Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
::Today's soundtrack: Depeche Mode "Just Can't Get Enough" ::
It ought not surprise you that I have been reading some Harry Potter lately, what with the new drawings of Ron, Sirius, and Voldemort over the course of the last 30 or so days. In book 6, Half-Blood Prince, there is a love potion sitting in the classroom and it smells differently to everyone, reminding them of the things they love most and giving them a relaxed and contented feeling. It was said that Harry smelled treacle tart, broomstick handles, and Ginny, a girl for whom a he had a crush but didn't know it yet. I was wondering what sort of smells I would, well, smell if I caught a whiff of this magical concoction.
Old comic books. Any collector can tell you the distinctive smell comics from twenty years ago or more have. It is different from old books since they use a different sort of paper and nothing else smells like it. I was opening a box with some comics from the 1980s in it the other day and this smell of yellowed newsprint filled my nostrils and it gave me this memory of reading my older brother's comics when I was a teenager, discovering things like The Dark Phoenix Saga and Sandman for the first time.
Cinnamon. There's just something about the smell of cinnamon wafting through the air that makes me feel all warm, like I'm at home and it's X-mas. I think it's because my mother used to bake these Snickerdoodle cookies that were cinnamon and these outstanding muffins which were covered in the stuff.
Burnt smoke off a barbecue grill. When I was a wee laddie we used to visit my grandmother at her summer cottage on a lake and she had a neighbour who was constantly grilling outside. Every once in a while I'll be on a street corner in town and the wind will blow this smokey smell at me from I-don't-know-where, and for a few seconds my mind is transported back to being barefoot in the grass or floating lazily on the lake in an inner tube. It's not even the smell of cooking meats, it's simply this singed smoke smell, and to this day I can't stop these happy flashbacks, even if I only sniff it for a second.
Wet leaves. Every autumn in New England the trees turn colours and their leaves fall to the ground in massive piles. After a rain, the leaves have this smell that conjures up thoughts of early sunsets, perfect temperatures, cool breezes and of course Halloween. There's nothing quite like taking an evening stroll with the scent of the dead leaves on the air. Truly peaceful.
I think that about covers it. I mean, I'm sure there are other smells, but some of them I have no idea what they are. Anyway, these are the main ones that invoke that happy, serene nostalgia which oozes a blissful contentment. These smells always fill my head with a warm, swimmy feeling, even if only for a few moments. Am I the only one? Can't be, as they say smells are the strongest invoker of memory. I'd be curious to hear what any of you random internet people have for happy scents or if you think I'm insane.
William the Bloody (olfactory aware)
