Autumn Smells

Autumn and smells are entwined, perhaps more than any other season, if only because the cooling of the air leaves us with a newly fangled apprehension of our surroundings after the languor of summer and because autumn signals new beginnings along with a certain wistfulness.

I therefore had proclaimed a little contest the other day in which a winner would get a goody bag with lots of samples that had been accumulating in my drawers. After a difficult elimination process I chose RachelG whose entry was truly transporting and original. Runner-ups (honourable mentions) include NinaZ and Scott, who both expressed their sentiments beautifully! Thanks to everyone participating for the love and sentiment they brought to this, and till next time!

Here is the winning entry:

"To me, autumn is the smell of my cat coming in from the cold. It only lasts a minute, maybe less, but if I can scoop her up before she runs to the dinner bowl, and inhale deeply, there is a fragrance of incomparable beauty, and nearly impossible to describe: it is cold but alive, her fur, yes, but also wisps of the smoke from our chimney, the fresh cut woodpile she nestles in to watch for mice, the sweet brown of decaying leaves on the forest floor. Wandering outside won’t lead you to this smell, it is something unique to her and her kind. Maybe we walk too far from the ground, or maybe we don’t stay long enough in one place, but her autumn is a world truly apart from mine. While I love the rich wine and honey of my autumn, it is nothing compared to her wild and lovely life."

Rachel, please mail me using the email on Profile with a shipping address so I can send the goody bag to you!

Pic of Insomnium's album Across the Dark