A Kiss by the Fireside 
4160 Tuesdays (2013)

A Kiss by the Fireside has what Howard Jacobson calls the grandeur of adversity overcome.
He writes about meeting a pelican, walking towards him on a bridge in St James's Park, on Boxing Day.
It's the weirdness of the scene that gets him, and like an agnostic speaker on Thought for the Day, he can't resist drawing some kind of parable.
To be happy in this life, he says, don't try to release your Inner Self, instead - he urges - be Who you are Not. Don't fly when flying is expected of you, walk - like the pelican; don't be beautiful, be strange.

But think of it from the pelican's point of view, who is beautiful, and who is strange?

If Jacobson tried A Kiss by the Fireside; crackling logs, balsams and disinfectant, he might see that beauty and strangeness are not necessarily opposites; it's like meeting a pelican in the park, all a matter of perspective.

Stardate 20171010:

Smoky clovey rose. The synth rose is a bit too much up top. The rose here is very similar to CdG 2 rose. But then it settles down well. Clove and smoke play very nice with this rose. I like it and would recommend it. Much better than CdG2.

This is a sweet, warm, almost smoky, intriguing fragrance with the listed note of clove seeming to match the smell, and the wood note seemingly the other main one. This is nice and agreeable. A tentative thumbs up - it feels slightly too sweet at moments, and overly familiar in the initial opening, but it's too complex and agreeable as it develops to be less than a thumbs up.

Purchased very cheaply as a blind buy on an auction site.

My first reaction was that it is very Tauer-y, with hints of Incense Rose and L'Air du Desert Marocain, but that it is also sunnier than either of those. There is a bright rosey ice-cream, yet medicinal quality to the top notes that is very reminiscent of Tocade. The Tocade comparisons end after about 20 mins in and the Tauer vegetal, woody dry down kicks in. This is backed up by my boyfriend, who is a long suffering frag-widow - his judgements of my perfumes rarely go beyond a word or two: "nice", "flowers", "sweets", and sometimes even just "yeah"or "perfume". He has dubbed A Kiss "The Christmas One", a comparison of wrists revealed Tocade as "The Christmas One but lighter". So there you go folks, a Christmas Tocade. Excellent longevity on me, all day. Definitely will be keeping it for cosy winter evenings.

NB: Universally hated by all in the office today, teased all day. Spritz with care!

NB2: Have since sold my bottle on eBay. A comparison with L'Artisan Parfumeur's Saffran Troublant concluded that A Kiss doesn't do anything that Saffran T isn't capable of, and that Saffran T is a much more rounded and sophisticated version of the same accords. Roses, vanilla and spices, warm and cosy. Vaguely sexy if you are into Christmas cakes…Otherwise wear it to read your favourite book (again).

I absolutely love this one!!! My first love from Sarah's perfumes!!