Tonight we got the first snow in Zurich, and the first jasmine flower  on my little jasmine bush in the basement opened up and sends its perfume out. Quite intoxicating.

This morning, we got the shipment back from Madrid, another circle closing, and the box survived, sort of. Thus, I know again why we pack things so sturdy and wrap from all sides heavily. It is quite amazing what happens to these boxes during transport. Europe’s roads seem to be rough these days.

Another circle closing: The pile of 800 soaps in 6 large boxes, sitting for a while in the middle of my perfumery studio are gone. They are now with the apothecary, where I brought them by car yesterday. We will continue making soaps for friends and family in the next days, though. I feel another 50 would be fine.

Thus, there is room again. Also room for playing. Today is my Friday play time. I will continue studying the fire tree essential oil, the other natural that Mandy Aftel and me will use to build a perfume. A challenging but highly rewarding oil. I can feel it, but I need to understand it a bit better.

And I want to continue with the rose soap. I did two version. 1 you can forget. Maybe you can add it to the washing machine, to get fragrant foam, but not more. Amazing how ugly things you can create with the most expensive materials. Number 2 is better. Actually it is good (but quite expensive). I will see that I can pump it up a bit. It needs a bit more power, I feel. But there is no hurry. It sure feels good to have some time there.  The same is true for the 2011 activities. All under control it seems.  I guess I share a few its and bits next week.

Ah… yes, before I forget: I wish you a lovely weekend.

Cheers!

Back from Grenoble! It was  a bit of a drive down there and back in a day, but true worth it. More on this trip later. There is hope for Tauer in France…

I have perfect reading recommendation for your weekend:
Mandy Aftel and Andy Tauer’s Letters to a fellow perfumer. Continued here on Nathan Branch’s blog.
Letter round 3
Letter round 2
Letter round 1

And we continue putting some perfumes into boxes. And while we do so I have time to think a bit more on the Linden blossom.As you may find out reading letter 2 and 3: I got a first version that seems to hold together. It needs to mature a bit, and we hope it will turn right.

With fragrant greetings, as always: Enjoy your weekend and your reading!

Today’s picture shows you some flacons, pre-polishing state.

Uff. It is Friday, this week’s big shipment is ready in front of the house for pick-up by Schenker, and I can worry about other things, such as my hair or creation of new perfumes. I decided that Friday afternoon will be my “creative day”, translating into at least 4 hours working on fragrances.

Otherwise, if not scheduling it like that: No chance. Too much going on….But first things first: Newsletter final texts, pictures for the shop. I will hit the essential oils in the afternoon before hitting downtown.

Today’s creative challenge: Ambreine. I get mine from Biolandes in France. It is a natural substance, isolated in a few steps from Cistus ladaniferus, to be precise: solvent extraction of  the concrète. It is not easy to work with, as it is -in all its beauty- very quickly dominating an entire composition. I want to use it in a mix where I just need its dry woody incense effect, without the ambergris part. And it has a harsh side.  Let us see how we can soften it. I guess I will bring in some green contrast. We will see.

I feel, perfumery is very much about light and darkness, about contrasts, about effects…I need to think a bit more on contrasts in perfumery.

And with this I wish you a great weekend, and here is your reading recommendation for it:
Open Letters Monthly, on “difficult pleasure”, featuring among other things Lonestar Memories. Enjoy!

(picture of today: A cut out from a larger photo taken last weekend, stones and water in sunlight)