If you think I stopped at the Honeysuckle & Curry Leaf trial, then you don't know me at all. If the house is still asleep, there is no reason for me to not keep on going...

Waking up early this morning, I thought it was going to be an overcast day. It really just was too early for the sun to rise (it's getting a little lazy recently with the Autumnal Equinox approaching...). I was in the perfect mood for trying out this perfume idea I had that is definitely more of a colder weather fragrance: Incense and chocolate. The combination came out of two things I often turn to for comfort and what I'd like to think of as grounding myself, but might seem indulgent to others - savouring a square of SeaNymph's chocolate bar (with crushed pieces of her salted English Taffee) while burning incense... I try to do both (not necessarily simultaneously...) on a daily basis (do I need to explain why?!).

There is no shortage of chocolatey perfumes in my collection, but then, people's love for chocolate in all forms seems to be never quite satisfied enough. But still, I'm trying to get somewhere different with this one. And incense and chocolate is just the starting point... And it lead me to new ideas altogether to marry with chocolate, for example - frankincense, which I was really afraid of adding to the cocoa absolute at first. I'm still not convinced it's the right thing to do, but judging by how wonderfully it wore on my skin throughout the day, I'm not ruling out just yet. And of course I was wearing it - for the duration of what turned out to be the hottest day of the year... And also one of the best of them too!



About an hour later, the sun rose, bright and beautiful, and I went for a little walk - first to witness a red robin bathing in the pond in the courtyard behind my house; then to see pumpkins in the making at the community gardens on Nelson Park... And when I came back, there was a delicious breakfast that my brother cooked for us. I took my daughter to the PNE for the first time and we watched a horse show and hang around till we got too tired and hot... Then went back home only to pack a picnic of watermelon and feta cheese (you should try it sometime!) and head to Sunset Beach. And there were a couple that were letting people try the stand-up paddle boards they are selling, so I got to try that for the 1st (and 2nd!) time, not to mention swimming with a seal right in front of me for the only time so far this year (I was swimming towards it and it did not get scared at all, not even when I greeted him "hello seal"). All in all, one of the best days ever!