The strangest things invoke memories don't they?

I "discovered" Fairy liquid when i first came to England (back in the 1960s!) and loved its smell. Lived abroad for a couple of years before returning to the UK. Bought Fairy and when I opened it, I thought, 'Yes, I'm home!'

When my first child was a few weeks old I bought a bottle of gripe water. When I opened it and smelt it, oh my lord I was transported right back to my own babyhood! The memory that smell evoked was so overwhelmingly strong - I had an immediate sense of lying down, and my feet being lifted up, before being given a spoonful of gripe water. When I told my mother of this memory she said I was remembering lying in my pram, which had a large space under the mattress, in the 'belly' of the pram, where such things as spare clothes, nappies, purse, gripe water and so on were kept (as well as any shopping she'd bought). So mum would lift up the foot section of the mattress to access this space. She told me I couldn't have been much older than about 10 months, because then I wouldn't have been lying down, but sitting up in the pram.

The smell of Lenor transports me straight back to spring/summer 1982. Must have been using that whilst DH was in the Falklands. (The sound of Ian MackDonald's (MoD spokesman) voice has the same effect.

Alima, I occasionally used Lenor as a hair conditioner whenn I ran out of the proper stuff back then ! It worked as well as anything else. I have been known to use fairy liquid to wash my hair with - not now , but when I was younger, and it didn't do me any harm.

Yesterday I found some old photos of my dear parent who died at the time of the millennium I caught myself in floods of tears and missing them badly. My favourite photo showed them in my Grandma's garden on their wedding day looking so young and happy. Time flies so fast.

The smell of new leather does it for me. Suddenly I am eleven years old and off to grammar school with books in my leather satchel, and feeling rather nervous. And who could forget the smell of wet gabardine macs hanging in the cloakroom?

PS it was only 62 years ago....

Smells are so evocative aren't they. There is a certain after shave.......

Teetime I know exactly what you mean the smell of a particular aftershave takes me right back to 1965 his name was Arthur and he used to wear a navy blue crombie that reached to his toes and he was only about 5ft 4 inches tall !

Eau Sauvage!

My mum always used Coty's L'Aimant perfume and I recently passed a very old lady wearing it (didn't know you could still get it!) and for a moment my mum was standing next to me!

Peach scented soap transports me back to 1978 and the birth of my son.

The smell of pelargoniums always takes me back to my childhood home, where my mother had two of them, one each side of the front door on the windowsills. They were the classic bright red flowered variety and as a child I hated the smell of them, but now I love the memories it evokes

Nivea Creme. As soon as I smell it I'm reminded of family seaside holidays in boarding houses. My mum would rub the Nivea on my sister and me
before we went out in the sunshine. Now I think about it, no idea why as surely it wasn't for sun protection?

On Countryfile last night they did an article on English flowers and they said that scent has the power to evoke the most powerful memories. This thread seems to confirm the fact. Tar and roses always reminds me of school, when they retarmacced(?) the tennis courts near the rose garden.

One of my friends is coming out of hospital today and yesterday I had another friend take me to Simply Food to get some flowers to welcome her home. They had beautiful freesias and I picked them up to smell that wonderful scent. Absolutely nothing!! Is it possible to breed scents out?
I bought her a pot plant instead.

Oh yes... it's all coming back..

Brut33 aftershave reminds me of when I was 16 and also 'Body Mist' in the squeezy bottle..

Nivea reminds me of my Nanna and she used it all her life, died when she was 93 and no wrinkles !

My mum also used Coty L'Aimant perfume.

Memories...

I found an empty blue glass bottle in a junk shop that had contained Evening in Paris perfume. The smell remains and takes me back to childhood as my mum used to wear it on special occasions. She went on to discover Tweed, which I loathed.

Old Spice aftershave does it for me - likely to jump on its wearer even now. Still a teenager inside and still wanting to wear their clothes but have toned it down (only a bit though)

My mother's house smelled of bleach downstairs, and Imperial Leather soap upstairs. Even though I use bleach near daily, it's still the smell of Mum's. For my children, it's Imperial Leather that is the smell of their Nan's.
The smell of wet dog reminds me of my own lovely Old English Sheepdog. Happy memories.

Quickies face wipes in little round plastic containers. Mum never left home without them. What I objected to was the force she used when cleaning my face! I suppose it was preferable to the 'spit on a hankie routine'.

Ambre Solaire brings back many, many memories! mmmmmmmmmm

Oh my word.. the spit on the hankie, and the accusations of having a tidemark around my neck will never leave.

My mother would swivel her neck round in the car and look at me and ask me 'have you had a wash' ?

(think Mrs Doyle) and you you've got the scenario..

It's a wonder I am still sane

Sanity is overrated Nonnine1