I love summer, with its early morning clear light that quickly turns hazy and warm. Golden hot sun bakes the patio and there is a constant buzz in the air from the bees making their rounds through vividly colored snapdragons, larkspur, day lilies and hollyhocks in the garden. The work pace slows down, water cooler breaks are more frequent, with perhaps even an afternoon espresso break allowed this time of year — a nod of thanks to our European friends across the pond.
Yes, summer is good. And for some of us, summer also brings back fond memories of the beach — gathering shells, dodging the waves, rolling in tired but happy at the end of a long day outdoors, with that slight salty pungent tang on our skin. And it seems that the home fragrance industry agrees. There are an abundance of products on the market designed to elicit sensations of turquoise water and palm fronds, dried up drift wood and tangy sea salt. Today I am going to review two home spray fragrances in this category: Azur by The Thymes, and Aqua by Antica Farmacista…
Denmark and India are two very different countries. In fact, I am hard pressed to imagine two countries with less in common. This is probably why, being half Danish and half Indian, I tend to notice the very few occasions when they share something. On a recent trip to India, in the garden of the house that used to belong to my grandparents, I was enchanted to see a whole wall covered with fragrant sweet pea flowers. I was enchanted not only because of their wonderful colors and fragrance, but also because as a child spending summers in Denmark, my most vivid fragrance recollection is that of sweet peas as well. They grew profusely in my Danish grandparents' garden and thrive in the mild Danish summer climate, while limiting their life span in India to the (very) early spring before the summer heat sets in. 
During our recent cold spell and rain-storms here in the Northeast, I felt a craving for a rich, comforting scent to bring some depth, light and warmth into my surroundings. I wandered around sniffing my half burnt candles trying to decide which to light, but nothing quite seemed to resonate. My all-time favorite blustery weather candle, Mure Sauvage by L'Artisan, was all finished, and I was about to give up my search when I came across an unopened box — African Lily by Red Flower. 
Continuing with the spring cleaning theme of my last review (