Portia

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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies and friends, This week Jin, Anna Maria and Johnny  and I are off to Singapore and South Korea. I will try to keep this updated and organized but it may all turn to shit. We’ve realized the old lap top has become too slow and clunky SO I’ll be using Jin’s phone paired with the hotel TVs. Fingers crossed.

Hoping you enjoy it and will let me know what’s happening in your lives too. What I really love about Scent Diary is the interaction with perfumistas around the world. Also the interactions between everyone. Comment on comments, enquire, encourage, learn about each other and our lives.  Jin and I have made so many friends, near and far, through perfume. So let’s reunite and welcome some new friends.

Scent Diary: 16.2-22.2.2026

Monday

Morning: Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul Convivio . Grabbed it from the Sale pile running out the door. It’s so nice. Really easy going citrus, iris and woodsy thing. If I didn’t have a surfeit of the genre I’d be keeping it.

Day: by Kilian Sweet Redemption. Grabbed it and gave myself a single spritz to the forearm. This is thick and lustrous, so good. I love it but Sweet Redemption almost never gets the gong. Weird right?

Bed: Neela Vermeire Creations Niral. I grabbed this travel out to take on the holiday and couldn’t resist a sneaky spritz. MMMM Crisp green leathery iris with many bells and whistles. So pretty.

Last night I realized we are going away on Thursday and the clothes need to be washed. It was only three loads but still, it had me up to 3am.

Jin woke me at sparrows fart because we had to get our holiday beard and hair cuts. I was a bit groggy and forgot to take pics, soz. He did buy us Aunty Anne peperoni pretzels, so who can complain. YUMMY.

Home, hung the last washing load. Trivia Q&A. By 2pm the third set of four that need doing was finished. Cue loud backslapping and self satisfaction. Got myself a cuppa, some Greek yoghurt and sour cherries to celebrate. Here’s a snapshot of my VERY messy desk currently. I know….

Fed and walked the dogs in lightly clouded sunshine. I absolutely love our area. Bumped into a neighbour, he always stops for a small chat. Today they are building an aviary for their new pets, Cockatiels! As a young adult I used to breed them and love their joyous voices. Though I’d not seen them, they had been chatting a bit and I asked if the newbies were Cockatiels, he was so excited that I knew.

Jin went off to play golf.

Back to Trivia Q&A. If I get this set ready to go I’ll stop for a late lunch. Then come back tonight to finish it after Jin goes to sleep.

We went to Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre and did Aquarobics. Having too much fun and forgot to get a photo.

Jin took me for our fave el cheapo Thai afterwards. The servings are so huge that we always have leftovers. Tonight we had two chicken dishes, Pad Thai and Peanut Sauce Noodles, and a Pineapple Fried Rice. I got what was left of the rice and peanut noodles for lunch tomorrow. YAY!

I’m bushed. Going to feed and walk the dogs, read some Persuasion and get some ZZZZZZs.

GAH! Remembered I need to write blog posts for while I’m away! Did some sneaky Mitsouko EdT spritzing and writing about it now. What a sensational perfume.

Also talked to some overseas friends and paid our London club annual fees which were a month overdue.

Maybe NOW my brain will let me sleep.

Tuesday

Day: Nina Ricci Nina EdT

Work: DIOR Granville. Old photo, much more air in that bottle now.

Bed: Gucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori. Salty flowers and stuff.

Woke up in the dregs of last nights Mitsouko. I’m going to enjoy them till lunchtime.

There’s a list that needs doing today. I’m aiming at getting the last Trivia Q&A done in the AM. Then I need to go to the Pet store and get a fish feeder, dog toothpaste and some dog treats. A quick grocery store visit. Lastly, the Post Office run.

12.30pm TRIVIA Q&A Done & Dusted. Sent to respective hosts. Printed my weeks worth and I’m ready to lunch!

Gave myself a congratulatory spritz of Nina Ricci Nina EdT

Had lunch, very low key today. 2 x Vegemite and cheese, 1 x Peanut Butter toasts and a cuppa. So yummy. Started watching Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020) which is exactly as awful as you’d expect. Frothy nothing while I’m eating. Fun.

After lunch went to the Post Office, Pet Store and Grocery. Very happy.

Bubble Bath!

Work was fun tonight. Busy and most of my favourites in the house.

Home to Jin, he worked 17 hours today. Buggered man. He ate, chatted a bit, stayed up for about 40 minutes then off to bed. Too tied to bed chat, just needed sleep.

I spent a little time blogging. Fed and walked the dogs. Some desultory tidying in my office. Washed some last minute clothes so they can dry tomorrow.

Big spritzes of Gucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori.

Bed

Wednesday

Morning: Bois Pacifique by Tom Ford STC sample

Day: Calvin Klein Contradiction Woman

Evening: Oliver and Co. Veil Nebula. Fabulously strange. An aldehydic floral splashed over a metallic base. Lovely.

Today is all about cleaning and organization for our trip. We leave tomorrow morning. A bit of computer work, some errands, clean the fish tank, water the plants, bag packing and getting all the perfumes that are being sold out of the living room and back into the perfume room/office. Sounds like a lot but it should be doable.

First thing, cuppa and computer.

Jin is out doing his checking on one of his NSW train maintenance depots today. On the way he spied this fabulous waterfall named Fitzroy Falls near Kangaroo Valley. He thoughtfully sent me these pics, in case I’d like to share them with you.

Here’s a rubbish pic of the balcony, showing very little of the plant life I’ve just watered.

Lunchtime! Leftover Thai reheats. YUMMY!

House cleaning.

Jin got home three hours EARLY!! I’m not nearly ready for him. Oh well, he’s going to have to put up with the vacuum noise. I’m not sad he’s here but everything cleaning is easier if he’s elsewhere.

More cleaning, organising, dealing with last minute stuff.

At about 5.50pm Jin asked what time I was going to work. O M G! I’d completely forgotten. Luckily I leave at 6.10pm so had time to pull myself together.

Work was fun.

Came home, packed, fed and walked the dogs, did final vacuum of the Living Area.
Jin is so lovely. He’d done his best cleaning the kitchen. An excellent job and it saved me about an hour of work. What a guy. Everything else is pretty good.

Bubble Bath. My happy place. With Byredo Vetiver shower gel bubbles! Very luxurious.

Reading Persuasion.

Bed.

Thursday

Here is where it’s going to get tricky. It will mainly be photos till we get back from our trip. If I can even get that together without a laptop or tablet. Fingers crossed.

This morning Bulgari Wood Neroli got the spritz. Jin gave me his 30ml and I really like it.

I’m trying to get the post done while Jin is talking non stop, on a phone and not a laptop top, with my mind going 120mph.

hopefully tomorrow will be a better job.

We had Mimosas in the lounge, left Sydney,  I had three seats to myself and slept, arrived safely and had dinner in a local restaurant. It was freaking delicious. Slept like dead people!

Friday

Slept like dead people. Woke up at the 6.45am alarm. Bathed and headed down for hotel breakfast. It was bedlam. We are going earlier tomorrow.

Wore a rollerball amber oil perfume made by one of the ex fragrantica writers. It’s been in my wet pack for years. Always good. Always satisfying. The label is totally ruined and I can’t remember the providence.

Straight out afterwards to the gardens. We went to the Flower Dome and the Observatory. Better than we remembered and double the fun with Anna Maria and Johnny.

Jin and I then headed to the hawker market near our hotel for lunch. Satisfying!

Came home and had a swim. Then a nap.

Walked from our hotel to our mate Rose’s restaurant. Look her up: Rose Ang. Amazing history of world cheffing. She has opened DOMO Modern Japanese Restaurant across the road from Raffles in the Fairmont. It’s spectacularly good food. We ate till we were groaning because we wanted to try everything. You must come if you are in Singapore. Let me know, I’ll introduce you to Rose and she’ll take extra good care of you.

I wore DIOR Balade Sauvage Surrender to Chance decant and Jin wore Neela Vermeire Creations Bombay Bling.

Walked back via shopping malls.

Had a couple of bevies in the lobby and off to bed.

Saturday

Up at, no, we were up pre-dawn! Showered, dressed and ready to go by 6am.

Whooooo this morning I’m wearing Hermès Paddock. A hay, sunshine and saddle rug fragrance. Fresh and dirty and a masterpiece. I’m filled with want.

Breakfast in the hotel then Jin and I wandered out to the hawkers market for Singapore coffee.

Collected Anna Maria and Johnny and hit the bay to see the Merlion.

Off to buy tickets for the night bay cruise but it turned out better and easier to do the daytime one. So glad we did. It was daylight so we could see everything the prerecorded voice was talking about. A lovely way to spend an hour.

once we had cruised we wandered around to the Fullerton Hotel and had a relaxing cuppa. Anna Maria had a Sling?

We then went to a very famous Chili Crab house that’s been running since the 1970s. Keng Eng Kee Seafood Restaurant. It’s a bit out of town and full of locals. The food was so amazing. My mouth is watering just writing about it. So good.

Came back to the hotel. Swam. Then Jin and I went out and did some wandering the malls. It was fun. He bought a very cool jacket.

Home for a nap.

Feeling refreshed and ready for anything, with a couple of hefty Memo French Leather spritzes, Jin and I headed to Satay Street for dinner.

Back home. Updated the days events here and totally bushed. Zzzzzzzzz

Sunday

Morning: Diptyque L’Eau Papier from Surrender to Chance decant.

We took Anna Maria and Johnny to the local hawkers market for breakfast and Singapore coffee. Dumplings, noodles, congee and more. A feast.

Took the Hop On, Hop Off bus. Both the red and yellow lines. Wandered a mall and had some lunch at McDonald’s. We also did a local market look through. Sorry there aren’t more photos, we were busy living.

Came back to the hotel and had a swim.

Jin and I jumped back on the bus and went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was amazing! We went straight to the Orchid Gardens. It was so far beyond expectations. Just freaking gorgeous!

Now we are off for dinner. What a week!

 

Please, tell us about your week, what perfume you wore and who you got to spend your time with. Can’t wait to read your stories.

Comment on other commenters posts, chat, enquire, learn and engage. We have all the connective agencies possible and still the world has a loneliness problem. We here at APJ are perfume LOVERS, could there be a more wonderful hobby to chat about? Let’s chat.

Hug
Portia xx