Last week at our niche perfume house on the very edge of West Wales we were snowed in.
Proper deep powdery snow muffling the sounds of the outside world.
The air changed as a snowstorm blew in from the Bay.
As the temperature plummeted so too did our ability to pick up aromas: cold air being dry stifles our sense of smell, creating a void for our olfactory system, allowing our noses to pick up on subtle aromas such as humidity.
We smell snow in the air.
No school, no travel. Snowball fights, thick ice on the pond.
After too long playing out in the bracing cold we yearned for the homely, the familiar.
We relied on comforting tastes of hot chocolate and big soups. Blankets and fluffy socks kept us feeling toasty.
When it got too cold we turned our noses to seek out a welcome retreat. The lingering scent of morning coffee, hyacinths on the window ledge – beckoning us back inside.
HIRAETH is my fragrant take on seeking out the familiar. Warming frankincense translates beautifully into the desire for being cosseted, soothing notes of rose a yearning for the familiar.
Our sense of smell is such a powerful gift.