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Sandra.
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Hey there dear APJ! How are you all doing? I hope that life is treating you very well.
Autumn has shown its face early here in Rotterdam. Early I say simply because I am not used to it coming this early. Naturally the leaves are changing colour and falling (all in different stages too) but the sun is really low, it is almost blinding. I have only ever experienced this special lighting up in Norway and have found it to be both eerie and alluring. My nose is on high alert here as there are so many new scents that I am taking in this year. It is in part because of the move north but also because we no longer live in a city. We live in a house in a suburb with a garden.
New Autumnal Scents and Amouage Lilac Love
The first smell that comes to mind is the wet damp earth. It is seriously wet here. It was so bad in September for about 10 days that I kept teasing my son that we will need to build ourselves a boat so we can have a ride to school. There is a dampness in the air, especially now in autumn where not only is the asphalt emitting its own scent but so are the fallen leaves.
Some homes are starting to have fires in the fireplaces now and I loooove that smell. Together with the damp earth, the wood and the smoke gives me a sense of calm and a feeling of home. My favorite time of the day is when I walk home with our son after school and all of these homey scents greet my eager nose.
This past weekend we were blessed with plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures. Saturday we biked for 30km and my son will tell you that we broke his muscles with that ride. It was a gorgeous ride in the greenery and then along the Rotte River. We got to smell chestnuts and leaves, but also the last of the blooming flowers. Have I mentioned of how stunning all of the blooming plants and trees are here in the Netherlands? There is always colour outside even in the dead of winter. Amouage Bracken Woman was the perfect companion for our Saturday bike ride. Bracken Woman is herbal, green and woody. All the elements of autumn in a bottle.
Sunday was another glorious day but our son protested the idea of another bike ride so we took a long walk in our neighborhood. We let him lead the way with no destination in mind and we somehow stumbled upon a city garden called Natuurtalent. The herbs alone were intoxicating to smell. They have a wood work area and the smell of fresh wood shavings surrounded by green herbs and blooming plants will ensure our return. It was a perfect place for our son to explore and he was allowed to smell things too. Since it was such a warm day I wore Amouage Lilac Love which bloomed into a floral powdery slightly spicy perfume. It is a beautiful perfume that I would wear often if I owned a bottle.
Here are a few pictures of our sunny warm weekend. Yes, Rotterdam really is this green. Now the fog has set in this week and I need to make a pumpkin soup to really get into the season.
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, rose, gardenia, peony, heliotrope
Heart: Orris, cacao, tonka bean
Base: Sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla
Libertine has $499/1ooml FREE Australian Postage
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4/0.5ml
Do you have a favorite season? Do you like any Amouage perfumes? I would love to hear from you.
Stay safe and healthy. Until next time.
Sandra xoxo
(Ed: All photos taken by Sandra unless specified)