Maybe I am stretching your imagination a little to allow today's title. Yet this tiny scarf reminds me of the delicate dessert. The colours yes, two shades of deep cream edged with purple, the texture of the silk, satiny smooth like a well cooked Creme and the purple bringing back memories of fields of lavender in the south of France or nearer home, my own back garden as I stripped the sweet smelling heads to make the annual dried lavender sachets.
But my small scarf is not French or English. It is Italian by the talented Enrico Coveri who died too young at 38 years with lung cancer. He certainly knew how to throw a party and will be remembered for his extravagant Masked Ball at the Palazzo Moretti. Can you imagine five hundred guests at a sit down dinner in one of the finest houses on the Grand Canal in Venice with each guest presented with a gift of mask and cape? When I next return from hospital after my eye injections wearing my very different mask and protective plastic raincape for COVID safety, I shall pretend I am off to a Grand Ball! Enrico was of course a fashion designer. Le Figaro wrote "Sequins are to Coveri what chains are to Chanel". The restrictions of lockdown are chains enough; let's go for sparkles. All fashion houses inevitably turn out perfumes and it is no surprise that Coveri's first perfume was Paillettes.....sequins. The name still goes on under the guidance of his family, sister and nephew, in fashion and perfumery for different age groups. There are even different versions of his original Paillettes. I think they are a little more sophisticated with greater complexity of olfactory notes than the simple essential lavender oil which now comes back into my blog.
I had a little accident this week. Yes, they often happen within the home. I was filling my hot water bottle, was careless for a moment and scalded myself down one arm with boiling water. Fortunately, I had a basin of cold water in the sink, plunged my arm into it immediately and then poured half a bottle of my precious lavender essence on the burn. I keep this in my kitchen for such emergencies. I read years ago about some chemist working in Paris who did this in desperation and came away unscathed. It certainly soothed the pain, but let's say I am glad I am not going to a Ball this week. Yet, knowing me, I probably have more than one pair of long satin evening gloves tucked away in a drawer to cover the scars!
Maybe I will not make lavender Creme Brûlée right now. It involves a Bain Marie of hot water and just imagine the damage I could do with a blow torch!
Busy Bee, Scarf Face!
Series 2, Blog 21.