I’ve written before about my love of fragrance. If you search my blog you’ll find several posts about perfume. This is because (and I quote – myself!) ‘To me, France and Perfume are synonymous’. You might be asking yourself ‘why another post about scent?’

Because ‘Scent’ is the WordPress, Day 15, Discover Prompt.’ If you are a WordPress Blogger, you might have some idea of what I mean, if not, I’ll explain. The premise, from the WordPress gurus, is that ‘Throughout April, we’re sharing a daily prompt to help you keep or regain your writing rhythm.‘

So far, I haven’t run out of subjects for my blog but seeing the prompt ‘scent’ immediately sparked my interest.

What is the dictionary definition of ‘scent’? It is a distinctive smell, especially one that is pleasant. I decided, as a change from writing about perfume, I would share a list of 10 of my favourite scents.

  • Fresh coffee I love the smell of fresh coffee brewing. I love opening a new pack of coffee grains and that giddy, heady, blast of coffee aroma that reaches my nostrils.
  • Lavender The scent of lavender is evocative in so many ways. One sniff and I am transported to the beautiful lavender fields of Provence. Our previous house was already named ‘Lavender Cottage’ when we purchased it. Ironically, there wasn’t a lavender plant in sight. We soon rectified this by planting a lavender hedge, at the front of the house. As you walked up the front path, the intoxicating scent of lavender would engulf you. I always have a bottle of lavender oil beside the bed. If I wake up and can’t get back to sleep, a drop or two on the pillow works wonders.
  • Bread baking Is it any surprise that when you enter a supermarket that one of the first things you notice, is the small of bread being baked or, in some cases, being warmed up? House sellers are advised to have a loaf cooking or one that just happens to have been taken out of the oven, as this will (supposedly) have a positive affect on prospective purchasers.
  • Christmas I’m thinking cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest. Then add real Christmas trees which deliver the scent of pine. Finally, bring on warm mince pies; beyond yummy!
  • Mint I love the scent of mint, peppermint, and spearmint. I always have mint growing in my herb garden, including a chocolate mint plant. I love the fresh, invigorating smell of mint. Fresh mint tea reminds me of trips to North Africa and small glasses of mint tea, laden down with sugar!
  • The Sea Like many people, I love being by the sea and in my mind it has a certain scent or odour. In fact, salt water doesn’t have any smell. It is what lives in the sea that is responsible for the smell. My parents lived on the coast and it was often the perfume of rotting seaweed that would assail my nostrils when I visited. I must confess that I didn’t find this smell offensive, although my mother certainly did!
  • Coconut I don’t actually like the taste of coconut, unless it comes covered in dark chocolate, in the form of a bar! Neither am I a fan of coconut milk, coconut water or coconut flavoured cocktails. Strangely, I love shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, body lotions and so forth, when they smell of coconut. Perhaps it’s something to do with the link between suntan lotions which often had a coconut scent, the beach and holidays.
  • Freshly mown grass I suspect it’s because we associate it with weekends and lazy summer days. For some people it will transport one back to carefree childhood days when you didn’t have to think about collecting/composting/disposing of all the grass cuttings!
  • Lilies This is quite a controversial choice. I love the overwhelming, powerful perfume exuded by lilies but I know plenty of people who cannot stand them. Some even say that the perfume gives them headaches and makes them feel sick. Luckily there many varieties of lily, some which have a more subtle fragrance.
  • A newly cleaned house It’s quite difficult to explain this one. It’s something to do with opening the windows and using bleach! I know one needs to be mindful about how much bleach one uses but, to me, it’s the epitome of cleanliness! Perhaps that comes from having sport loving boys and two dogs…

I hope you have enjoyed this post and here’s a link to my perfume post, in case you haven’t read it yet: https://fancyingfrance.com/2017/08/01/fragrance/

I’d interested to know your favourite ‘smells’ if you’d like to share.