It all started with an invitation of doing some picking at The Lavender Way on one of those sunny days towards the year end. Warm hugs and soul talk with a cup of tea. More precisely, the inimitable Earl Grey with a bit of milk & honey as served by Gill, the Lavender Lady. As chatting, she offered me testing her latest edition of lavandula angustifolia essential oil from this year.
I am one of the very few lucky ones indeed, who has the privilege to walk through The Lavender Way with an all-year-round ticket that comes with exclusive guidance & inspiring conversations from a precious friendship with Gill, The Lavender Lady herself, and her caring family both two- and four-legged. To extend my exclusive position, I thought it is also my duty to share some of the experiences that I am granted first hand.
Beyond reporting from the fields, it also concerns the experiences of the new essential oils of the ‘lavandarium’. So I had the chance to premiere testing the current most amazing edition of lavandula angustifolia essential oil. In my first impressions on site, on that incredibly warm November day on Crete with a temperature at almost 20 Celsius, I sensed something so soft and innocent like a baby, yet rich as the field itself with proliferating wild flowers all around. We all agreed that it is a standalone perfume in itself. I couldn’t leave but with a couple of bottles to share with my loved ones and of course keep one for my personal use.
As it happens, the experience might change by time, mood, weather… Every time I sniff this fairly young angustifolia oil, it gives me something new, and the impression that the newborn baby keeps gently developing with appearing power and a bit of wildness. To give you an understanding and background of the qualities, I searched for my photographs taken in the field March 2017. I selected the ones that give a wider perspective, showing some of the wild plants happily growing together with the lavender, and surely contributing to the richness of the oil got born and captured at harvest time during the months from over the summer. Enjoy!
