Evoking childhood memories

It is always surprising to me how easy I forget things and situations and then suddenly something brings them back to my mind.

My parents bought a blue piece of soap and when I used it, I remembered that we used this special brand when I was a kid years and years ago.
I always loved to inhale the fresh, clean scent deeply, while I tried to blow soap bubbles.

Photo taken by Tiny (2009)

When I was still in school we read an article in educational science where young, middle aged and old people where asked which smells they connect with their early childhood.
Old people said things like: Milk, hay, curd soap, cattle, laundry starch...

The young people remembered smells like: fuel, exhaust gas, gum, ammonia, dye, perfumed clothes, etc...

When I think about my childhood I remember following smells:

freshly mowed lawn, campfire in my grandparent's garden, apple-cinnamon-crumble, the vanilla like scent of my mum, the acrid aftershave my dad used, I remember the smell of grandparent's house, I can only describe it as aromatic, spicy somehow. the chlorine in the swimming pool, freshly baked cookies.

I like those memories very much since I had a lovely childhood in a village where we could play outside the whole day without worrying, we built tree houses, roamed through the cornfields..

Maybe I'm idealising it a little bit but I rather remember the nice things than the less pleasant things.


I hope all of you remeber nice scents from your childhood too.