Smells and Memories

[Errogie]

A recent posting about how to get rid of gorse bushes on the croft reminded me that my favourite smell is that rich, sweet nougatine smell of a gorse bush in full technicolour flowering mode. Have to admit that I've planted a few bushes on my roadside over the years and in the evening just stop and inhale and enjoy, but my most memorable experience was descending the Struie on a motor bike one still May evening on the way home when the air was so thick with the smell from the roadside bushes you could almost cut it with a knife!

Roll on gorse bloom time again but what are everyone elses most evocative smells, the ones that can carry you back to a time and a place with just one breath?

[cuddlepop]

When I worked in Gigha the only handcream that was available to buy in the wee shop was Atrixo.

Even though that was many moons ago I can still travel back to that time and place with just one wiff.:D

[Venture]

Every time I smell hyacinths it transports me right back to when I grew them in primary 7 at school, many, many moons ago. Fishy smells too remind me of when they dished out cod liver oil in school. I can still remember the smell on the breath of those who had it. Yuk.

[joxville]

When I worked in Gigha the only handcream that was available to buy in the wee shop was Atrixo.

Was that to prevent you getting Gighabites. [lol] (Orgers groan collectively)

[ett23]

A recent posting about how to get rid of gorse bushes on the croft reminded me that my favourite smell is that rich, sweet nougatine smell of a gorse bush in full technicolour flowering mode. Have to admit that I've planted a few bushes on my roadside over the years and in the evening just stop and inhale and enjoy, but my most memorable experience was descending the Struie on a motor bike one still May evening on the way home when the air was so thick with the smell from the roadside bushes you could almost cut it with a knife!

Roll on gorse bloom time again but what are everyone elses most evocative smells, the ones that can carry you back to a time and a place with just one breath?

I love the smell of gorse in bloom too! I think it smells like coconut, and for some reason it takes me back to my honeymoon because the sun cream I wore while on honeymoon smelt of coconut......mmm gorgeous!!
Also the smell of Fox's Glacier Mints reminds me of my gran - she always had a packet of them in her pocket!!......Memories..... :D

[youoldduffer]

Tarmac when it has just rained and the sun has come out :)

[Errogie]

My goodness, someone else who can remember lining up to get a tablespoonful of cod liver oil at the West Public class room door. I must admitt I still take the stuff and that's what I modestly attribute my health and good looks to!
And that brings back memories of the new leather smell from a first school bag which leads to new shoes.

[joxville]

Tarmac when it has just rained and the sun has come out :)

I loved the smell too as a kid, now I make it! Don't inhale too much of it though-it's carcinogenic because of the bitumen content.

[brokencross]

Old Spice aftershave and Vosene hair oil reminds me of my late dad.

Petrol station smells remind me of over 20 years sailing on tankers.

[cuddlepop]

Was that to prevent you getting Gighabites. [lol] (Orgers groan collectively)

Lol.no it was for my very por chapped hands that just werent use to hard work.

Cant honestly say the midges were bad,then again because of split shifts i slept most afternoons.:lol:

[Iffy]

Every time I smell hyacinths it transports me right back to when I grew them in primary 7 at school, many, many moons ago. Fishy smells too remind me of when they dished out cod liver oil in school. I can still remember the smell on the breath of those who had it. Yuk.

I agree with you Venture about the smell of hyacinths. They too remind me of growing them at Primary school - NOT that my primary school days were THAT happy, but there was a lovely innocence about them and I also had my Darling Mum back then too.......:o

Tescos are selling different sized pots of hyacinth bulbs at the moment if you're interested, guaranteed to flower in about a week, I bought a pot of three the other day for my kitchen window - SO looking forward to the smell of them :D

[Venture]

Thanks Iffy have put that on my shopping list. I hadn't noticed them in Tescos but did buy a pot of three from a stall in the Market Square at Christmas. Couldn't stop myself sniffing them every time I passed when they flowered at home.:lol:

It's nice to know that you and I share similar memories.;)

[joxville]

Every time I smell hyacinths

I get the boak when I smell hyacinths.

[percy toboggan]

Dubbin. Leather footballs... and oil of wintergreen.
Liniment to make legs glisten. The joy of exertion, contest and physicality...
the dash down the left wing the angled cross or the hard driven shot at goal.
All are summoned by those few smells....
but the scent of victory was never that important - to take part was all.
(just as well really)
How I'd love one more afternoon in Wythenshawe Park or Hough End - you don't realise how precious youth and fitness...energy and vim are until,
barely noticed they slip away.

[Fran]

I love the smell of peat burning. it reminds me of my family and happy days in skerray and Bettyhill. Lovely.

[JAWS]

I too love the smell of tar. There used to be a small tar works near where I lived as a child, I used to go past it just to get the smell.

My worst one was a scent called Black Opel. I had been having fun teasing some of the lasses I worked with. They went for a break and when they came back there was this overpowering smell of scent. I thought one of them had overdone it a bit but didn’t say anything.
It was only when I went for my break that I realised the intense smell was following me. It was then that I realised that they had covered the back of my shirt in the damned stuff.

OK, you try going home off nights and having to explain to the wife why you wreak of scent. :eek: Our lasses didn’t go crying to the boss, they extracted their own revenge and painful it could be too.
Happy days though. We would all probably have got the sack in this day and age for failing to be Politically Correct.

[Kevin Milkins]

Old Spice aftershave and Vosene hair oil reminds me of my late dad.

Petrol station smells remind me of over 20 years sailing on tankers.

My late father used Morgans Pomade as a hair cream and although it is not somthing you get a wiff of on a daily basis I can imagine that smell now.

[zappster]

I used to love the smell in the spot toy shop in wick...I aint been in in a few years but i'll bet it still smells the same!

[ShelleyCowie]

I love the smell of peat burning. it reminds me of my family and happy days in skerray and Bettyhill. Lovely.

The smell of pete burning reminds me on my holiday in Skye just last year! it was my first time there, went with my partner, his 2 sons, his mum and sister.Unfortunately my son wasnt born then but im sure he enjoyed being carried around in my tummy! :) We stayed on my partners grannys land, she has a super large caravan!

I know some people might say it was not really a holiday since it was just to skye. But i would far rather go back there than go abroad! It was the best 9 days i have had ever!! Peace and quiet, hearing the rain hitting the roof of the caravan, birds pecking the windows in the morning. Waking up to go outside with a cup of coffee to admire the most gorgeous scenery i have ever seen!! Catching my first fish even!

I will never forget our time there, crossing the causway and me struggling to climb "The Island" at 28 weeks pregnant but i done it! Swimming in the sea trying to find fish (and crabs crawling over my feet ewww) but it was awsome!

The kids could freely run around on acres of land because there was no traffic!! Playing lots of games instead of watching tv etc etc!

Cant wait to go back! :Razz

[neepnipper]

Gorse does it for me too, hot summers in south west Wales where I spent 4 years of my childhood, that scorcher of a summer in 1976, we used to run down sandy, gorse edged footpaths to the beach.

We sell sulphur rock at work and the smell of that transports me straight back to holidays in Turkey.

Baby oil reminds me of my lovely nan, she always used it in her bath.

[ter21wat]

I love the smell of gorse too, a lovely coconut smell. The first time i incountered it, i couldnt figure out where the smell was coming from, I thought someone must have used coconut shampoo or something, until i was told it was the gorse! It reminds me of being on holiday when i was younger, covered in coconut smelling suncream in the warm sun having the time of my life :D