hortus conclusus

Where the bee sucks, there suck I; In a cowslip's bell I lie; There I couch when owls do cry. On the bat's back I do fly After summer merrily. Merrily, merrily shall I live now Under the blossom that hangs on the bough. SO says the freed Ariel, and so do I wish I could do. Alas, I am but a human and must content myself with sucking nectar from a different kind of vessel. And I found some interesting new nectar in an unexpected place this morning. A few weeks ago, Jessica said: “Ever since I started reading your blog I have been searching for scents that I like and find wearable (which, admittedly, are rather few). One of my absolute favorite smells and flavors is citrus (particularly orange blossom, can you recommend a good--and perhaps more widely available--soliflore? Serge Lutens is kind of inaccessible from my current location). I have always loved the marriage of citrus and "darker" elements wh

Check out this amazing series of pictures of different kinds of alcohol under the microscope. (There are lots more at the linked web site.) What blows my mind is how much the images seem to express, in an abstract   way, each drink’s ‘personality.’ Each image really captures the spirit of the thing (sorry, couldn’t resist). I wonder what a similar series of pictures of iconic perfumes would look like….. Food for thought, anyway. Credits: Images of Margarita,  vodka, and tequila under microscope found at amusingplanet.com