Sensory Thoughts.

Whether one's olfactory memory is limited - or conversely, encyclopedic - reading about fragrance experiences leans toward receiving a video-link to your relative's superlative vacation.  Perhaps this is both good and bad... while one might long to sniff the good, there's a saving grace in dodging the bad - or, the equivalent... one enjoys the scenery - without the bedbugs and mosquitoes.

Today, drinking my cocoa tea in preparation for an extended session of sketching - "fondness" comes to mind - fondness and memories... how does an experience become special or become etched into one's memory.

Beginning to write "you can mull those thoughts for yourself" - etymologically sidetracked me for a moment.  Think about the similarity of mulling thoughts and mulling cider... there's a process of slow simmering - and hopefully, improvement.  

Reading about mulling thoughts and cider serendipitously led to an interesting preface to discussion of Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez.

How about an Autumnal perfume based on mulling spices... good whiff of apple, bit of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, lemony-cardamom, orange zest... but, how to avoid smelling like a room deodorizer... the smell, perhaps of crushed leaves... peppercorn... something leather-y... maybe some chimney smoke.

Back to fondness and memory - and sensory thoughts...  here are things which bring - to me - a feeling of fondness and memory-etching potential:

• A vision-sight of golden-yellow leaves, blown by a warm and invisible wind-current up and off a cold and slow-moving river - against the direction of other leaves falling down from a tree trailing its fingers in the water below.  Propelling themselves horizontally through the breeze, like the paddles of a riverboat... leaves oval in shape.  The river's brown-blue surface crosshatched with multi-directional current.  This memory, with its movement of leaves and water - feels like calm and stillness.

• Imagining the smells - good and bad - of fragrances described by Turin and Sanchez in Perfumes: The Guide. 

• Reading Nick Bantock's books about Griffin and Sabine:  like receiving permission to read a friend's correspondence - with all the good bits... stamps, doodles, enclosed photos, etc.  Some pages even invite you to remove the letter from the envelope - sharing the anticipation of unfolding the paper and perusing the artsy contents.

Eyes glued to the pages of Perfumes: The Guide every free moment of a weekend - while my nose awaited - and imagined - every description with anticipation... the only perhaps-critical observation is this - could someone find a way to include fragrance samples - if not for the actual fragrances, perhaps for the various notes mentioned... as did '80s National Geographic during a smell/odor survey.

I think an experience becomes special and established in the memory when several - or ideally, all - the senses are integrated and utilized at higher capacity.