Saturday, May 23, 2009

PERFUME UPDATE



Many thanks to those of you who have voted in the poll on the right and if you haven’t voted and would like to, please do so.

James has responded with a whole post at Nourishing Obscurity and I thank him for taking the trouble to do so and for providing a man’s take on the issue.

A few years ago, back in Cardiff, I bumped into someone I’d taught twenty years previously and she told me :

“I’ve never forgotten what you said one day when one of us remarked that you wore too much perfume.”

“Oh, what was that?” I asked as I didn’t have the faintest idea what I might have said.

I did, however, recall that my perfume at that time was Charlie, one which, although it has been revamped, I feel too old to wear now. Charlie was the girl about town, who daringly strode to work in a trouser suit. Impeccably groomed, she was the sort of girl who gets her eyeliner on straight first time and you just knew she never made a mistake in her job. The perfume was meant to confirm that she was, nonetheless, entirely feminine.

"You said, ‘The day you can afford to use perfume as lavishly as me, I’ll argue with you.’ ”

I was astonished, reader, firstly that I had had such power of repartee as a young teacher and secondly that anyone should remember it. Such a remark would be deemed politically incorrect now and I’d probably be drummed out of the profession for drawing attention to pupils’ poverty or something [which had not been my intention – I was just trying to get on with my lesson!]

The girl continued, “So I decided I wanted to earn enough money to use perfume the way you did and now I do.”

7 comments:

CherryPie said...

I think if anyone had said that to me at a young age I would have remembered it too.

Anonymous said...

Touche Welshcakes! I love perfume and now my 14yr old has become a fan. I like to go to the chemist with her and try the samples of the rich perfumes we cant afford. Gives us both the giggles

jmb said...

I always used to wear Charlie at one time but then suddenly I did not like it any more.

I rotate between Oscar de la Renta, Chanel no 5 and Anais, anais. I don't know what that says about me.

jams o donnell said...

I would have remembered such words although perhaps going to an all boys cahtholic school, I doubt it those exact words would ahve actually been said.

Actually I love fragrances as does the not-wife. She loves Farnesia by Caron, Intrigant Patchouli by Parfumerie Generale. I have my favourites too. the not-wife describes me as the most slovely metrosexual on the planet!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Cherie. Hmmm.... Ciao, Abbey. Glad we think alike! I would love to be there trying out the fancy perfumes with you two! Hi, jmb. I love Anais Anais, too.

Liz Hinds said...

Great comment, welshcakes! I was a Charlie girl too at one point.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Ta, Liz. All the best girls were!!

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