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The smell of befuddlement

Had a busy morning yesterday doing site stuff and loading the new anti-viris protection on to my computer (I've used Kaspersky for the past two years, after McAfee let in a pain-in-the-ass virus and never answered my emails -- took a computer-savvy friend a whole afternoon to find an antidote, install it and get rid of the nasty).

Anyway, amidst all this activity, I kept noticing that something smelled strange in the house. Not totally bad, but a ever so slightly irritating -- and just I couldn't place what it was.

As I went about my various activities, I was getting more and more perplexed: that smell was slightly fresh and slightly floral and slightly off and odd, but not anything I could identify. I did some samples, wrapped a package, hung the laundry to dry, made tea a couple of times, etc, etc.

Finally, it occurred to me to smell the daffodils sitting on the table. Aha. There is was: I have two vases of daffs. Assumed they had no fragrance. That'll teach me to assume.

I love the smell of the daffodil's visual cousin, narcissus, but the lovely yellow blooms smell off-kilter, with ... a splash of urine. How startling.

I wasn't aware of any perfumes smelling of daffodils and now I know why. I love the papery, almost sour-powdery animal smell of narcissus: it's strange and interesting and beautiful.

The daffs look lovely -- and a couple of bunches can currently be had for under £2.

But, alas, by evening I realised I had caught some sort of lurgy that has me aching and sore-eyed (been feeling odd the past few days and now I know why) -- and I think the smell of the daffs has contributed to the intensity of it and some squeamishness. So, I don't think I'll ever be able to buy them again now.