Portia

.

Hello Australian Perfume Junkies and friends, So glad to have you drop by Scent Diary. Grab a cuppa or beverage of choice, sit back and check what has happened, been eaten, spritzed and seen in our lives in Sydney, Australia.

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: 22.6-28.6.2026

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

Jin and I went straight to our doctors’ appointments today. Jin needed a script, I had two visits GP & nurse for a sugars check 13.7. Still bad but fully one third better than last week. Also, my sty has hardened into a little nut so I wanted to see the skin Dr. He was really sweet and had some options for me but basically said if it wasn’t bothering me to leave it. Cool.

Went and visited Aunty Ann in hospital. For someone who had a cardiac event she is chipper and fun.

We had some Chinese baked pies and dumplings for lunch, Jin also had a REALLY spicy soup. You may note the Cucumber Salad, it is utterly delicious. We could not work out exactly what’s in the dressing but YUM!

Home. Fed and walked the dogs.

Got a good start on my Trivia Q&A

CHANEL Boy. This pic from a while back. MUCH less juice in there now. Nearly need a new one.

Jin wanted to have a few holes of golf, and wanted me to come. So we wandered nine holes very casually. Middle of winter and so many beautiful flowers. It started out very ominous with very dark clouds but about two holes in the skies cleared and it got really brisk.

Home and Jin prepared a very wholesome Turkey Salad with Sesame Mayo. Very diabetes healthy.

Dogs up with us on the couch for some TV.

Jin. went to bed. We chatted in there for a while.

Finished my Trivia Q&A. Did today’s blogging here and caught up on some perfume reading.

Terrible photo but Guerlain Rose Centrifolia extrait. Honestly I’m not feeling it.

It’s 12.30pm dogs fed and walked.

Bed

Tuesday

I had trouble sleeping last night. My mind wasn’t whirring, there was no real reason. Last time I looked at the clock it was around 2.15am. Went and grabbed my beautiful old greyhound Paris and went out like a light with him curled in the back of my legs.

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes. I keep forgetting to set a daily intention. Today I’m trying for kindness.

Divine Parfums L’Esprit Libre

Dogs fed and walked in glorious sunshine.

House got vacuumed, some laundry got done and hung.

Got some posts done in advance for the blogs.

Waited for Jin to get home and clip my hair. He’s the best at it. So quick and it’s nice to hang.

BATH TIME!

Had a 40 minute nap. Heaven.

Face on. Sorry I didn’t get a photo. I was looking super fine.

Berdoues Maasai Mara

We had 80 in the room for Trivia tonight. felt a little bit quiet. Fun though.

Home. Changed. Blogged a bit.

Spoke to my mate

Fed and walked dogs.

Glasshouse Montego Bay Rhythm Coconut Lime hand cream. Fragrant enough that I need no other scent.

Read.

Wednesday

The upstairs neighbour is having some Gyprock-ing done. I slept on the couch in case I missed them ringing the doorbell in the morning. Woke up at sixes and sevens the noise of them already going. Must have come early enough that the owner let them in.

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Lalique EdT, just one chest spritz.

Sunshiny, cool day but warm for mid winter 19°C.

Blog and Trivia prep for next month.

Last load of laundry washed and hung.

Was going to try and clean the perfume room but lazied out, went and grabbed the Kindle and read for an hour. So nice.

Jin came home. He’s really dead tired. Left him to have a TV break and chill.

Parfums Gres Cabochard

We grabbed Matt and Kath’s Dad and went off for our monthly family gathering at Greystanes Inn for Trivia. Our upstairs neighbour Gisella and her daughter joined too. It was a really fun night. The place was jumping.

One of my favourites, Sue, gave me a bunch of modern designer carded samples she’d been given from a department store. It will be fun to try and hopefully write about some either on Perfume Posse or Undina’s Looking Glass.

By the time I’d dropped Dad home Jin was in bed and nearly asleep.

I headed in here to the computer and spent a happy hour writing, reading and commenting.

CHANEL Coco extrait, on the dregs of Cabochard Coco had an extra layer of leather tonight. Fabulous.

Bed. Read. ZZZZs

Thursday

Woke slowly and calmly. Surfacing from the depths. Heaven

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Bombay Bling Neela Vermeire Creations

We are having the loveliest rainy drizzle. Took the dogs for a quick morning wee and we hardly got wet at all. It felt so nice on my face.

I’ve been doing this thing over winter. All the used eggshells and teabags. I hang the bags to dry. Cook the eggshells before putting them in a coffee grinder. Then I get some old potting mix and cut the teabags, empty them in and pour the eggshell dust in. Add some vermiculite and slow release fertilizers. Give it some water, mix it all through and leave it for a week in a little bucket, mixing every other day. Then I’m putting it on the pot plants. I’m not sure how long Jin will put up with swathes of hanging tea bags but I’m having fun doing it and feeling very green.

The photo makes the bucket look empty but it’s nearly half full.

Finished getting all my Trivia runs and jackpot Q&A done for July. It means I’m only writing the main games each week. I know this is a bit boring for you all but it means that I’ve more time with Jin on Monday. It’s his major day off and we get to do things together.

Also, finished doing my July Perfume Posse and Undina’s Looking Glass posts. Woo Hoo!

Jin came home and wanted to go beer tasting at a local brewery that’s recently changed hands. A very successful adventure. He found a few he really likes and bought some for home, some for gifts.

Then we came home and he created some diabetic friendly cookies. We dropped them all on the floor while carrying them from the oven and scrambled to get them up off the floor before the five second rule expired. HA! We are idiots. They’re pretty good too.

Had a nap.

Off for dinner with Phil and Matt before Jin and Matt went off to watch the football. We tried a new to us Lebanese restaurant a few blocks from home that Phil and his family love. It was good food. The conversation flowed and there were jokes. It was a really fun night. After dinner, Phil and I went across the road from the restaurant to the Park Royal Hotel Lobby Bar. It was very chill and had REALLY sexy waiters. We were in heaven.

Home, Had a lovely hot bubble bath. Feeling good.

Read a bit and then came back to blogging. Already prepping for August. I’m wearing this ultra masculine referencing the 1990s gym locker rooms of my memories. On me it feels super weird assed and I can’t believe I’m wearing it. Laughing at myself whilst doing so. Midnight Birch by Dr. Squatch from Surrender To Chance. Not bad but TOTALLY not me.

Bed.

 

Friday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes. Very quick on today.

Maria Candida Gentile Exultat

Jin is working from home today because his work truck is being serviced.

Lazy morning.

Grabbed BFF Kath’s Dad and we did some grocery shopping. It was chill and comfortable. Went our separate ways and met at the cashier. We had a cuppa afterwards in the mall.

Got back to his and I put the pool creepy crawly hose back on for him. I noticed how many flowers are on his Pink Magnolia. That dove grey sky and the magnolias are a very Christian Dior colourway.

Came home and napped with Paris.

Jin and I both had chiropractic appointments around the corner.

He has taken to the couch with a doona, surrounded by the dogs and watching Korean FIFA TV. He could not be happier.

I’m doing some blogging.

Making a big pot of Pumpkin (and Fridge Forage) Soup. It’s a good thing for diabetics! That is such good news because I really love it. Once it’s cooled I blend it to a thick consistency. YUM!

We watched the footy but Jin was falling asleep so he went to bed.

Fed and walked the dogs through very chilly drizzle.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Vanille Absolument

I read a bit

Saturday

WOW! Up early and this morning is chilly! For most of you 8°C isn’t very cold but we had frost and breath clouds and the whole shebang. Taking the dogs for a wee was shiver town.

Completely missed my Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

CHANEL Coromandel EdT. This bottle was given to me by a dear friend. I cherish it, and her.

It’s PRiDE month around the world. I’m often asked why we still need PRiDE in 2026. Here’s just one good reason.

Here are two photos of me. The B&W taken in 1983 during rehearsals for a play at the Marian St theatre.

This taken today at brunch with an extremely camera shy girlfriend.

Went and had a pair of specs fixed. Took two pairs, including the ones I’m wearing in above shot that an arm came off at lunch. Sadly, the broken arm ones were unfixable. Ordered two new ones that come under my health cover, Woo Hoo. With some discounts, extras and cover I paid $200 instead of nearly $800. Happy outcome

Came home and sat at the computer, wasted nearly two hours doing sweet FA.

Jo Malone 154 Cologne. It was Jin’s but he doesn’t love it anymore. Bummer because I liked it on him.

Hung out with Jin for a while. We both had naps.

Off to dinner at Harris Park, recently named Little India in a big ceremony. Modi came out for the celebration and the state promised a welcome Prayer Gate. We had dinner with Phillip and Graham but were so involved I forgot to take photos. We haven’t seen each other in ages so there was plenty of catching up to do. It was lovely. Food at Billus was excellent.

Home. Jin to bed. He’s doing overtime tomorrow.

I’m up doing nothing much. Going to read for a while.

Fed and walked dogs.

Madonna Truth or Dare Naked. Inspired by Alityke wearing the OG.

BED

Sunday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Chilly morning. Dogs weed.

DIOR Santal Noir

LAZY

Kath came for lunch. Pumpkin and Fridge Forage Soup. She took this shot because I forgot.

Fed and walked dogs in the drizzling rain.

BUBBLE BATH TIME!

Oriza L Legrand Gentry Jockey Club

Tonight we had two 18th birthdays for twins Ava and Alex, plus Lincoln turned 8. So I decided secretly to go in drag. YAY! It was so much fun.

Came home afterwards and fed & walked the dogs.

Jin went to bed.

Had defrosted some Chicken Thighs wrapped in Bacon! Into the oven with an onion, nuked some Broccoli. Dinner ready. It was pretty good too.

Watched some TV.

Obvious Un Musc

Off to bed now.

 

 

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