Delicious Smells

There are certain smells in the world which can remind us of good memories, transport us back to our childhood or just make us smile because they are amazing.
One of my favourite smells is the smell of bitumen being heated in a large open cauldron ready to be laid on the road. There is something about that warm oily smell which I like. I can't put my finger on why, I just like it. This morning that smell was in the air as the local council resurfaced the roundabout at the end of the road. As I went for a little walk this morning I lingered ever so slightly near the hot bubbling black goo to take in a few lungfuls. I am sure that breathing this in is not good for my respiratory system but what the hell I felt like playing with fire and taking a risk.

I had visited the plot on my walk and had picked some fresh runner beans and courgettes. These vegetables afforded me another olfactory delight. The smell of the fresh greenery was delicious this warm summer morning.

The smell of freshly cut grass is another of those provocative smells; bringing with it a sense of springtime. Whereas the damp odour of rotting leaves reminds me that Autumn is over and Winter is on its way. Cinnamon reminds me of a hotel in Prague and it is an essential smell to make Christmas perfect.

But my favourite smell of all is that smell that occurs just after a summer shower of rain following a hot humid day. As the rain evaporates it brings with it a perfume that is hard to describe but I love it. Maybe in the next couple of days I might just get to smell it as the jet stream moves back south again.

There is a lot of discussion about what causes the smell after rain. If you want some form of scientific explanation you could click here but sometimes knowing the science spoils the magic.

 

Comments

  1. Bones29 July 2012 at 09:34

    My favourite is the smell of my full English on a Sunday morning

    ReplyDelete

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