Scent Diary: 15.7 – 21.7.2019

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies

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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

This week was hectic. I seem to have been running from pillar to post all week. Every day has been chock full of stuff. So many mates, work drama still and some sensational fragrance. Good week, lucky to be alive in this moment.

Scent Diary: 15.7 – 21.7.2019

Monday 15:

I fell asleep on the couch. Jin had an early start and I’d been watching TV. When he left he woke me and sent me into our warm bedroom, heater still on. HEAVEN! I went back to sleep till about 10am. So lovely.

Got up and got the weekly post ready. There were a bunch of samples that I needed to make to be sent out and some packs I wanted to make up for friends. Ended up with a melange for my SOTD. Gucci Bloom Acqua del Fiore, some La Via del Profumo and CHANEL 1957. I smelled fabulous.

Went out and did the Post Office and some groceries like bread, milk and some berries.

Came home, fed and walked the dogs in the sunshine. Beautiful.

House cleaning time. As I had thoroughly cleaned the place on Friday for the Dumpling Party and then cleaned up that mess on Saturday the house only needed some vacuuming, a flick of the duster, kitchen floor and my bathroom done. Also got four loads of clothes washing done, hung and some in the dryer.

Watched some more TV. Before going on our honeymoon I’d started to rewatch the series ARROW. Picking up again where that left off is easy and I really like it.

Jin came home. There’s a new Chinese restaurant at the end of our street. He’s had a bee in his bonnet about it since it opened and tonight we went and checked it out. Jin loved it. I prefer our regular one that’s just around the corner and we have been going there for years. It feels mean going to the competition.

TRIVIA Q&A. Most of it is already done. Just gotta writer 60 questions and my day is finished.

SOTEvening: NO±Suede by UèrMì, YUM!

It’s now midnight and I haven’t finished my Q&A yet. Need some fragrant boostings.

SOTNight: Arpege EdT, it’s a vintage bottle and some of the aldehydes are beginning to go greasy and metallic in the first two or three minutes. Then it settles into Arpege perfection. So glam.

Gave myself some more Arpege for bed.

Tuesday 16:

This morning dawned sunny and warm.

SOTMorning: Madonna Truth or Dare Naked

My mate Sue came down for coffee. We wandered around the corner and had so much catching up to do that I completely forgot to take a damn photo. Sue knitted me this beautiful scarf, I’ll be rocking it a LOT for the rest of winter. So glam having something hand made.

That crazy woman who won’t accept my very reasonable offers of compensation over the Drag Queen arriving late is threatening to take Turbo to the Fair Trading crew. What a punish she is. Wants every cent back. She doesn’t want negotiation she wants revenge. I’m fit to be tied. Some people are vile.

Bathed, shaved and refreshed.

SOTEvening: La Colle Noire by DIOR. I bought this bottle off a Sale Doc on a FaceBook perfume page. So happy to buy one opened and a bit used. It means I don’t suffer Opening Fear or Remorse and the scent gets used. It’s now sitting in the favourite tray with Granville, Mitzah and Leather Oud from the DIOR Prive line. Amber and roses with some soft woods and musks. Heavenly.

This weeks funny

Wednesday 17:

Today was freaking gorgeous. Cool sunshiny day.

Jin parked himself on the couch and slept and watched TV most of the morning, then he went to bed for a real nap because he is on nightshift this next couple of days.

OK, so I am still dealing with this woman who wants to bully and rob me. What a super sized cow. She will not be reasonable, won’t negotiate, changes her story, wants this affair to be as protracted as possible and is basically after a fight. She has offered to take it to the tribunal and I have strenuously agreed. At least I’ll get a fair hearing and stand up to a bully. Sometimes, even if you get beaten up, the standing up to injustice and rotten behaviours is the only moral course. The problem is, it also plays havoc with my head. I couldn’t eat today till a response was crafted and sent. It was gruelling hours  of chipping away, not only at the response, but also going through previous correspondence etc. GAK!

So my late, finished the damn letter, victory over my own inability to stomach conflict lunch was ham, cheese, salad sandwich and a cuppa. Fulfilling, filling and so yummy.

Had a fabulous long bath soak in Aromatics Elixir Bath Oil.

SOTEvening: Wearing Aromatics Elixir by Clinique lotion and fragrance. So good.

Went to Greystanes Inn for work. Excellent night with the crew. Peter & Linda were in the house, so I asked them for a quick selfie so you guys can see them. They’re a couple of my Greystanes buddies.

Home from work. dogs fed & walked, dinner eaten.

SOTNight: Inspired by a Facebook Fragrance Friends post I’ve given myself a good hefty spritzing of Boucheron EdT.

Watching more ARROW.

Thursday 18:

My eyes popped open at around 6am. I went to the toilet and then lay in bed fretting about this crank customer. Not big fret just enough background noise to preclude sleep. I read for a bit and then Jin came home from work. It was nice to have a little chat before he went off to bed. I took the dogs out for a wee and made myself coffee.

Came to the computer.

Cuddled on the couch with Paris, then fed and walked the boys.

SOTMorning: Dia Woman by Amouage

Went into Hermès Sydney city store to get the Gloria Petyarre scarf. I knew something was off with the sales assistant the moment we tried to say hello to each other. Every sentence I said she had to ask me to repeat and sometimes would start talking to me in the middle of my sentence. It was weird. Anyway, she wouldn’t let me buy the scarf under Portia but insisted on using the name on my credit card. It was really unsettling. I walked out.

I gave Evie a call because she works just down the road and we went for coffee and profiteroles. Yes, I had one. It was utterly delicious. We had such a good catch up. In the pic she is wearing the navy cashmere scarf Jin and I bought her in Mongolia. I was so happy to see it on her on a surprise visit day.

Then I walked to the other side of town (Barangaroo) and met Alice & Kath for a steak lunch. Loads of laughs and delicious food. Kath hates photos so she’s hiding behind me.

One of my mates David met us down there. I was hoping he’d stay for lunch but he only had time to drop off the scarf his auntie had knitted for me. How freaking cool is that? It would have been so much more fun if he’d stayed.

Home, chilled.

SOTEvening: Patchouli Patch by L:’Artisan

Dinner with Jin, Lula, Chris and Jamie. Recently we had Chris and Jamie to ours for lunch. They are a couple, have been for decades. Chris’ Mum is getting to the point where she needs others around and the boys have rented their lavish city house out and moved in around the corner from us. Jamie cooked the most fabulous Roast Beef and Veg, then Sticky Date Cake for dessert. OMG! You have no idea.

Jin was so tired, his eyes were drooping and his speech was starting to become less coherent. His understanding of English was starting to slip too. Poor little guy.

HOME!

SOTBed: Lolita Lempicka EdP. I wanted a lively violet sugar lift.

Friday 19:

Today was as close to a perfect day as is possible.

Watched ARROW till about 2.30am.

Went to the spare bedroom and slept like a dead person till 10am when Jin woke me to take the dogs for a walk. Which we did.

SOTMorning: Kiehl’s Original Musk.

Jin had the day off and needed to go into Parramatta city centre to doctors and shops. While he was busy I went and had a pedicure and a delicious cup of coffee.

Then we did a little shopping.

Lunch together at our favourite nearby Vietnamese restaurant. I thought I took a food shot, it was enormous and bloody delicious. Sorry.

Went and bought dog and fish food at Pet Barn.

Dropped in to see Scott at his work St Vincent de Paul. Took him a rainbow thousand pancakes cake.

Came home and Jin cooked up a big batch of chicken soup.

While he was doing that I took the dogs up to the vets for their annual shots.

We dropped off still steaming soup to one of our mates who has had pneumonia, Paul (Dame Hilda), and to BFF Kath’s father. We stayed and had a cuppa with Dad and a chat.

Back home and Jin marinaded some pork, I chopped some veggies and we had home table BarBQ for dinner. So fun, still with chatter and plans being made all through the day.

It’s 9pm now. I’m about to feed and walk the dogs.

BUBBLE BATH time.

SOTBed: Caron Pour Un Homme

Saturday 20:

Woke up, fed and wandered with the dogs. Perfect winter morning. Sunny and warm.

SOTMorning: Velours by YSL

 

Went around to Ray’s Surprise Birthday Party but he was arriving an hour later. Left my gift, chattered for a short while and went.

Lunch with a girlfriend.

Cleaned the house. Not a Mother In Laws First Visit Clean but quite dedicated. The place looks lovely when it’s all done.

Went and ordered dinner from the local Chinese! My favourite.

Scott’s birthday. Originally it was to be 9 for dinner but due to illness Lee’s girl and Jin couldn’t attend. No worries, we had a wonderful evening. So many excellent stories and the food was amazing. LOADS of booze flowing too.

I can’t believe we forgot to take even one photo of the night.

After they left I vacuumed again and then gave the table its seasonal beeswaxing. It will be left for the next couple of days to soak in before I rub it all off.

SOTBed: Shalimar extrait by Guerlain

Sunday 21:

I was up quite early this morning and looked after the dogs.

SOTMorning: Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations

Spent a couple of hours hand washing last nights china, glassware and cutlery. It’s so rare I bring out the Wedgwood and I know it will be going back in the cupboard for the next 12 months at least so I like to do it in the sink. Also there are WAY less streaks on the glassware and cutlery if I hand wash. It’s kind of zen too if I have the time to do it.

SOTAfternoon: 1969 by Histoires de Parfums. Bought off a friends Sale Doc. Thanks Rose, it’s fantastic.

Jin woke up very late, early afternoon, and was delirious. Fever, dizzy, talking funny. I took him straight up to the doctor and he was given heavy duty pain, antibiotics and a gargle. Poor little guy. He’s bad. I am also feeding him ginger, lemon, honey and garlic in his tea. In the pic you can see him wrapped in four layers top and bottom and the most unfocussed I’ve ever seen him.

He took his drugs as soon as I got him home and then when I made him lunch he was already sound asleep. Talking and moaning. I ate it. Chicken soup, YUM!

It’s so late (nearly 4pm) I can’t dye my beard or even get ready for work. I’ll be going as a guy. I’m off for a quick bath now.

SOTEvening: Mitzah by DIOR

Here we are at Austral Bowling Club tonight. If you look very closely you might even be able to find Anna Maria!

Back home now and going to warm up some Chinese reheats for Jin. See you in the comments.

 

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

40 thoughts on “Scent Diary: 15.7 – 21.7.2019”

  2. Karma, Portia, karma! That nasty woman will get what’s coming to her! I am so sorry you are going through this 😦 I too cannot eat when I am stressed and anxious.

    Poor Jin! I hope he feels better soon! and I am laughing at the fact that MY CPuH bottle is probably three times the size of yours. Imagine my child size hand holding it? LOL! I will see if I can take a picture and send it to you for a good laugh.

    Busy week even though I took off from work. Huge outdoor project on Monday trimming the neighbor’s hedge of overgrown bushes on the back of our over one acre property. Took hours but now it is DONE. Tuesday impromptu visit into the city. Sniffed at Sephora and the Dyptique in Grand Central Terminal and my mom bought me my own uniform wardrobe (all black) so that i am no longer wearing the mini Marzipans hand me downs (I even have the youngest’s pants which he wore when he was 10 as my yardwork pants) Wednesday and Thursday driving back and forth and back and forth (both days) for youngest’s college orientation. It was weird not having him home Wednesday night. And eldest moved into her gorgeous new apartment. She deserves a nice place to live after four years of living in extremely expensive antiquated dorm rooms and college apartments that were dirty, run down and without air conditioning. Thursday I also did a massive cleaning of her and her sister’s room and brought up as many of our perfume collection that was in the basement that I could find. The girls left behind a vast amount of their bottles and travel sizes. I am aghast at how much perfume we have when it all got placed in their bedroom. That isn’t even counting the fifteen bottles in my son’s room! Yikes! I cannot justify anymore purchases. Friday was super hot so didn’t do much of anything except more inside house cleaning. Same yesterday. Just went to the farmers market super early. And I exercised the entire week!

    Perfume wise had another week with iris and have segued into rose. AFter that will do approximately two weeks of Guerlain. I have been doing a lot of testing this summer and keeping with a theme thanks to goodies from my APJ tribe.

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      • Glad I’m not the only sufferer of ‘finger diarrhoea ‘ And guess what? Wearing Brigitte today. It is beeeootiful. And doesn’t go poof, and disappear. It actually blooms after about half an hour. Gorgeous for your tiny little self, for when you want to be all glam in ten-year-old boy’s pants. 😂

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        • OOOO!!! Was hoping our good friend would share it with you!!! Isn’t it gorgeous??? It’s one of my top ten. I cannot believe that I was without it for so many years. this is what happens when shiny new things tempt us and we forget old tried and true.I will NEVER AGAIN be without a bottle in my collection. It lasts all day on my skin too..which is a miracle. I can only imagine how glorious the extrait version must be. Maybe when I win lotto I will treat myself to THAT.

          and yeah Cassie, I hang my head in shame. I am a quiet no talker in real life and consider myself to be an introvert. But my fingers typing…that’s a whole ‘nother story!!!

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          • Let your fingers do the talking, eh? There’s room for everybody on this earth. We can’t all be blabbing away all the time and I include myself in that. Sometimes I don’t want to talk to anyone at all. Then I get over myself 😃 And you’re right, never again should you be without your custom made perfume. It’s not everyone who has a bottle like that. And thanks so much for sharing your little beauty with us.

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          • It’s a custom scent made for me by Sarah Horowitz in 1998. Grapefruit, lilac, violet, freesia, vanilla, sandalwood and musk. On my skin it reads as a creamy lilac.

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              • I have the Tocca one!!! There is maybe 1ml left in it! so sad because it’s d/c. The Tocca one was named after Brigitte Bardot and has ginger, spices, guava and a pannetone note. It’s gorgeous. And the bottle is stunning (but you already know that because you have Emelia) .Maybe I should rename my custom perfume to avoid confusion? Not sure to what though.

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            • Sarah Horowitz. Back in the day when she was just starting out and her company was called Creative Scentualizations. Before she was a well known perfumer. Surprisingly she kept my formula!!! I still have the typed letter exchanges between us as we discussed what I was looking for.

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      • Good comment Brigitte,
        Thanks, yeah, anxiety makes me unhungry. About the ONLY thing that does.
        Yeah, I just put Jin to bed. He’s awful sick.

        WOW! You fit a shitload into your week too.
        Hey, how much upkeep is an acre? Do you have all beautiful, rolling lanes and manicured gardens? When I had the 1/4 acre is was quite a big deal keeping lawns, hedging, plants and paving looking good. I had a weekly helper but still it was WORK.

        So excited for you as your mini Marzipans move on to the next phase. My secret wish is that you come back to blogging when you have some more time. SHHHH
        Portia xx

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        • it’s God awful keeping up the lawn and then snow removal in the winter. And Mr. Marzipan and i will be on our own once the youngest leaves the house.

          Portia, after six years of being MIA I owe you 72 posts so yes, you will be receiving the first one if I ever decide to write again 🙂

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            • Yes we will downsize eventually but not right away because of work for me and still not knowing where the kids will end up.

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              • I for one would love to downsize, not necessarily the house size but the garden. The bane of our lives and the source of so many rows😂 I actually like doing housework and find it so therapeutic but gardening is my nemesis, and hubby isn’t much better. A sunny, tiled terrace with a few pot plants is as much as I need. But it has to be sunny, I won’t settle for less! Yeh, good luck with that one 🌧 ☔️

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                • Same here. The outdoor stuff is killing us. But I would not be opposed to smaller space even though we do already live in a tiny house compared to most folks in our neighborhood.

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  3. I am so sorry to hear you are still dealing with the bitch from hell. Good idea to go to the tribunal and let the judge decide, since she is not willing to be reasonable.

    It’s been a weird week, feeling unsettled and a bit down. The weather has been beastly hot and humid so I have cabin fever as well. Should get relief tomorrow though.

    Not sure what laws are in Australia, but in north america only the rabies vaccine is required (I think you don’t have rabies in Australia), the other vaccines for parvo and distemper only need to be given to puppies, immunity lasts for many years if not the life of the dog, so yearly vaccines are unnecessary and even harmful, if you’re interested you can read about the scientific research being done on vaccines by Dr. Jean Dodds.

    https://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/147595920886/dodds-vaccination-protocol-dogs-2016

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    • Thanks for all that TaraC,
      We don’t have rabies but Kennel Cough and Heart Worm are major killers of Aussie dogs. Especially as ours are in kennels when we go away and out in the dog parks, prime breeding grounds for trouble. We now have a monthly flea, tick, worms, heart worm and other parasite chew so this week the boys only got a Kennel Cough injection each.
      The Vet said there were a couple of big injections needed next year on top.
      I really trust our vet practice. They keep on top of all the new stuff and are proactive in dropping or adding things as new information comes to light. Not being someone trained in any medicine or illness I am happy to let them call the shots.
      Portia xx

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    • I appreciate you verbalizing how unnecessary and potentially dangerous yearly vaccinations are for dogs TaraC. I’m so happy to hear another like-minded person. I have only done titers after puppy vaccinations to monitor immunity. xx

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  4. I’m feeling so furious on your behalf🤬 What an utter bitch you’re dealing with. Some people go out of their way to be unreasonable and will not be placated/reimbursed/accommodated. And they don’t give one tiny shite about how their behaviour affects others. They want more than a pound of flesh. I totally get why you couldn’t eat. I’m exactly the same, anything stressing me goes straight to my belly. I do hope that a tribunal will finally put paid to this. Your handmade scarf is a lovely distraction though, glad you have friends to spoil you and to buoy you when you’re feeling a bit down. And what feasts! I’m flipping starving just looking at Jin’s bbq. Such a star in the kitchen, you lucky duck. Hope he recovers quickly from his awful lurgy. My life has been so hectic for over a week, hadn’t a single minute of quiet time. Planes, trains, automobiles and buses. And Smallies! Virtually no sleep except for one night when I got home from whirlwind 30hr travel to UK and went to bed at 8:45 and slept like the deadest thing ever for nearly the round of the clock. Was only woken by Smally coming into me with her cheery little face. I almost felt human again. I finally have the house back to myself since yesterday evening and I have been busy hoovering, washing and drying. The house was a total shambles. But I’m back in the game, wohoo. Hope your week coming brings good news for you. 💋

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    • Thanks Cassieflower,
      Yes, she wants to hold on tight to this anger. Silly woman, though I’m stressed a bit, imagine what that kind of malice is doing to her system?
      GOSH! You are another power person. What a week!
      30 hour round trip to the UK! OMG! Couldn’t be more jealous. Takes me nearly that long just to freaking get there.
      Clean that house, there’s very little that will give you so much calm for such a meagre outlay of money and energy.
      Portia xx

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  5. Alright. That woman has a screw loose. Try to get some satisfaction by imagining her life. Guaranteed, she’s a miserable bitch which means she leads a miserable existence. Probably has no friends (good!) and no joy at all in her life. Frankly, anybody that petty and vindictive deserves it. Unfortunately she’s pointing her guns at you and you have to deal with it. When the shit hits the fan, I remind myself that the situation is a temporary one. It will pass. Then I try my best not to get mired in it. Good luck!
    Poor dear Jin. Has he got whatever had you down a couple of weeks ago? You best be hauling out the chicken soup for him now!
    You seem to be having a moment with scarves lately! You’d want at least a couple of hundred if you lived here. You’d need them seven months of the year!
    Busy times over hear. The tail end of some jobs colliding with the Wealthies squawking at me to start their project. That’s in spite of the fact our contract stipulates work commencing the first week of September. Never mind. They are good and lucrative clients, so I capitulated. I’m hoping that as they see the progress started at least with the exterior, they will relax enough so that I can salvage my vacation. Time will tell.
    And we are having a spectacular summer!! Fabulous weather. Everything green and lush glistening in the sun. Just gorgeous and so uplifting! And you’ve got yours to look forward to. I’ll be insanely jealous when you start posting about the heat, cuz we’ll be freezing our butts off.

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    • Yeah, 100% Marcella. It’s her problem and she has made it a personal fight. Not healthy. Now that she’s dropped the idea of a tribunal in I’m thoroughly relieved. A fair hearing will be so much better.
      HA! We ate the last of his delicious chicken soup this morning. I’m going to make beef & veg soup for him tomorrow.
      SCARVES! Yeah, I might have a few around here. When Jin came into my life I think there may have been two scarves in my whole house, both my Mums hand me downs. He brought about a dozen with him and calls them Mufflers. He buys them a lot and the ones he doesn’t really use end up in my cupboard. Still I only wear about 6 of them and keep asking if we can goodwill the rest but he wants them all. How can I complain, when you take into account my perfume collection.
      Good luck with the work and your crews.
      So funny. You’ll be salivating over our summer and we’ll be wishing for drifts of snow, and will organise holidays to go be in it. HA! People are funny.
      Portia xx

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  6. Hang in there Portia! Don’t let the grump dampen your day. I’m sorry you have to jump through all those hoops dealing with her. I always think there is a special place for evil people one day.
    And I hope Jin is on the mend soon! You had some amazing fragrances this week as always. Yay for the Boucheron, isn’t it wonderful?

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  7. “Sometimes, even if you get beaten up, the standing up to injustice and rotten behaviours is the only moral course.” Agree so much, but also know what a toll it can all take. I hope you get to shove it in her face! She sounds like a horror, and I’m angry for your sake at that Hermes shop assistant too. I hope you can get the scarf somewhere else, because either way she doesn’t deserve your custom.
    Sounds like a rough week for Jin too, I hope you both feel better soon – some great courtroom revenge for you and good rest and recovery for Jin.

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    • Hey Morrigan,
      Fortunately, once i do the stuff I need to then my brain allows me to completely forget said situation. Once I wrote the reply, and the agonising over wording etc, her furious response is water off my back. She now has to go and get all her ducks in a line to get me into mediation. Then I’ll have another freak out getting that together.
      The rest of my week was fricken lovely.
      Poor Jin, he is feeling a bit better this evening and starting to give orders so I reckon he’ll be right as rain in a couple of days.
      Thanks for worrying Princess. BTW I’ll be in Melbourne for a day in early September.
      Portia xx

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      • Agonising over wording, ugh! I know this too well. Writing up something like a resume is a special kind of torture. But imaging cute & petty methods of revenge for my friends is easy: like drag queens magically showing up when she LEAST desires it. HAIL ERIS!
        Hooray for a visit! We could organise a sniffy timed for your visit if you like?

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