Oops, missed a couple of days already. Oh well, I don't think anyone's counting my blog posts except for me. I'll manage what I can :)

Anyway, this morning I tried a new shampoo sample. It had a coconut fragrance that instantly took me back to living in Darwin. Not that we were surrounded by coconuts up there (although we did have a coconut tree above our pool that was rather alarming - I was so worried about getting hit on the head by a falling coconut that we put up a shade cloth for protection), but there is definitely a connection. I normally use a coconut scented shower gel to remind me of the tropics, but I've been using a vanilla scented one lately and can't wait to finish it and get back to that lovely coconut and the memories and feelings it evokes.

Coconut tree, Darwin

As I thought about the various scents available in hair and body products, I realised that this is an area where I really do call upon smell to alter my mood by reminding me of happy times. Not so much perfumes, but body lotions, lip balms, shower gels and room sprays. I like a hint rather than a whoomph of scent.

  • Coconut, as mentioned above, makes me think of Darwin and the tropics.
  • Orange blossom reminds me of the tree in our front garden that I played in as a child.
  • Baby powder envelopes me in a feeling of parental love.
  • Green apple reminds me of my favourite shampoo as a child, a gift from my grandmother.
  • Jasmine takes me back to our family home, and the fence that was covered in it.
  • Raspberry lip balm reminds me of my university years.
  • Lemon verbena is a direct line to the lemonade icy poles of childhood summers.
  • Rose reminds me of my mother's favourite flowers.
  • Eucalyptus oil is the hankie my father used to stuff into our shirt pockets when we had a cold.
Do you have any smells that evoke fond memories of people, times and places?