Tranquil Scents Of A Home.

I am ruled by fragrances and scents. To me the ability to smell is one of the most important senses on which I rely heavily each day. It aids in my daily life, as I make my decisions about people and situations I encounter and as I go about my routines.

I use my nose as soon as I awake in the morning, taking great pleasure in the fresh scents of my shower gel and shampoo and deciding what perfume to wear that day. I inhale lavishly the aroma of fresh coffee and bread when I have my breakfast and the scent of the sea in the air outside. I take information from the scents in any room I enter during the day, the fragrances brought in and surrounding people I know or strangers I meet. These all, in concert with the impressions gained by all my other senses help me to form opinions and take decisions.
And later in the evening when I return home, as I am met by its familiar and comforting scent - I know I am safe and can relax.

My home has many aromas, but the main ones comes from two sources. Burning incense, my absolute daily addiction that creates that tranquil atmosphere in the evenings, signaling soothing serenity as soon as the first whiff of its burning fragrance enters my consciousness.

And then there are my Millefiori room diffuser sticks.

A wonderful invention that was introduced to me by my sister this past summer. It consists of  a container filled with a lovely fragrance of ones choice - mine is green tea - and a handful of wooden sticks submerged into the scented liquid. As these get saturated by the fragrance, a lovely subtle scent is spread all around the room creating a delightful, lasting atmosphere.

I have placed the perfumed bottle next to the stairs in the main room. The fragrance of home is immediately palpable as soon as I get in through the door and intensifies as I ascend into my living room.
Once I do, as if by magic, the troubles and worries of the day are slowly left behind in my footsteps.

Perceptions Of Summer.

Crossing the solstice, we have entered the season of plenty. The Scandinavian summers however are short and the weather very unstable. Even yesterday, which was forecast to be sunny and warm by meteorologists, turned out to be more or less a cloudy and dull affair.

I love summers endlessly though and I have always done so. Being a true summer child, I was born in July and I worship this season passionately. So full of colour and light, it is additionally abundant with scents and tastes as well.

We all know the wonderful property of our senses and the way they are connected to our recollection. How a sound, a fragrance or that particular tingling of our palate can bring back moments in time, so easily and with such an elegance.
I have collected here ten such significant catalysts of wide range of perceptions, which speak summer to me like nothing else can.

The Sound Of Cicadas.
I grew up in family of sun worshipers and almost as far back as I can remember, we used to travel south to the Mediterranean for summer vacations. The sounds of Cicadas equals summer to me, as these little critters are not native to Central nor Northern Europe. Thus their exotic song brings the feeling of summer to my senses in its purest form possible.

Fireflies.
Fireflies were the sign of summer while I lived in North Carolina. I will never forget those humid, hot nights, full of sounds of crickets and insects and full of these small specks of light, adding an enchanting feeling to the hot summers of the southeast.

Coconut Fragrance And Taste.
As a fragrance in sunscreens, shower gels and shampoos and as a taste in exotic drinks, nothing speaks of tropics more loudly than the coconut.

The Feel Of A Warm Sand.
The feel of hot sand of the beach between my toes and between my fingers, sticking to my blanket and to my skin, oiled in tanning lotion, while I listen to the gentle surf, watching the endless blue of the sea... Only in summer.

The Song Of Swallows.
The flight and the song of swallows as the day is closing to its end, brings back the summers of my childhood like nothing else can. Almost in instant I am transported back to the Czech country side, where I spent every single summer until I was thirteen.

Scent Of Melted Asphalt.
That scent takes me back to Czech country side too, decades in time, in a split second. I recall walking barefoot on a small country road, after spending an hour or two swimming in the local river during lazy summer days. The hot asphalt would almost give in under my feet, as I was leaving footprints behind, having fun trying to burst the small bubbles, which would form on the melting surface, while its particular scent hung in the hot air.

Scent (and Taste) Of Barbecue.
Moving forward in time, barbecue reminds me of the Scandinavian summers and always will. As soon as the first sun rays warm the cold North, the scent of grilling is everywhere. The Scandinavians worship the elusive sun and move their cooking outside during the white nights.

White Nights.
I have described what they mean to me in such a detail before, thus any more words feel obsolete. I can only add that the midnight sun was the only summer sign I dearly missed while I lived in North Carolina.



Taste Of Strawberries Warmed By The Sun.
My first real summer job as a teenager involved picking of strawberries. There is nothing that literally screams summer more loudly to me, then the sweet taste of the red berry, picked during a hot, sunny day. The Scandinavian strawberries are renowned for their superb quality and are exported all over Europe. A celebration of the Midsummer is never complete without a strawberry cake, made with freshly picked berries.

Scent Of Fresh Cut Grass.
The ultimate sign of summer, that stretches back in time and encompasses both my childhood and adulthood. Endlessly soothing, like a blanket of comfort, when the fragrance of cut grass spreads through the air, it instigates security and happiness. It brings back the meadows of my childhood as well as the city parks and the country side of my teenage years. And even today, this scent defines summer just outside the windows of my white house on a hill like nothing else can. A universal sign of summer in every corner of the world that harbours the four seasons; as soon as the grass grows again, summer has begun.

The Scents Of The Holidays.

We all know first hand how scents can trigger our memory, reminding us of moments and places in our past. It only takes a trace of a particular fragrance to appear in the air, to transport us instantly in time and space. I am utterly fascinated by the means in which our memory is tied to our senses and the way it triggers the cognitive process.

There are many scents that are so very significant of the Christmas Holidays. The memories of celebrations in my past contain a plethora of fragrances, linked to perfumes, food, spices, places, people and nature.

The scent from the ten items below is to me so very representative of the Holidays:

Orange Peels.
Even though orange is an exotic fruit, growing in subtropical climate, which should evoke the feeling of summer and sea, the scent of its peel is a significant sign of the Holidays to me. Perhaps this is due to the fact that oranges, tangerines and clementines are most abundant in my part of the world throughout the winter.

Cinnamon.
A spice like cinnamon is today a common ingredient, used in drinks and meals year around. However, to me nothing say Holidays more than its scent. I use it in baking in December and when mixed with ginger and cloves, it is a rare combination that brings me back to the Christmas of my childhood in an instance, if I close my eyes...

Cloves.
Cloves is a spice that I recall fondly from my past. My mother used it extensively in all the Holiday baking and cooking. It was the main ingredient in almost everything that was prepared for Christmas in our home, from drinks to meals. There is a tradition of making decoration using oranges, that are pierced through the skin with cloves. Not only does this look beautiful but the orange and the cloves in combination spread such a delightful scent all over the house; a definite and traditional Christmas fragrance.

Saffron.
Saffron is used in Sweden in baking special roles for the 13th of December. This is the day which is celebrated as St.Lucia in Sweden. One of the most expensive spices on Earth, it is in use very sparsely through out the year, with exception for December.

Ginger.
I have already described how very traditional Gingerbread Cookies are during the Holiday season in Scandinavia. The scent of ginger in combination with other spices mentioned here is very significant during the Holidays.

Vanilla.
Vanilla is of course not only significant of Christmas. However, again, in combination with the above spices, the common scent of vanilla becomes that once a year experience that signifies the onset of the Holiday Season.

Mulled Wine.
Mulled Wine, or "gløgg", as it is called in Denmark, is a vital part of December in Scandinavia. This warm spicy drink has a scent like nothing else served during the rest of the year. It brings family and friends together and there is nothing like coming home after a late afternoon winter walk, to a house that is scented with the spices of Mulled Wine.

Spruce.
Spruce scent equals Christmas. I love the fragrance of the Tree as it is brought inside. It can bring me back decades in time, making the span of the years in my past so very relative...

Burning Sparkler.
In our family, on Christmas Eve, after the dinner, before opening the presents, we would burn sparkles on the tree. I loved watching each and everyone explode with tiny stars, as the lightning ball moved downwards, mesmerizing and enticing me... The burning created that once a year atmosphere of expectation and joy. As soon as the fire went out, the fragrance became so obvious through out the room; the most significant scent of Christmas that I know...

"Kapustnica".
This is our family Christmas soup. A traditional Slovak meal, which my mother would spend a whole day preparing before Christmas Eve. The scent is so very particular, consisting of sour cabbage, sausages, mushrooms and many spices that make up this traditional Christmas dish. No matter where I am, no matter how old I am, this scent will bring me in a nano-second right back to my childhood and the laughter and joy of the holidays in my past...

Scented Garden.

Every time I travel during the summer months, I become very anxious about one thing - leaving my garden behind. Strange but true.
My garden is my meditation spot and I tend to it from the moment the first bulbs sprout in the very early spring until late autumn, when the time to plant spring bulbs arrives. In fact, as I have mentioned before, the very first thing I do every morning, no matter the season, right after hugging Batcat, is to look out of my large windows onto my terrace. I love all my plants and I follow them through out the year, through all their changes and transformations. I strongly feel that no one can really understand how to tend to them as well as I do. Which is probably most likely true.
This year was no exception. As soon as I arrived back fro my trip, the first thing I did was to rush outside to inspect all my plants. This time around, I left my house, Batcat and my garden in the care of good friends/co-workers and upon my return I was anything but disappointed. The garden did not only survive, it has become luscious and green and some of the plants have grown beyond recognition.

I have two shrubs or bushes, lining my terrace, which fill the warm summer air with heavenly aroma. One of them is Caprifolium, better known in English as Honeysuckle and the other one I am sorry but I fail to identify, as it came with the house. I have been told it is a type of Jasmine as it blooms with very fragrant, white, rose-like flowers in June. Honeysuckle usually blooms twice, once in June and a second time in late August-September. It is usually the last plant that still have flowers in the end of the summer season.

This year both plants are simply magnificent. The Honeysuckle is covered with scented blossoms to the bursting point and the Jasmine perfumes the air like never before.
Sitting underneath these shrubs during a sunny summer day or on a warm summer evening is just one of many simple pleasures that clearly defines the core of happiness in my book.

Fragrances.

We are all ruled by our senses. Whether it is a visual picture that pleases us, whether it is touch, a delightful sound or a lovely scent.

I love fragrances and scents. They are not just enjoyable in a moment, they also bring back memories and can take us back to places in time.

There are many scents that I find pleasing, both natural and man-made perfumes. The history of perfumes goes back to ancient Egypt and is in itself almost an art form, or a science form that should not be underestimated. Making the perfect perfume takes talent and a lot of knowledge. Wearing the perfumed fragrance takes certain amount of talent too. Our scent is as individual, as our fashion style. It symbolizes who we are and who we would like to be perceived as. I love the idea of remembering a face, not just as a visual memory, but as a scent memory as well. To me wearing a fragrance is a part of who I am.

But there are also natural fragrances, that can remind me of my childhood and move me back decades into my past, back to people and places I once knew. A scent can evoke feelings of happiness, make me relax and calm me down, put my mind at ease and let me enjoy the moment more intensely.
And there is nothing more powerful than the familiar scent of someone we love...

Here is a list of my five favourite natural scents:

1. Scent of fresh cut grass.
It will always remind me of my childhood summers, spend in a natural, rural area around Prague, with my aunt and her family. It also brings back a memory from the places around where I was born, from meadows in a beautiful part of the world. The scent of fresh cut grass always makes me feel carefree and signifies serenity.

2. Scent after a summer rain.
The freshness of the air, shortly after a summer rain is impossible to duplicate. The way it makes nature comes to life is astounding. Likewise, the scent of raging ocean, when the waves are crushing against the beach, while I walk along the seashore, makes me feel invigorated and alive.

3. Scent of fresh soil.
This scent signifies to me the oncoming spring and summer. It represents planting period and a renewal period in nature, when the sun rays shine stronger and feel warmer. I love to tend to my garden and to plant flowers, in pots and in flower beds. The scent of soil and the feeling of the rich substance between my fingers makes me as giddy as a child. Gardening to me is one of the most relaxing activities I can imagine. And one of the most rewarding ones as well.

4. Scent of burning wood.
I love the particular smokey scent from a burning campfire, or a fire in a fireplace. This scent sets me immediately at ease, and aids greatly in my relaxation. It works in any season, as it can remind me of cozy winter evening at home, or a late summer evening outside. I also enjoy the scent of burning leaves late in the autumn that too brings back the memory of fields in my childhood.

5. Scent of blooming Lilac.
The fragrance of blooming Lilac is one of the most beautiful natural fragrances I know. It is fresh, romantic and everlasting. The intense, persistent and lovely scent of any flowers in bloom underscores the fact that Nature is the best and the most talented perfume maker.