Pineapple the symbol of hospitality from the internet
Seasonal Scents: S’mores, salty ocean breezes, veggie burgers on the grill, sweaty people on the bus—what’s the smell you associate most with summer? Ben Huberman
Arriving in Cairns in January, mid summer, the perfume of flowers wafted in the air. I felt I was in heaven. The balmy temperature attracted a myriad of birds, so many different species to discover.
Luscious fruits included fresh juicy mangoes, pawpaw and lychees. The smell of fresh pineapple was a delight to serve up to hungry children. Their favourite thing was to cut a pineapple in half, cut it into bite size pieces and put jelly crystals over the top! With toothpicks they’d devour this tropical delight. Washing off the residue in the local creek, we’d keep an eye open for snakes or crocodiles.
As it is winter here in Victoria, a southern State of Australia, we’re enjoying the opposite. I do love the four seasons, which are missed out on in the North of Australia. The wind whipping snow from the mountains makes it feel like winter. Smelling the different woods that are burning as we pass small dwellings. This will soon be a thing of the past. There is talk of when it will no longer be permitted.
How grateful am I that I’ve been able to enjoy having wood burning fires. It is one of my favourite things.
Barbara Pyett 
The lilies are just coming into flower now and I walk round the garden inhaling, I can never get enough.
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Hilary, sounds as if you have a lovely garden. I love lilies too.
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You know? My nose cannot detect the scent of freesia!
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My mother couldn’t either, what a shame, as it’s an exquisite perfume!
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Yes, and the spring bulbs, especially freesias are intoxicating too!
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Smells are such powerful triggers to our memories. In spring, the smell of lilacs in the air make me so happy. It is such an intoxicating smell 🙂
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It is a deep seated love for me too.
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The demise of the log fire is very sad. Nothing like it.
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Ah, Australia has summer when the other parts of the world experience winter, right?
That is, Christmas without snow! 😀
(Well, it doesn’t snow here either, but it feels a little bit cold) 🙂
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Yes Akila, Christmas is warm, so food traditions have widened to include a range of salads as well as those who stick with the traditional.
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Ah, I see. 🙂
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You must have special traditions too?
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this was a beautiful read….
and I am not sure how I feel about the burning – because while I do agree that it has that special scent – well I can also see why some areas do not permit it – and my neighbor has an old iron heater on his patio – and sometimes the smell becomes “just too much” – but we just shut the windows and feel grateful we have such air tighter features. 🙂
❤
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Yes, the burning is on the way out, but I shall be very sad when we can’t have a fire. In our area nearly everyone burns wood.
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It really was heavenly, though energy levels fall in the tropics. It’s much easier to do things in this climate. Totally different way of life in the tropics!
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Brave people, Barbara, entering the water up there! The fruit sounds luscious alright.
You know, I only found out this year that there is just the two seasons. I phrased that wrong. 😀 I knew there was a dry and a wet, but I thought it only sort of meant rainfall, not a complete contrast from cold to hot and vice versa within such a short space of time. I read a book earlier in the year, written by a bloke who kayacked around Australia and he mentioned how fast the change can come. And once it comes, that’s it until the season changes again. He said how you can leave your house to go to your local for a meal, dressed in your hot weather gear, and then having to borrow a coat and an umbrella to get home!
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