Portia

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Hello Australian Perfume Junkies and friends, This week may be a bit spotty. I have loads of important computer stuff to get caught up with, celebrant stuff and life admin. Some days may just have the fragrances I wore and a brief spiel, if any. Bear with me. It’s not lack of love but time, available time. Still, I hope you enjoy and shorter view of what went on in our week.

At then end please leave us some comments. What or who did you see, do, eat with. Did you spritz, purchase, have arrivals or finish a sample? What’s happening in your world? If you’re writing or reading opinions, we can disagree but keep it nice and try not to give or take offense. Right now the world needs a web of friendships and connection more than ever. We all have perfume and each other in common. That’s a whole lot.

Scent Diary: 25.5-31.5.2026

Monday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

• Don’t Touch the Phone
• Avoid Negative Input (TV, Socials, Arguments)
• Drink Water
• Get Sunlight in My Eyes
• Move Body 3 Minutes
• Set One Intention
• One Small Win

Heremès Un Jardin Sous La Mer from the sample

Up, about and cleaning.

Jin is doing some electrical work in the apartment. His bathroom and the laundry fan switches are attached and he wishes they weren’t.

Writing the weeks Trivia Q&A.

When Jin went off for golf I got the vacuuming done. Here’s some pics of the balcony garden plants in flower. Enormously tall winter blooming roses, golden Bougainvillea and crystalline zygocactus.

Had some lunch. Second last bowl of made after my Mum’s recipe (but not really) Beef, Barley and Veg Soup. The basics are the same as hers but it’s really a fridge and pantry forage food as well.

Finished the Trivia Q&A, sent it to the Queens, printed mine and happily put the week to bed.

Single spritz of Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights. The most fabulous, funky patchouli heavy Shalimar.

Watched the final episode of the Downton Abbey TV series. BAWLING like a crack baby. Went through a lot of tissues. When Mr Barrow came back I was Muriel’s Wedding crying. Very bloody messy.

Jin organized with his friend Yoon Mi to go fix a couple of light switches. We love her but hardly ever get to see her. Our life hours just never correspond. After he fixed her stuff she took us out for dinner to Jin’s new favourite Pork Soup shop. They had the most delicious time, and fondly reminisced of South Korea.

After dinner I hit the computer and started doing the June blog posts for Perfume Posse and Undina’s Looking Glass.

Givenchy Gentleman vintage

Bed. Sleep

Tuesday

Completely forgot to do my Morning Routine: 10 Minutes. OOOPS!

Woke and answered texts and emails.

Fed and walked dogs

Writing Perfume Posse blog posts.

Laundry washed and hung.

Bubble Bath. Did a terrible shave. Bit patchy and uneven now.

Serge Lutens Bas de soie. I forget how divine this is between wears.

NAP

Got GORGEOUS!

The $1000 cash jackpot went off at Club Parramatta tonight. The crew that won had never won the full $1000 and they did it with only half their team.  Very happy players.

Home. Started rewatching Red One. The Dwayne Johnson Xmas vehicle. So dumb but completely engrossing. Lucy Liu is fabulous.

Bed.

Now rereading Legends and Lattes. An LGBTQIA+ fantasy fiction. So satisfying.

Wednesday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Dogs fed and walked early.

Jacomo Silences

As a special gift to Jin I Packed, washed and unpacked (his job) the dishwasher. It’s a big kindness, I’m pretty sure he was chuffed as.

Light rail and train to town.

Met Lola (my goddaughter) and Jin (Lola’s longtime BFF)  for burgers. We celebrated Lola’s birthday with some small gifts. It was fun.

Jin drove us home.

He needed a haircut and I needed to do the grocery shopping. We hit Westfields and got it all sorted.

I had a quick nap.

Estée Lauder Youth Dew. Just one spritz to the back of my head.

Up and off to work. Good crowd. LOTS of laughs tonight, and we had a new team. YAY!

Home. Hung with Jin.

Packed the bag for tomorrows adventure.

Bubble Bath.

Maria Candida Gentile Exultat

Thursday

GAH! Forgot my Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Up, getting stuff done. We left ay 9.30am. Dogs fed and walked, beds made, bags packed and checked, bins emptied and fish given a feeder block.

A Drop d’Issey

Off to the Hunter Valley wine region for two nights with BFFs Kath and Evie. Easy drive out. Met at our Mecure Hotel, we often stay places where Jin is a member. He loves ACCOR and gets some nice add ons when we stay with them. This visit was a welcome bottle of wine, you’ll see it later. He also gets 30% off all food at our table and 15% off drinks. We aren’t affiliated but we do love a bargain.

Here is a three day photo dump with minimal explanations.

These were my perfume choices for two nights, three days. Robert Piguet Visa (vintage) and Who Is Elijah Desert Nights. Both were in rollerball travel sizes. They fit the bill for casual and upmarket dining beautifully.

On the way.

Lunch at a local pub.

Evening skies.

We bought a bunch of cheeses and meats, had them with our gift wine.

Headed out for Indian dinner. Not the worst. Forgot pics.

BED!

Friday

We had a little sleep in and met for our included hotel breakfast at 7.45am.

We went to some wineries and then hit the reason we were in the Hunter. To visit a small block of land Jin and I own. We pop out each year to make sure no drama has befallen it. This year it got a whole friends getaway planned around it.

Lunch at one of our favourite vineyards, Hollydene. SATISFYING!

We saw a couple more vineyards on the way.

Afternoon hotel balcony view.

We shared entree at Baumé and it was the most sensational pork belly, I could have eaten a kilo. The rest of the dinner was fabulous.

Saturday

We visited Lisa McGuigan’s gothic inspired cellar door.

Lunch was a place that does a selection of mini pies and Jin bought a bottle of very easy drinking Semillon.

Dogs seem to be very excited we are home.

We had a Korean BarBQ dinner with Jin, Matt and Phil. It was so good we forgot to take pics. Sorry.

For bed, Parfume Gres Cabochard.

Sunday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Obvious Un Musc.

Spent the morning at the doctor finding out my diabetes is currently well out of control.

Jin and I headed out after so he could have his very favourite, Pork Soup.

Gave the dogs a wash, high pressure washed their balcony (which stank) and faffed around the house.

BATHTIME!

Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps extrait.

Off to work.

Here’s my mate Betty after tonights Lockie’s Hotel trivia finished.

Amouage Gold Man

 

Now it’s your turn. Please tell us something you did, spritzed, ate, wore, bought or finished. Maybe you saw a friend, a show, an exhibition. Maybe you got through the week without having to bury a body. Whatever, please share something with us.

I read and respond to every comment. C’mon, let’s chat.
Portia xx