable inquiries but there are many ways to skin the cat.
I’m glad you can wash your hands of this company in due course.
That’s exciting! Are you planning a traditional retirement or something else?
So exciting that you are almost retired! I’ve been thinking a little bit about the pandemic as practice retirement–I have a lot of free time since I’m barely working, but on a limited income. What projects to do? What ways to volunteer and do activism? What ways to care for self and others?
It’s a free-for-all this week as I have nothing for CP…not even a sample!
Thunked a sample spray of Arancia di Sicilia. Love the bitter opening on this.
I really wish my husband would finish his paper for a class he took…I want our table back. Tired of the cluttered mess.
Maybe you can take over parts of it little by little…
Arancia Di Sicilia is quite addictive, a smidge too sweet for me to be perfect.
I’m in the Jardin perfume that I meant to wear during the CP a couple weeks ago but just didn’t, Un Jardin Sur le Toit. I got another decant in a swap after going without any of this perfume for about a year. It’s really such a cheerful perfume.
I will try to make more time during the work day to comment here this week. I wanted to tell you guys about a couple perfumes I wore last week.
First, last Wednesday I wore Füm’s new perfume Jurassic Flower. It’s described by the brand as a coastal magnolia soliflore. Wow, I really love it. It’s got citrus plus mango blossom, so it’s very much a fruity floral, but a beautiful, sophisticated one. I also got the coastal vibe from a salty, sea foam aspect to the perfume.
Thursday I finished off my sample of Perris Monte Carlo Jasmin de Pays. I’ve talked about it here before, but I sprayed more heavily on that last application so I picked up on things I hadn’t noticed before. I’d call it a banana jasmine with clove. It’s gorgeous.
Yesterday, I re-tried 4 St. Clair perfumes. They’ve just released some bottles of the two newest perfumes that were initially samples only: Song of Aubrac and Pharoah’s Passion. I also re-tried First Cut and Frost because I thought Pharoah’s Passion might be really similar to one of them. Well, Frost shares some similarities with PP, but they’re definitely distinct from one another. I like both of the new ones a lot and am not really that much closer to deciding if I need a bottle of either, though I am leaning more towards Song of Aubrac between the two. It’s a little more unique.
Have a good Monday, everyone!
I made it easy for myself and ordered 13mLs of each ?
Ha, well there’s always that option too. ?
Jurassic Flower sounds tempting!
It is definitely worth trying! I bet you’d like their Nerola too.
What lovely roses, Robin. I’m getting no CP points today in CDG Kyoto from the splitmeet. I smell like really expensive and lovely incense soap. Gorgeous and honestly perfect for my mental state today.
This weekend wasn’t as hard as I had expected. I must’ve gotten all the weepiness out of the way last week, so that by the time Fathers’ Day actually arrived, I was able to celebrate my father rather than mourn him. It was nice.
Today is my eighth anniversary with my fiance. It’s now been about 14 months since we got engaged, and given the pandemic, I’m not sure how much longer it will be. Not sure what we’ll do, but we’re considering our first takeout/delivery of the pandemic to get some nice lobster rolls and oysters (is that safe…? delivery oysters?).
I’ve been ordering oysters for a while. Shucked or unshucked, they all come next day shipping with ice packs inside the box if I order in bulk. For carryout/delivery, I get the unshucked and do them myself at home. They have been fine. And really yummy.
That’s very good to know! We do have a shucking knife, but the idea of shucking oysters is a bit unpleasant, what with all the subsequent cleanup. So shucked they will be!
Delivery oysters sounds like a really great way to treat yourself gently in a time of high emotions.
Very sadly, our favorite oyster places were all either closed or not on doordash, so none for us tonight
soon though I hope! Thank you <3
I guess you can be content with not having planned anything yet or be one of those unfortunate couples who had to cancel their wedding in March, April or May. So much on hold still.. good to get a lobster!
Oh yeah, I’m hugely relieved. So many people are losing so much money and watching their hours and months of planning fall by the wayside.
I’m glad the weekend was less painful than you expected. Anticipatory grief, strangely, can have its blessings.
Happy eighth anniversary to you and your beloved! ❤️
Thank you so much, nancyleandros. I hope the weekend went ok for you too. And thanks
it was a nice anniversary, even though we spent it at home.
Congrats on the 8th anniversary. I am of no help when it comes to oysters (I like mine cooked).
Thank you, hajusuuri
Good to hear that Father’s Day wasn’t as sad/melancholy as you were fearing. Mail order lobsters seem to be quite the thing lately… ?
Are they really? I’ll have to look into that! And thank you <3
good to hear your weekend wasn’t as tough as it might have been, hugs to you.
Congratulations on your anniversary, and I say “go for it!” when it comes to take out. Restaurants and suppliers know what they’re doing. It’s all good.
I’m on Chloe day 14, and it’s an “active rest day”, thank goodness. I’ll tentatively say the workouts are getting more do-able though not easier. I’m feeling a little stronger every time I hit the mat, and that’s my goal!
Thank you for both of those <3
I decided to take a two-week break from Chloe! I’m telling myself it’s because my company’s free online gym membership thingie was extended through 06/30, so I should take advantage of that until it expires and then move back to Chloe. In truth, though, her repetitive music was making me murderous.
ha! that music is rather distinctive, I’ve had to mute it a time or two already.
Are oysters ever truly safe…even in pre-Covid times?
Glad the weekend went better than expected.
Hehe. I suppose not, but they’re so tasty that they are worth the risk!
Thanks, She-ra. I hope the weekend wasn’t so very hard for you too <3
I wish I had those roses in my yard!
I had only a couple minutes of weepy. I kept very busy all day. When I am done painting every room in my house maybe I will just start again at the beginning, ha.
I’m glad it wasn’t a full day of weepiness <3 sending you a hug, Robin. It’s good to keep busy. You know, just as long as those emotions are processed eventually. Meanwhile, your house will look fantastic.
Oh, I am putting off all emotion-processing until the pandemic is over. Then I am planning a nice nervous breakdown, preferably at a cabana by the water somewhere.
Only sorta kidding!
I mean, if it’s going to happen, better that it happen at a cabana and not at home >.> Honestly this sounds like the best strategy.
Exactly!
Hope you find your perfect balance too, Koyel. It’s a hard year for everybody.
Commando so far. I’m having perfume blahs, I think. This too shall pass. I should go upstairs and sort through my now somewhat alphabetised sample boxes (bins) to see what if anything resides in the U-V section. We’ve been having an epic thunderstorm with lightning blasts that make me and the cats jump. Scary stuff. I need groceries and will hope to venture out later if things let up. A new order from the county judge requires all businesses to mandate mask use indoors. This is in resistance to the state governor’s views. It’s going to be tricky, and I’m nervous about what might ensue. I witnessed a very unpleasant interaction in one aisle of the grocery store on my last visit between a security man (a real cop) and a customer whom he ordered to leave the store. I didn’t understand what was going on. She accused him of racial profiling. It was getting ugly. Both were African American. I went to another aisle but then wondered if I ought to have done something. Hard to know what, though, given my lack of context plus anxiety about being in the store in general. We have a Zoom family meeting this afternoon with the director of Mom’s assisted living center. They’ve been doing more testing and last week one caregiver turned up positive. This means they’ve had to quarantine off the whole section and treat it as if everyone there has the virus–full PPE, gowns, super-cleansing, etc. It’s NOT the area my mom is in, which makes me absurdly grateful, and then I feel guilty. I’m sure the poor woman running the place is overwhelmed now. Our rate of virus increase is skyrocketing here (hence the county judge’s new mask order). I almost feel too much on edge today to pick a perfume. Maybe I should hunt out my lavender essential oil. Yes, I’ll do that.
I can say that I have witnessed lots of craziness happening in NYC, even at the farmers market, regarding social distancing, mask use, elderly people not being able to go first..etc etc. Not sure where our moral compass has gone during this pandemic but we have the freedom to choose how we respond to the hostility from others.
So interesting. Our farmers market is a model of order, safety and civility. I wouldn’t have expected it, either.
Sorry you have to deal with difficulties, I hope your mother will remain safe, it sounds like the care home is doing what is right.
It sounds like you need a day of calm and nesting at home. Maybe some soothing music to counter the thunder and jitters. A Bach day. Sending love.
Bach is so orderly. I’d not thought of his compositions as soothing before, but I can see how they could be!
double violin concerto….good stuff
Beautiful! But so lively, I’m not sure it’s what I’d reach for when I need soothing. Unless it’s soothing in the same way that one finds comfort in alphabetizing one’s bookshelf, or rearranging them by descending colors. . .
I would add, I quite enjoy Chopin’s Nocturnes on piano when I need comforting instrumental music.
Excellent idea for pandemic music.
Since my work hands out a new (lightweight surgical ) mask every time I go into, I now have a little stash. I have offered a couple of them to people who seemed like they might need them, and in both instances, the mask was gratefully accepted and put on immediately. Most people are sensible and cautious and want to stay healthy. But anxiety and tempers are running high. It is a sad time.
It does feel like this isn’t going to let up for awhile, and that’s hard to handle. I’ve been hitting the grocery store at 7:30am to avoid humans as much as possible, but I know you’re not a morning person!
Maybe a bubble bath with that lavender EO would help…? Plus a glass of red wine? ?
I could swear I responded to you so maybe there’s an errant comment from me elsewhere. I would have moved away from wherever these two people got into it. I move away from anyone not wearing a mask, talking on their cell, singing or just plain old babbling. Especially where you live where one can carry concealed (I think), people who deliberately violate rules are looking for a confrontation and I would say, have an element of instability (not from a medical standpoint since I am not a medical professional).
It’s concerning about one of the staffers having tested positive. I hope your mom continues to do well.
Crazy times that we are living thru, for sure.
I’m very sorry about the unpleasant interaction…big hugs to you and hope tomorrow involves some perfume spraying…or dabbing.
Yes, keep inhaling the lavender!
If it helps, someone at my sister’s nursing home tested positive, and then nobody else ever did. Will hope that happens at your mom’s place.
Hi NST!
I am so happy to report that I thunked something this morning! It was a large sample (somewhere around 7mL I think) of Ael-Mat. It was slightly too sweet on my skin, but worked surprisingly well in warm June weather. Hooray, another one done! (I couldn’t even bring myself to do the split meet, I feel like I have so many perfumes right now…)
In other news, we are fostering a cat! The cat’s owner is a friend who is experiencing a family illness/emergency, so we have the cat because of sad circumstances, but it is still nice to foster a furball.
Aww! Foster Pawrents are the best! On out unit we have a huge monitor that plays kitten cam or fishtank cam 24/7. We love pausing for a minute or two to watch the kitty capers! ??
I love kitten cams! And otter cams, penguin cams, etc.
Oh yes, wonderful to foster a cat, it’s also very nice of you to do this for your friend.
The cat is lovely, a great houseguest, and it is actually quite selfish of us–we get to enjoy all the good things about cat ownership but also don’t have to deal with the drawbacks like vet bills, finding cat sitters, etc.
Yay for fostering the kitty! And best wishes to your friend.
Thanks, I think it’s the kind of situation where best wishes mean “over fast”.
Oh how nice that you were able to take in the cat <3
Wearing Nina Ricci Fleur de Fleurs. Picked this one up at an antiques mall a couple years ago, it’s a lovely civet-laced floral in a pretty engraved bottle. Nina Ricci’s back catalog is really interesting, but at some point they transitioned from complex ladylike scents to gourmands and flankers.
Isn’t Fleur de Fleurs lovely? I bought a bottle a couple of years ago. I also really like the original Nina. And I think a few of their older scents like Farouche are highly regarded. I thought Deci Delà was interesting. That happened sometime in the nineties.
I’m in Day Two of Chanel 19 EDP. So beautiful.
I really like that one in warm weather! You smell great!
Thank you! It opens up really nicely on a warm day.
Yes!
And forgot to mention we are twins today!
Oh hey – hi twin! We smell divine.
It really felt like summer today, so I wore Sandflowers.
The boyfriend is improving and had the last drainage removed today. Still on antibiotics, but maybe he will get out at the end of the week.
I don’t have any U or V perfumes, so maybe I will do a beach week instead
So good to hear your boyfriend is doing well. A beach week sounds good to me. My surfer friend had to scrape the ice off his board before he went out in the waves yesterday. Even the beach was covered in frost
I grew up on the Oregon coast and remember snow on the beach–on the sand–precisely twice. It always seemed so magical and unreal to me!
Glad to hear that your boyfriend’s condition continues to improve! Hope that he gets out of, and stays out of the hospital soon.
Yay, glad he’s on the mend.
So glad he’s improving!
I had the most amazing walk around the graveyard yesterday. It was the coldest day of the year and all the straggly roses and bright rosehips were coated in glittering frost, so they all looked preserved: crystallised and sparkly as if sugared. It was so beautiful. The trees were also glittering and everywhere was white and silver. Not a breath of wind or any movement. I think today will be just as cold though I can’t tell as it is still pitch black outside. Wearing Cristalle today!
What a beautiful image you conjure of a winter day.
Oooh, that sounds so lovely! was there any smell to the frostiness?
No, not really – the gum trees, which are ginormous, a little. There was a freshness to the air, in general and down in the gullies there was the usual mulchy/ earth smell as it is dark and damp with leaves and a ditch/pond. Today the frost was only minus 1 and the dominant smell was a bank of onion grass – which smelled like a cross of onion and celery and was pretty strong.
That sounds absolutely beautiful.
Hello y’all!
Haven’t been in a perfume state of mind the last couple of weeks, but that’s kinda typical for me in the summer heat and humidity. But today I’m in a generous spraying of CK One Summer (2016 edition) and enjoying the heck out of it!
A smelly cautionary tale: Last night I was picking up my room and putting things away, and my 14 yr old son comes in and starts harrassing me about the perfume “curation”. He then states that I wouldn’t dare spray him with perfume…I don’t have the guts? ha ha ha ha ha ha He had to take a shower and wash his t-shirt after he got a generous dousing of BBW Boardwalk Taffy…..
Good for you!
Perfect weapon….
Sassy kid deserved it ?
He’s lucky that he got off that lightly! What if you had sprayed him with a Mugler?
Lol!
Off with his head…but first, spritz with Angel!
He would learn a lesson not soon forgotten! Lol
This story is fantastic
Wearing Sel Marin today. I think it’s my favorite out of the 4 Heeley samples I received last week. Including Coccobello, Menthe Fraiche, and St. Clement’s. Hot and humid in SW Ohio!
Sel Marin sounds perfect for a humid, hot day.
Flagrant Délice today, a fig where the ubiquitous coconut is replaced by almond.
Is that good? I can’t decide if it sounds appealing.
You have to like a bitter almond note which is very noticeable at first. I’ve just reapplied this morning to answer you properly, it is tenacious for a light perfume, I could still smell it. I like it, the fig is fruity/milky, it is different enough from Fico di Amalfi for eg which is more herbal-green.
I definitely like bitter almond and I definitely like fig. Can’t decide if I want them together
This is the third day of heat wave, hiding inside under the AC. Wearing Goldfield & Banks Velvet Splendour.
Yuck. No heat waves for me yet, but it’s supposed to be coming.
I got the heat and humidity already – at 7am! I was putting out my donations to the Lupus Foundation and whoa, I was glad to not break into a sweat after being outside for no more than a few minutes. No walking outside today or I will melt.
Yeah I *thought* about taking out the recyclables after lunch today and decided that those could wait until tomorrow morning.
Well, my goodness. I’ve been out of pocket for a couple of days. I’ve been wearing Rogue Mousse Illumine (like Polo, but unisex) and Chypre-Siam (fabulous, kind of like Chanel Coco). I’m going to want a bottle of something from this house, just not sure yet. Many thanks to my swap buddy Rayleighblue for this swap!
Also wore JM Vetiver & Golden Vanilla, which is much nicer in the heat than it was in February.
I have one Unum and a couple of Vilhelm samples I’ll save for later in the week. It’s been raining all day, and VC&A Bois d’Iris caught my eye, so it’s been an iris day for me.
Oh, now I must try Chypre-Siam!
Funny how some perfumes have a season that they smell best in!
Hot, humid, sticky and icky. And yet the cats love this weather! ?
SOTD = back in Olivier Durbano Rock Crystal EdP. Incense for calming and cooling, even if it is all in my head. ?
It’s been discusting here the last few days, even for me! It’s raining now and cooling down. Hope you get a break from the heat soon.
Latest forecast has my area with a pretty good chance of seeing the first heatwave of the summer this week. Means that the A/C and the icemaker will be getting a workout.
Back wfh this week, so I wore Le Dix today, many sprays. It’s a new to me vintage scent. Oh wow, it was fantastic on this hot, humid day.
Our Saskatoon bush is receiving lots of attention from the birds looking for a meal. The robins seem to be too heavy to sit on the branches so they do a flutter-stop to grab a few berries. The smaller birds are having a great time loading up!
I was off today for my daughter’s birthday. It’s been a busy day. Sotd is TF Orchid Soliel. I love this one, but it’s not an easy wear for me. I was a little too busy to enjoy it fully.
Happy Birthday to your daughter! ? I hope that both of you enjoyed today.
Thanks! It’s been a long day!
Happy birthday to your daughter! It is my niece’s birthday today and my daughter’s was Saturday.
Happy Birthday to your daughter and niece!
Happy Birthday to your daughter. Hope she had a great day! ???