Roses from my garden
Apparently today is a day for discussing our favourite fragrance, so I’m putting my ideas down here and hope to get feedback from those of you for whom a memory is evoked by a particular fragrance. The sense of smell is supposed to be the strongest for bringing back things in our emotional memories.
I think everyone likes the smell of roses. I have chosen several old-fashioned varieties because they do have a perfume, but are not too strong.
Those of you who have read my piece some time ago on Eucalypt Leaves, might recall that I was grabbed by that smell when feeling homesick in London.
Wood fires do something similar; we had two open fires at our farm at Pemberton. Most of the time we were fortunate to get loads of mallee roots and because the fire places were large, we could toss on big logs which continued to burn through the night and often into the next day. We’d sit around the fire, playing cards or just talking while sipping wine or coffee, feet sticking out towards the flames to warm our toes. We sold the farm years ago, but the smell of timber burning on an open fire, always brings back that feeling of camaraderie and comfort.
I grow lots of vegetables so I have the advantage of picking herbs fresh from the garden to use in my cooking, but coriander sends me into raptures to such an extent that I pick a few sprigs, even if I’m not about to cook with them, just to put in a jar on the kitchen bench where I can breath in that delicious aroma. Basil has a similar effect on me but I’m not completely over the top with it.
All my children and grandchildren are adults now, but I used to love the smell of a baby fresh from the bath. It tends to deteriorate fairly quickly with . . . . . . . but they smell good enough to eat (not literally of course) for a while.
Forest near Pemberton
I love walking through the bush after it’s rained when the ground has that pungent aroma specific to Australia. It makes me think of squashed ants mixed in with eucalypt leaves and the soil itself smells like it can’t wait to grow a mass of all kinds of plants. I always have the urge to pick up a handful and have a good sniff.
My sister and I share our love for the smell of freshly sawn timber, especially jarrah. This stems from the days when we were kids and were sometimes allowed to spend a Saturday morning in the workshop with our father who was a builder. If we’re in Bunnings she will disappear for a while to get her fix–the sheets of jarrah in the tradesmen’s section of the store. Dad died a long time ago, but he’s with us in spirit when we sniff the sheets of jarrah.
What are your favourite fragrances and do you have any odd ones like me? I’d love to see your responses so please scroll down and share your comments.