ethaisa

Le Mat arrived today; this is a set of three scents, designed to be worn separately or in combination. I'll be using this entry to keep track of my wear tests.

( Le Mat )

COXCOMB
Red currant, Moroccan musk, sage, and frankincense.
    Sweet, dried berry musk, with drifting wisps of frankincense. The musk is rich, but light, and as it dries develops a woody undertone - must be a very understated sage.

MAROTTE
Golden pear, amber, fig leaf, oakmoss, bronze musk, mahogany, patchouli, and a smattering of glittering pyrite.
    Pear and fig leap out of the bottle, which is fine since I love both notes. There's also a metallic brightness that's a little harsh at first but quiets down. I can hardly pick out the patchouli at all  - a bit of spicy wood on drydown and then the warm amber swells up. The final blend is subtle, woody resin with hints of ripe pear and warm figs.

MOTLEY
Black currant, rhubarb, mushroom, champaca, and myrrh.
   I can really smell mushrooms, which sounds odd but its actually quite nice. Rhubarb foiliage, and not the tart stalks I was expecting. The champaca and myrrh have a bit of a spat but soon reach detante and only on dry down dose the black currant show up and its carrying a switchblade - there's an edge to this berry. But overall there's almost no throw and I find I keep smelling my wrist, so somehow it's all working. This is going to age very, very well.

Enough for now; I'll see how well everything lasts, and then give the combos a try. But wearing all three at once (if not actually blended together) is very promising.

So, I've been eaten by my garden. Which is only fair, considering my intent should my veggies be fruitful. This is the first summer in a couple of years when I haven't have back issues curtailing me, so I started off slow but this last fortnight I've been getting busy. I've cut turf and turned beds (with the help of friends, thanks!) and moved stones and pavers, done all sorts of groundwork: the peat and bone meal and compost was flying about, let me tell you. There is also now something that suspiciously resembles a stargate or rings platform in the middle of my garden; completely unintended initally - oh, fruitful subconscious, the tricks you like to play!

I did my baskets (now hanging merrily off the garage, filled with bacopa and petunias and verbena and sweetpea) and pots (oh the nasterums and coleus and geraniums and lobelia and licorice and a few patio tomatoes).

As for veggies, the cucs and zuccs and peppers and eggplants are in the ground. The heirloom tomatoes are waiting patiently - I did 6-7 hours yesterday and today I'm forcing myself to take it easy; it's also really windy - hopefully it will calm down later. I did get all the soaker hose down in the back; that wind didn't help. I have new stonecress for the rock border, too.

And then there's the front beds. Various sedum groundcovers and ivy await!