I walk every day, and all summer the air smelled of other people's barbecues, suncream and straw. Over the last few weeks that's quietly changed, and my nose knew summer was over long before the calendar did. These are the five smells that gave it away.
I walk every day, and all summer the air smelled of other people's barbecues, suncream and straw. Over the last few weeks that's quietly changed, and my nose knew summer was over long before the calendar did. These are the five smells that gave it away.
5. Wet dogs
The weather finally broke at the end of August. Every dog on the route smells like a dog again. I didn't know I'd missed it.
4. Cider apples
Windfall apples are going soft in the long grass, and they smell faintly of cider. I haven't tried one. I've thought about it.
3. Blackberries
The hedges have gone from flowery to jammy. Apparently blackberry is one of the dark fruit notes taking over perfume this autumn. The hedges got there first.
2. Crunchy leaves
The leaves started falling in August. Stressed by the drought, some trees dropped theirs around two months early, so I was kicking through autumn in a heatwave. Now the rain's softened them, and they smell sweet and earthy, the way September should.
1. Log burners
Someone's lit the first log burner of the year. It's September. I'm not judging. I'm jealous.
All summer, the smoke on my walk came from barbecues. Now it comes from chimneys. That's when I knew.
So I went home and got Dark Oud out. Summer's over. I've made my peace with it.