Extract of Limes Penhaligon's 2009

There were a few heroes in my very young years. Most of them - like Grisu, the little dragon who wanted to be a firefighter - quickly faded away as I grew older. But then came an English gentleman with the wonderful name Phileas Fogg, who wagered half his fortune in his London club that he could travel around the world in 80 days. Together with his servant Passepartout, he set off on the journey (which today could be done effortlessly in significantly less than 80 hours) and won the bet after an adventurous ride in literally the last second.

What I particularly admired about Phileas Fogg back then was that unflustered gallantry that is commonly attributed to English gentlemen. I have since seen several English gentlemen who were not exclusively unflustered and gallant (e.g., in the context of beer and football matches), but Phileas Fogg - he was always in control, impeccably dressed, and hardly ever had even a speck of dust on his impeccable tailored suits. The Irish actor Pierce Brosnan played him wonderfully - in the late 80s, when he was still known as Remington Steele and not as James Bond 007.

A gentleman like Phileas Fogg, I imagine, does not smell perfumed, never. He has a scent - only when one comes close - at most of some fresh citrus with just a hint of soapiness. And this fine, very British touch of citrus freshness is what the venerable house of Penhaligon's infused into its delicate Extract of Limes. After long flights (or car rides), one sometimes feels as if they haven't washed for days. A spritz of a pleasant fragrance like this (and perhaps a toothbrush) is often enough - and everything is just as it should be again.

Conclusion: about Camilla Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duchess of Cornwall - at a time when she was still known as Parker-Bowles and rather uncharmingly referred to as 'the Rottweiler' (I liked her even back then) - it was once said that she would sometimes wipe herself down with a damp towel behind the open door of the Land Rover after a sweaty hunt instead of taking a time-consuming bath, and then immediately slip into her evening gown. Provided she took a drop of Extract of Limes from the pocket of her worn Barbour jacket beforehand, one might almost say - so what?