What Is That Smell?

As a lot of the "older" members of YGS will know, I seem to have a perchance for smelling odours at sometimes the oddest of moments. My following account is no exception to the rule.

It is now towards the end of July (or it was, when I wrote this) - our coldest time of the year - no ants, flies or mosquitoes to be found, thank heavens. With that thought in mind, I will relate my experiences of the last week.

On consulting my journal, I discovered that my first whiff of a strangely familiar smell was on Friday 19th July. I was snuggling down in bed, next to my snoring husband, Ray, when I caught a sniff of...? What is that scent? I couldn't put my finger on what scent that was! It was pleasant smelling, but seemed totally out of place. The smell seemed to drift away, and then come back again.

I sniffed at my pillow, then at my comforter and other bedclothes. I sniffed at Ray, (thank goodness he didn't wake up - he would have thought I was a total nut job) then at myself; none of my sniffs unlocked any mysteries. I eventually gave up, and went to sleep.

Saturday night passed uneventfully.

Sunday night, as I snuggled down once more, preparing to sleep, there was that perplexing odour again. Again I went through the sniffing routine, coming up empty handed. It was driving me Crazy!

Monday night came, and as expected, I smelled that tantalising scent. A light bulb suddenly went on in my head! I had it! I knew what that smell was..."mozzie mats"! For those of you who don't know what a "mozzie mat" is, I will explain. During summer, to ward off mosquitoes, we have a small heating apparatus which is plugged into a power point. A small rectangular "mat" which is infused with mosquito repellent is inserted into the slot provided, and the heat releases a pleasant odour along with the toxins (?) which chase away the mosquitoes.

I almost knocked myself out in my effort to sit upright in surprise. "Mozzie mats"? In the middle of winter? No wonder the smell was incongruous! Well, at least I was satisfied that I had identified the smell.

Tuesday came - Angel's birthday! For those of you who don't know, Angel is our youngest daughter, who passed away at the beginning of June 2012. Ray and I lit a red candle for her; her favourite colour, and to signify our love for her. I shed a few tears, and then settled down to answer letters that I had received.

That evening, after supper, I was once more seated at my PC in our computer room, Ray beside me. Suddenly I started to smell the "mozzie mats" again! By this time, I really thought I was going off my rocker. I turned to Ray, asking if he smelled it too. Of course the answer was negative. I continued what I was doing, but the smell grew stronger; so strong that I began to cough and gag. I fled to the bathroom - eyes and nose streaming!

The smell followed me. Between gasps for air, I murmured words in the following vein: "Angel, if that is you, please my darling, not so strong! I love you, and I acknowledge your presence, but have mercy, please!" As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the cloying odour was gone. I stopped coughing, and all went back to normal. I have not smelled "mozzie mats" again!

What do my esteemed readers make of that? Your thoughts and comments will be greatly appreciated.