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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

Busy week of friends and fun. Fragrance wise I’ve been celebrating with Facebook Fragrance Friends Guerlain Week. What a fun idea to wear my favourites and get out a bunch of them that have lain ignored and unloved for a while. What a happy reminder of the charm and depth of history of this house.

Scent Diary: 15.4 – 21.4.2019

Monday 15:

Good Morning APJ. Woke up, jumped out of bed to take the dogs for a wee walk and Paris had already pissed all over his bed. Poor boy, he knew he’d done wrong and was looking so hangdog. Still, he got told he was NAUGHTY! The ultimate reprimand in this house.

I was going to go to the pool but couldn’t make myself so I started doing the weeks washing.

SOTDay: Guerlain Shamilar EdT and extrait to mark the start of Facebook Fragrance Friends Guerlain Week. Expect to be seeing a lot of Guerlain here this week too.

10am four loads of clothes/linens washed and hung. Replied to Sundays Scent Diary comments.

Starting on more TRIVIA Q&A. Get used to this. It will become a theme over the next three weeks.

At 3pm I got up, dusted the house, broomed the tiles, vacuumed the whole house and cleaned the bathroom. Afterwards I lit candles and incense. Walked the whole house with candles in my hand saying “Burn away negative energy, leave only positive energy”. Sometimes everyone needs a little Woo Woo . The house always feels cleansed afterwards.

SOTAfternoon: Rose Nacree du Desert by Guerlain. One of the few EdPs I prefer to dab like an extrait.

Back to TRVIA Q&A

Jin came home at about 6.30pm and cooked Alio Olio. Green fettuccini with chilli, garlic and olive oil. PERFECTION! He added prawns to his but I don’t like them.

SOTEvening: Guerlain Vega. My bottle is nearly empty. So sad. My SmellFie for FFF Guerlain week

I was writing my Q&A and I went to bed for a shut eye to get my head back together.

Tuesday 16:

BLOODY HELL! Jin woke me at nearly 9am with a phone call. Up and running like crazy to finish TRIVIA Q&A.

SOTMorning: Cuir Beluga by Guerlain

OH! This came in the eMails today. I know Oliver will be happy that I shared his generous offer with you. I MIGHT have shopped a little. Oliver & Co €15 Discount

OK. 11.30am. TRIVIA Q&A done & dusted. Dogs fed & walked. Clothes washing brought in and folded.

So sad about Notre Dame burning.  Here’s a pic of the stained glass window taken back in 2017. What a terrible shame.
You know what shits me though. The Catholic church is one of the worlds best funded businesses. Why is everyone donating money for this restoration? The Church, which pays zero taxes, should be paying for its own freaking upkeep. Rant over.

TRIVIA Q&A

Bathed & shaved.

SOTAfternoon: L’Heure de Nuit. My one has gone this funky khaki colour. Such a shame. It was blueish when I bought it. Still smells fabulous.

Had a spectacular night at Trivia. 78 players! Including two of the Aquarobics instructors and their families. It was seriously fun having them there tonight.

SOTEvening: Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant Guerlain. When they DCd this beautiful baby I went a bit crazy and bought a couple of back ups, even though this is all I’ve used of the original bottle. My excuse was that I’d gone through a 10ml decant reasonably quickly. It is bloody gorgeous.

I’m going to watch some TV and then hit the hay.

Wednesday 17:

5am wake up from Jin. Off to Aquarobics.

Vetiver by Guerlain

Lunch in the park with Linda and Sue at Windsor Fish & Chips. Wandered the stores, had the most outrageous Nutella Crepe with Strawberries between the three of us.

Stopped in to see Scotty at St V de P.

WOO HOO! Aftelier is releasing a new fragrance! Mandy has been hard at it creating and as usual this promises to be stunning! Aftelier Perfumes Embers and Musk.
Character: Sweet smoky, clean musk, wild, ethereal, dry
Fragrant Notes: Ambrettolide, pine tar, guaiacol, pink pepper, apple, red champaca, yuzu

Nap time.

SOTAfternoon: Chamade by Guerlain

Worked at Greystanes Inn. We had an excellent crew, loads of laughs and a good meal. I love Wednesdays.

Home. Jin is on the couch watching Korean TV.

SOTEvening: Cologne du 68 by Guerlain

Jin decided it was time we watched The Greatest Showman. WOW! We loved it. What a cast. That soundtrack. Zac Efron!

Thursday 18:

Morning all. Dogs are fed and walked. I’ve had a quick splash in a very short bath and am dressed & ready to greet the world.

Sunny day in Sydney so I’ve brought out the very pretty Champs Elysees by Guerlain.

BUSY day running around. Jin drove me up to Lidcombe Station because he was getting some Korean food that they only do right at one store in Sydney.

On the train I hopped, but only a few stations later we stopped at a non-regular station and the guard told us after about 15 minutes that we’d better get buses. There was a holdup at one of the stations ahead. Coolio. I’m checking the Public Transport App to find the appropriate bus and a VERY handsome, dark haired, suited man asks if I know where I’m going to get to town. Yes, it’s Bus Bay A. He asks how long the bus will take. 40+ minutes. A pretty ash blonde severe bob cut woman behind us says “40 MINUTES” loud and angry. Then, “Hey, I’m on work time. They will want me back there ASAP. Want to share a cab? The company will pay.” Guy with me says “WOW!” I don’t even turn around but snag the cab that’s about to pass us, the only one in sight on a flat road with plenty of visibility. I say, “Lady, you get the front because you’re paying” and the two of us jump in the back. She is Emma, a corporate lawyer, fun and gregarious and clever AF. He is Thomas, an IT Consultant, not so clever but charming and I think probably quite tough and demanding but seems like a fair guy. When I tell them I’m a Drag Queen they fall over themselves with questions and they also have stories to tell. Our 20 minute cab ride is three people connecting and laughing. They drop me right outside DIOR and are going around the corner closer to their destination. Really good moment.

At DIOR I have Scott’s broken Mitzah bottle. The spritzer has stopped working. I pull it out and to show Jolanta it isn’t functioning I press the atomiser. It freaking squirts all over me. We are LAUGHING!! Clearly it’s OK now. She couldn’t do much here in Australia anyway and was having zero success in getting a new bottle sent here.

Then I went and saw my dentist. the other day when he pulled my tooth I didn’t yet have my new QANTAS Medical Insurance Card so I still had to pay. Also, he had run out of his bottle of Aventus so I had grabbed him a new 120ml of it as a Thank You for all his amazing work over the decades on my teeth. He’s a happy camper now.

Luckily Evie had some time to have lunch with me today. I met het around the corner and we had some delicious Nom Noms at the Cafe Courtyard in the MLC Centre. She had a Caesar salad and I had a Greek Salad with added Haloumi and extra Olive Oil. We just don’t get enough time to spend together so grabbing this sneaky little hour was wonderful.

I walked from there down to Barangaroo where I first met up with Alice and then Michael joined us. They ate some interesting salads from a place called Bings. Not really my cuisine scene but they were happy. SO MUCH catching up to do. I love them both.

Then I had a Myer Gift Card that needed spending. Bought myself the Le Labo Santal 33 Shower Gel and the Byredo Vetiver Hand Wash.

Jumped on a train and came home.

This is my street in autumn afternoon sunlight. Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s morning sunshine on this side and dappled shade in the afternoon.

Jin went off to work this evening and I watched some ARROW.

SOTEvening: Promenade des Anglaise by Guerlain. I really wish Guerlain would get rid of those shitful pumpers or at least give us a choice of a REAL atomiser. GAH! So freaking annoying, surely it would make 100% more sense. Also, I’d wear the fragrances so much more if they were easier.

Friday 19:

Woke at 8am. WTF! It’s my complete day of nothing and my body didn’t even give me a decent sleep in. Celebrating my early wake up with quite a lot of Guerlain’s Samsara EdP. The opening of the modern stuff is sharper and harder, less luscious but not far in there is definite Samsara.

I got to open a new soap for the bathroom sink today. Always fun choosing. Rosewater by Crabtree & Evelyn. It was a gift but I can’t remember who from. Thank you. I love it.

Jin and I had brunch together. It was really nice. I cooked savoury French Toast with cheese, tomato, onion and bacon. It was ENORMOUS! I had to give some left overs to the dogs, who absolutely LOVED it.

TRIVIA Q&A and pre writing some Saturday Questions for the blog. Just over two weeks till Jin and I are off on holidays.

SOTAfternoon: Guerlain Paris – Moscow. I have only about 20ml left so this baby rarely gets a ride. Bloody love it.

Had a sensational nap.

MORE Trivia Q&A

Watched some Arrow.

Cooked Fish Fingers with Tartare sauce and had a salad with it. YUMMERS. Salad is half a head of lettuce and capsicum, one each of apple, carrot, onion, thin sliced parmesan like cheese and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was so freaking delicious I ate every morsel.

Tara from A Bottled Rose called just as I sat down to dinner. I ate and we had a fabulous catch up afterwards. So much to talk about. I bloody love her, just like the adores little sister I always dreamed I’d have.

I tried to concentrate on more TRIVIA Q&A tonight but my head wasn’t in it.

SOTEvening: Lui by Guerlain

More Arrow, fed & walked the dogs, had a magnificent, boiling hot bubble bath to clear my head.

SOTBed: Tiare Mimosa by Guerlain. Another glorious beauty that languishes in its box till I remember it and wear for a couple of weeks. That spiced citrus opening into white flowers and cleaned up waxy mimosa over white musks is laundry plus glamour.

Saturday 20:

It is beautiful outside today. Sunshine and a cool breeze. The dogs and I did a double length walk around the suburb to celebrate. I wore a singlet to get some Vitamin D action before winter steals all the health giving benefits of sunshine.

SOTMorning: Vintage Vol de Nuit extrait by Guerlain. Pristine perfection.

Went and hung out with Thierry and Steven at City Perfume today. We did a couple of videos. Talked about some exciting upcoming adventures together and got to see the AlexandreJ range. Architect turned fragrance house. The gift boxes are freaking amazing.

Don’t forget we have a 10% Discount Code on the side there>>>> They pay to have it there but I also love them and they are 100% frag nerds themselves. Talking to them is always like a master class in current perfumery.

I did get some fragrance on me. Mon Guerlain Bloom of Rose. It’s fabulous. Sorry I forgot to take a pic.

Jin and I then met up with Kath, Alice and Dad for Indian. BLOODY HELL! I ate so much I’m feeling utterly bloated. A new feeling since the great diet started in September. So uncomfortable. How did I eat like this every day? It was so delicious though. Amazing. In the pics Alice Kath & Jin are being the Three Wise Monkeys. We have to find new ways to take photos of kath without her being in the shot, she hates them.

Home and can’t even think properly, I’m too full.

SOTBed: Black Perfecto La Petit Robe Noire by guerlain

Sunday 21:

Up and out in the sunshine with the dogs this morning. People were up and about, very chatty and friendly.

Happy Easter for those that celebrate.

It’s the last day of Guerlain Week and I’ve had a ball. Didn’t get to wear them all but I gave it a red hot go. Maybe I need a Guerlain Month?

SOTMorning: Mitsouko extrait by Guerlain in the cutest plastic box. I love this one and bring it out only for special occasions. I smell freaking amazing.

At the computer writing TRIVIA Q&A! It’s getting slightly monotonous and my work is suffering due to boredom. Be through it soon though. I’m about half way.

Jin called. He is now talking about going to see Swan Lake in Russia and is organising it with our Tour Guide. How bloody exciting! I love Swan Lake. Probably my favourite after The Nutcracker. Jin is the bomb.

Jumped in the bath, was going to dye my beard but I’ve run out of beard dye. BUGGER! So I just shaved and washed.

SOTAfternoon: Samsara extrait in the Meteorites bottle by Guerlain. Oh yes, this is too gorgeous for colour TV.

Got ready for work and TOTALLY FORGOT Guerlain week and that I already had Samsara on both wrists. Spritzed Granville by DIOR.

Work was super fun at Austral Bowling Club tonight. We always have a laugh. Anna Maria and I were reminiscing. This time last year we warred in Paris and London. Tempus fugit.

Home now and feel like I have to do one more Guerlain spritz for the week.

SOTBed: Santal Royal by Guerlain

 

 

It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?

Did you do anything Fragrant, Fun, Friends, Family or even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx