Saturday, May 30, 2009

*ELEANOR DUSE* a fragrance by Laura Tonnato


Two flowers have near-mythical status in Italy: TuscanIris (Iris Florentina), to which Iris Nobile by Acqua di Parma pays homage, and Parma Violet, the very first flower to blossom as winter draws to a close. The emblem of the city of Parma, chosen by Marie-Louise of Austria, Napoleon’s second wife, violet was also the flower of predilection of the celebrated 19 th-century actress Eleanora Duse. A rival of Sarah Bernhardt, she was famous for her portrayals of the lyric works of writer Gabriele d’Annunzio, with whom she lived a great passion. At the request of the organizers of an exhibit dedicated to “la Divina” in Rome in 2005, Laura Tonatto created E.Duse, an olfactory interpretation of the great actress’s artistic and personal temperament.

Today I am wearing "Eleanora Duse" created by Laura Tonnato. It is a wet, moist violet picked from the black earthy moss in the forest and it is gorgeous! This fragrance has been discontinued and very difficult to find, but oh so beautiful..................

Saturday, May 23, 2009

*SOUNDS THAT BRING ME COMFORT*


At times, I like to sit quietly and just listen to the silence and enjoy it, a Zen moment if you will. Recently during my silence I began to think of sounds that bring me comfort:
*I remember as a young girl lying in a feather bed at my Grandmother's home in the country listening to the sound of the rain on her tin roof. I loved that.
*I think my favorite sound is the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves of trees, running through them happily and making the sound so pleasant.
*Violins....I adore violins, they convey passion so very well, more than any other musical instrument and are hauntingly beautiful. They can move me and make me cry......
*The ocean..........the tide coming in and returning. I used to leave my window open at night by the ocean and fall asleep and be comforted by this sound.
*The sound of thunder followed by hard, pouring down rain during Springtime. I adore it.....
*The sound of windchimes with a soft wind rustling through them.....
*The sound of an antique clock chiming, on the hour and half hour, an old clock with a soft chime.
*The sound of a kitten seeking it's mother, not having vision yet, but mewing for it's mother......
*My cats when they chatter at an insect or a bird or when they snore......
*The sound of a child's laughter, uncontrollable laughter, when they laugh so hard they can barely breathe........
*The sound of water being poured into a glass, the chink of ice cubes against the sides of the glass.
*The sound of high heels clacking on marble floors, I can remember my mother's doing that.
*Whales, the sound of them singing to each other......nothing more beautiful really.
*Forest sounds during the early evening, bull frogs, tree frogs, crickets, owls and all creatures of the night, it is mesmerizing.
*The sound of police sirens in Europe, I love that sound. They are not the same here....
*Rain or light sleet on a glass pane..........
*A train whistle late at night, off in the distance. This sound so reminds me of my grandmother and going to see her in my youth.
*Snow crunching under boots, or under tires, dry, cold snow..........
*The sound of seagulls at the seashore or mourning doves in the morning.......
*A lover's soft whispers during lovemaking...even if they aren't true.
*Canadian geese flying over my home in the early Spring and late Fall. I rush to the window to see them and they are the most gorgeous creation of nature.......