Portia

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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: 3.8-9.8.2026

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
• One thing I’m grateful for.

Jil Sander Sun. Something bright to lighten my morning.

This morning we bade a loving farewell to Paris, my beautiful boy. He has been with us for ten years. The smartest Greyhound I ever met. At least as smart as my teenage German Shepherd Sky. I could even watch him deciding whether he was going to obey or not (it was a constant struggle for him). Paris will be missed.

Grocery shopping. What better way to blow out the stink of puppy murder than to get our grocery shopping done. Jin had decided he wanted to make Spring Rolls. We got the fixings.

Momo fed and walked. She doesn’t seem too fazed by the lack of Paris. Let’s see how she does over the next week or so.

Olfactive Studio Flash Back in New York

Trivia Q&A

Jacinta delivered bread! We had a delicious cuppa. She is VERY private and wanted no photo. Happy middle ground.

Jin is making the insides for Spring rolls.

Trivia Q&A. Done and dusted by 6pm. Woo Hoo!

Here’s Jin, with the HUGE Spring Roll innards bowl. While that cools he is grinding up garlic to be frozen.

Our neighbors Waf, Ash and Gisella came by. Jin, Waf and Gisella plowed through two bottles of white wine. Ash was good without. I had cardamom tea.

I also cooked up some of the Spring Rolls. we had them with Jin’s famous Peanut Sauce and Sweet Chili Sauce. So delicious.

Completely forgot to take pics, damnit!

Jin went to bed. I faffed around.

Fed and walked Momo.

Trudon Midnight Omen from Surrender to Chance decant.

Napped with Momo on the lounge.

Bed. Zzzzs

Tuesday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Woke on my own accord this morning.

Fed and walked Momo. The sun is shining, it’s brisk but lovely. Suddenly it hit me. Paris is gone. I’m standing in the street with tears rolling down my face. Not big crying, just tears and sadness. Then Momo nudges me, she wants to smell something just beyond us. I’m back, tears stop, we continue with our walk.

Home.

Parfums Gres Cabochard EdT

Doing a little bit of Trivia Q&A pre-work for the month. Just some set up stuff.

Started watching Jungle Cruise again. What a fabulously dumb romp.

Jin came home. Did some stuff for work and then headed out to the Golf Club.

I had a steaming hot bubble bath and shave.

Serge Lutens Five O’clock eau Gingembre. It has been my most worn Lutens over the years and while in the bath I decided to fish it out of its box and give it some more skin time.

We were super busy at work tonight. A few new tables too. YAY!

Home, took my face off. Watching some TV with Momo, Jin’s lovely Greyhound bitch. She’s so cuddly.

Had some Squishy Sandwiches for late supper.

Fed and walked Momo.

Guerlain Mitsouko EdT

Bed.

Wednesday

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Took Momo for her wee and had a cuddle on the lounge.

Miller et Bertaux A Quiet Morning

Came and faffed around the computer.

Even though there is a shit tonne of stuff needs doing I am having a super lazy, read and watch TV kinda day.

I did go to the Post Office and found the most beautiful gift from my mate Morrigan in Melbourne. She sent me an Angel Greyhound brooch with a postcard of the universe. Come On! What a sensationally thoughtful and caring gift.

Jin came home hungry so we headed off to Sushi Train. I’d already eaten so just one plate for me. This is one of my favourite meals.

Home, got myself ready for work. Went and had a nap. Jin woke me and reminded me that we were taking Matt, the Aunties and Dad and we had to leave. OMG! I went from zero to barrage of questions and orders. HA HA HA! It was very disorienting.

Guerlain Mahora

Jin got Matt and the Aunties, I grabbed Dad. We were there super early. we had dinner together and time to really have a good catch up before everything started. Here are Dad and me awaiting the others arrival.

Greystanes was MASSIVE. Only one spare table. Two new teams. The JACKPOT bottle of wine went off.

Home.

BUBBLE BATH.

Bed

Thursday

Up early. Momo fed and walked in the very brisk sunshine. Someone has left this chair in the middle of the cemetery. It looks like a Kandinsky or a Pop Art installation with Magritte sky. Had to take a pic for you all.

Berdoues Maasai Mara

Collected Ersilia at Parramatta Station. I drove today because we had lot of places to visit in very specific windows.

First stop Sydney University Chau Chak Wing Museum. We saw some antiquities, some extinct stuffed birds and mammals, a very interesting artist whose work involves paint and textiles used in an extremely unusual way. The crowning glory was an exhibition in honor of the life and architecture of Harry Seidler. It was beautifully presented and showed just a taste of his very impressive oeuvre.

Then we went to the Quadrangle and took some pics.

Lunch at a new dumpling restaurant chain, Dear Deer Dumplings with my courtesy aunt Sandra. She and Ersilia hit it off immediately. SO MUCH FOOD! So much catching up and stories and laughter. I’m so fortunate to have such strong, hilarious, brilliant and beautiful women around me. Inside was very thoughtfully designed but freezing so we opted to sit al fresco in the glorious winter sun.

After lunch Ersilia and I went to the National Art School where they currently have an exhibition of the work of a revered and loved Australian artist, Margaret Olley. It was good to see some of her early work and styles I’d not previously seen her use. Also to get a glimpse of what some contemporaries and teachers were producing at the same time.

Only snapped one artwork and it wasn’t even a Margaret Olley. SHAME!

Ainslie Walker! Gave us a guided tour of DUSK Australia HQ and creative processes. We even got to smell two candles created to be used for St Valentines 2027 and another fragrance that is as yet unnamed. She even asked us for suggestions. SO COOL! No pix because SECRET. I did try a brand new Peony fragrance created by Ainslie that will blow your skirt. Still smelling it on the back of my hand after dinner, hand washes and life for about nine hours.

I can’t show you what we saw but here is my fabulous swag from the adventure. Tokyo Bloom is one of my fave The Different company scents so OBVIOUSLY I wanted the same named candle. Also a huge Bohemian Bouquet candle. YAY!

Afterwards the three of us, Ersila, Ainslie and I, headed to Baba’s Place. A very cool restaurant that was opened by a refugee where he and fellow refugees are cooking new age versions of the food their grandmothers and mothers made for them. It was even better than you’d dream. Food, staff and ambience were off. the. charts! It was expensive but not exorbitant and the place was jumping from 6pm when we arrived to nearly 8pm when we departed.

Dropped Ersila home and when I got back to mine Jin was already asleep. I’m a little bummed because we didn’t get to see each other today. Just phone chats.

Rewatching the Reacher series with Alan Ritchson. I only watched the first and some of the second season because I started following him on Insta and had to stop watching because the him there is not my people. Anyway, enough time has passed and I’m enjoying it for what it is. Entertainment.

BUBBLE BATH

Clinique Aromatics Elixir: Moisturizer and Perfume

Friday

WHOA! I slept like dead people. WOW!

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Beautiful day outside. Momo even got a bit of the pre spring spirit.

Abdes Salaam Attars Balsamo della Mecca.

I had lunch booked with a friend who is working from home with a broken (but on the mend) collarbone. He got called into a meeting though. Bummer, but also YAY! I can watch more Reacher till Jin gets home.

Jin came home and he’s cut himself in some unsavory environment. Off to the doctor for his Tetanus injection. Probably 30+ years since he had one.

He is very excited that Ainslie gave him a DUSK room spray so he can keep his office smelling fresh and NOT like a bunch of farty old men work there.

Blogging this evening. Jin and Momo happily ensconced on the lounge watching Korean TV.

Jin went to bed at 6pm. He’s busted. Going to read and sleep. I get it. The man works crazy hours and then lives a full life.

More blogging.

More Reacher.

Walked Momo. I think she’s starting to understand that Paris is not returning. Very clingy and wanting cuddles all the time. It’s actually nice.

Spoke to Neela Vermeire and T. They are the best.  Hilarious and full of joie de vivre.

In honor of our chat, Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola 2022

Saturday

Fell asleep last night on the couch with Momo and woke at about 2am, went to bed proper. Slept like dead people. Woke, on my own at 8.30am.

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Bubble Bath. I may have gone a little overboard!

Madonna Truth or Dare Naked

Momo walked in the glorious sunshine. Seriously, this morning was so welcoming. Sorry, I forgot to take a pic while soaking up some rays.

Cooked up some ready meals. Just a basic bolognaise that will become  pasta sauce and  nachos in future days.

Light rail and train. My bus was running about 20 minutes late so I walked up to the light rail at the top of our street. Because I did this I was running about 50 minutes early.

Arrived and sat in Cafe Eternity under Town Hall, in the mall adjacent to the station. Can’t remember what it was called in the 1980s when we used to meet here when we wagged school from our various institutions. It’s one of my favourite secret places in Sydney. The sound of the waterfall. Today they’re even playing Karma Chameleon!

I have been told the cafe was called Cascades back in the 1980s but it doesn’t ring a bell.

AGNSW Archibald, Sulman & Wynn Prizes with Kath & Eve. This is my second time through and sadly the docent was sick and we didn’t get a tour. It was still a fun way to see the art, through different peoples eyes and taste. The pics are my favourites today. Next time will probably be different faves.

Dear Deer Dumplings for dinner. Kath took these pics. I was too busy STUFFING MY FACE.

Wandered through the twilight from dumplings to church.

Met Jane and Martin at the Candlelight Vivaldi Concert in a city church.

Jane and Martin Train.

Jin collected me. He went almost straight to bed.

Watched more Reacher.

Fed & walked Momo.

Oriza Legrand Marion Nous

Bed, read.

Sunday

Woke up and lay there listening.

Morning Routine: 10 Minutes.

Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps extrait

Jin has taken over the couch with Momo and is playing video games. It’s his day off. Who can complain of that?

Fed and walked Momo in the spitting rain. Beautiful.

We hit the grocery store and the Asian grocers.

I made him a tea and soft tacos for lunch. No pix, just us eating and chatting.

Today has been a lovely, laze around the house day. I even went and had an hour nap. So sweet cuddled up under the duvet. Beautiful bed linen is one of my luxuries.

Sabrina Carpenter Sweet Tooth Lemon Pie Surrender To Chance decant

Work.

 

 

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