All the tea, orchids, and fragrance
Last Friday marked three weeks without central heating/hot water while we wait for a part for our fancy Navien heating system, which is apparently every bit as difficult (and presumably expensive) to maintain as a vintage Ferrari. I’m glad we’re renting and don’t have to pay for this repair. The weather’s warmer than usual for January; we’re making it work, we have backup heat and a daily routine that allows us to make do, but honestly? I am soooooooooo over it. I want my mod cons back — quiet heat, hot water on demand, and I’m sick of shuffling around space heaters. [breaking news — as of Monday afternoon it’s finally fixed!]
Things that are keeping me sane: the orchids are blooming, which makes me ridiculously happy. It’s not a given that they’ll rebloom every year (or ever, for that matter). Please enjoy some orchid picspam, it’s like a fancy florist shop in here right now.
Also, in search of additional warmth, Carolyn and I went to a local tea shop and bought a whole variety of teas based on how they smelled and the shopkeeper’s recommendations. Carolyn also bought me this adorable glass teapot after I saw it on a shelf and lost my mind, thereby blissfully cutting short all my dithering about whether I “needed” it. I don’t know much about tea (hey, I don’t know much about much) but I’m enjoying this new afternoon fancy tea journey.
Here’s a brief visit of three samples I pulled from Carolyn’s LuckyScent order (lots of comfort scents) and sniffed, trying to stave off my peevishness:
D’Annam White Rice – oh, this is nice. Rice, pandan, orris, jasmine, musk, cedarwood, tonka. I love a rice scent. This starts off a teensy bit too much floral-musk on me, and then that fades and we have several hours of steamed rice bliss. (Anyone remember KenzoAmour? I think that was my gateway to floral-rice comfort scents. I should pull out my bottle.) BORNTOSTANDOUT’s Dirty Rice is also on the to-try list but their sample size was out of stock.
Diptyque L’Eau Papier – did I write about this? I remember I sniffed it … somewhere awhile ago and was underwhelmed. I’m thinking I was at the Dallas airport where it’d have been competing with the smell of the nearby food court and the flop-sweat of anxious travelers. From their website: “In L’Eau Papier, white musks are delicately faceted by an accord of rice steam, evoking the grain of the paper. To these are added luminous notes of mimosa, while a backdrop of blonde wood tones roots L’Eau Papier in the material itself.” Wow, this is lovely, if less bold and quirky than some of their scents. I should test drive this next to that L’Artisan I wrote about recently since they’re both featuring the mimosa blooms in and around Grasse. The drydown makes me think of papier d’Arménie, which makes sense.
Cirque de Soleil – apparently they have their own bespoke fragrance?! Bergamot, Buttery Popcorn Accord, Caramelized Amber, Cotton Candy, Fresh Freesia, Iris Petals, Red Apple Smell-the-Taste (huh?), Sandalwood, Vanilla Bean. I sniffed it without seeing that list of notes which explains a lot because holy cow is it sweeeeet, and I’m saying that as someone who has a fairly high tolerance for sweet gourmands. Not what I was expecting. I think it’s a crime that L’Artisan discontinued Dzing! which is the perfect circus scent.
Is it a gourmand time of year for you? A tea time, in beverage or fragrance? Do you toss your grocery orchids after they bloom? (No judgment from me!) My daughter was gifted an orchid for Christmas, her only houseplant, and she’s stressing already.
photos of blooming orchids: mine, all mine!
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