A bit of not a lot

This past week has been … a bit of this and that.

I found myself only wearing Perfumer H Smoke even though I’ve got four samples sitting on my desk waiting to be worn and thought about (I really like the Perfumer H 50ml bottles). I looked at them, they looked at me. We all shrugged our shoulders. Sometimes things can wait.

I haven’t had a signature scent in ages. Probably more than a decade. I don’t feel perfume monogamous though I know I don’t have the same sort of collection as others who write on this blog. I was trying to think of the last bottle I bought before Smoke and it was the very citrusy cologne for around £15 two summers ago during our incredible heatwave. I’ve bought decants and travel sizes and samples but a year and a half between bottles seems a chunk of time even to me.

Otherwise, I’m working on my second sourdough loaf. My first was fine but the more of it I used, the denser the crumb became. It still tasted good in the morning with a very grassy olive oil plus kefir and sunflower seeds. I’m trying a different recipe with this one (first was Nigel Slater; second is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall).

Joe the Lab injured one of his favourite toys, Marven the Moose, yet again. So, surgery on his neck. I think this is the fifth or sixth time his ears or neck required stitching up.

He (Joe) also managed to break a front tooth in half. So, a visit to dogter Monday evening. I refuse to subject him to anaesthetic for something like this (he’ll be 11 in May) so may have to argue with vet about waiting and watching. Still, I want it looked at.

This coming week is fairly busy what with meeting with finance guy (I’m not sure why he wants this – we Zoomed in early January and I made some changes to my pension at that time) and haircut in town which will also see a visit to a local travel company so I can try to figure out how to book a single sleeper pod with shower on the Paris to Vienna NightJet train in the autumn. This is for what I’ve dubbed the ‘chasing the ghosts of my ancestors’ trip, where I visit places related to them, hopefully visit with friends in Prague and Paris, and maybe stick Berlin or Amsterdam in the soup. All by train.

So, there we go. I hope others have seen way more variety in their fragrance if that’s how they roll and maybe done some fun things they want to tell us about.

Pics: Pexels and mine

  • March says:

    I was baking no-knead bread for awhile and pleased with the results, but now I live alone with some excellent bakery bread nearby so when I’m feeling the urge I go buy it. I’m glad Joe doesn’t need anything major! And I think your fall trip sounds fantastic.

    • cinnamon says:

      I don’t find this type of baking relaxing. However, it is interesting enough to keep doing it. I guess I want to be able to do that ‘perfect’ loaf …

  • Tom says:

    Poor Joe! But that made me think- I wonder if there’s such a thing as canine cosmetic dentistry? I am sure there’s someone who could do a cap for a canine canine, but do they do zoom whitening? Invisalign? Could we be seeing Chihuahuas running around West LA with giant Faye Dunaway choppers?

    I am always on awe of people who bake bread. I’d be standing in front of the over muttering “hurry, dammit..”

    • cinnamon says:

      I actually left it in too long. Lesson learned. Joe is off the proverbial hook at the moment for tooth stuff. Vet just said watch how he goes. I imagine dogs have all kinds of weird looks in LA …

    • cinnamon says:

      Left the bread in too long. I like baking but sourdough is a lot of work. Worth it though when it comes out ok.

    • March says:

      You can absolutely need / get a root canal and a crown for dogs, at roughly the same price as a human lol. Not sorry all Coco’s teeth got pulled … I would not be at all surprised if you can get doggie veneers or some sort of cosmetic dentistry. People are nuts about their pets. I feed my tiny mutt some bespoke dog food that’s probably more per lb than anything I buy for myself.

  • alityke says:

    Please keep us updated with the adventures in sourdough. I’ve had some bricks at times!
    Poor Joe the Lab. hopefully no action needed.
    I was faithful to just one scent for most of 2022 & into 23. Has a sniff recently & it had to go. All the bad memories of that time came back. Sold on easily though. I actually listed some of my vintages yesterday too.
    Your trip sounds awesome. All those lovely places to take in at your own pace… sigh

    • cinnamon says:

      I was a serial signature scent person until around 20 years ago. Now, the idea of only wearing one thing seems untenable. I think that’s part of being happier with small sizes of things and bottles being purchased much less often. Joe says tx, he’s optimistic.

  • Dina C. says:

    So sorry about poor Joe’s broken tooth. Hope it can get fixed up with little fuss, maybe doggy veneers? Your future train trip sounds marvelous! Shades of Agatha Christie novels! I’m stuck at home with a miserable cold, my second this winter. Can’t sniff any pretty scents sadly. Also can’t sleep because I’m in the coughing phase. Trying to distract myself by reading old books like Christie.

    • cinnamon says:

      Thank you. He seems his regular self. Getting older affects us all in different ways … I hope the cold recedes soon. Boiled ginger water with honey?

  • Portia says:

    OHHH! The trip sounds fabulous Cinnamon. YAY for travel.
    Poor pooch. Hug him from me.
    Jin wants a bottle of the now DCd original Bodega Venetta EdP so I jumped onto FragranceNet to get a couple. It’s been his closest thing to a signature since he first tried it. Realized I’d not ordered from them since July 2023! That’s a big gap for me. While I was there I also grabbed Hermès L’Ombre Des Merveilles and now DCd Elizabeth and James Nirvana French Grey which I adore and would be devo to live without.
    Portia xx

    • cinnamon says:

      I certainly don’t regret the bottle of Smoke but I really am aware that if I want something pricey a decant is the way to go currently. In any case, I love that sort of ‘I’m looking for one thing but, ooooh, there’s that … and that’. I’m up to London in a couple of weeks and might try to fit in the Maria Candida Gentiles. Joe says thank you. Hug back at you.

  • Tara C says:

    Ask your vet if he can use sevofluorane gas, it is very light and easy to recover from. My dog just had a dental cleaning under anesthetic and was up and alert very quickly. As for perfume, I’d love to try more Perfumer H but alas no access here in the US. I did get a bottle of Charcoal in a blind swap which wasn’t bad but I’d also like to try Smoke and Ink.

    • cinnamon says:

      I am not willing to go down the surgery route at all on this. He seems well in himself, the tooth doesn’t seem to be bothering him. I guess it’s more I’m looking for confirmation. But, I’ll see. Maybe have a look at the Perfumer H site. The US outlets are odd — not the usual suspects.