Chelsea Boadicea the Victorious 2013

My dearest grandson,

now the time has come, after all these years I have departed. Rest assured, it was a rich and fulfilling life!
You know, you have always been my favorite of all. Even as a little boy, when you climbed onto my lap and listened to my stories. For that, you shall receive the most valuable thing I possess. Not earthly goods, which my sons and daughters can share, no, the most valuable thing of all: the secret of long life!
You know, I have experienced many adventures, as a young sailor in the merchant marine and even later on. You surely know the greatest one by heart, as I had to tell you about it so often: the shipwreck off xxxx. You always thought you knew everything about it, but here is the whole truth: when I came to after the shipwreck, alone and more dead than alive, I saw her face for the first time. A face so brown and deeply furrowed, and as old as the earth itself. A medicine woman, a shaman, had saved me, and since I have always been interested in botany, I was able to communicate well with her, and soon she taught me everything she knew. Including the secret of long life, which I will now entrust to you, just as she showed me:

as soon as darkness falls
on the first new moon of the year
rub yourself against the bark of the sacred tree
under the eagle rock
cover yourself with its resins
leave the ripe bergamots behind
you do not need them
continue until midnight
then rest for an hour on the branches of fragrant bushes
their seeds shall cover you
play the drum
and dance the trees
and dance the night
dance all that is transient
and dance your true name
recognize your self
and let it go
embrace all trees and become one with them
let the bitterness of existence fade away
until dawn you shall lie in the dark grass
and then cover yourself with the black earth
dream the sunrise this way
and recognize your place in creation

That was all, you know the place, perform the ritual, live long and happily!
Your loving grandfather

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My grandfather died 4 weeks ago. In a motorcycle accident. He was once again going way too fast, on his way to one of his lovers. He was 123 years old. I just booked the flight to xxxx.

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Chelsea does not mess around with bergamot frills and starts off strong with oud of the bitter, medicinal kind. No cow barn in sight, which is already good. Spices are also present from the beginning and enhance the medicinal impression even more. Dark vetiver joins in, and later a bit of patchouli. The medicinal bitterness recedes somewhat but remains ever-present. After 1.5 hours, a very slight freshness from the vetiver comes through, along with dark wood and a bit of damp earth. I couldn't detect any amber. The whole thing lasts easily 8-9 hours and projects quite strongly for the first 2-3 hours. The scent does develop, but the medicinal-bitter oud remains dominant from start to finish.
Another oud variant after the cow barn - I already prefer this one by 100%. I still don’t like wearing it though…

Thanks to the shaman Toppine!