My husband likes candles!

I know that's not really an earth shattering statement, but if you knew Mr K you would know how much out of character this is.  Enough to dedicate a whole blog page to anyway.  And I am not talking about the white paraphin candles you get out when there is a power blackout - no, I am talking about smelly candles!

 

 

Like most girls, I like my house to smell nice.  Its been a pretty tough, uphill battle to achieve this with three males in the house, not to mention the animals and my aversion to cleaning.  So like all good housekeepers, I mask the problem with candles and oils and smelly/pretty things.  These masking attempts have always been met with bad humour from the maleness of the household, or at the very least comments such as "awww Mum, they don't half stink" or "do you have to have so many cluttering up the place" (this from a husband that thinks leaving shoes, socks, shirts, business cards, pens all over the lounge is not clutter).

 

Now that the boys have left home and Mr K and I are empty nesters, the odds are even again.  Its him against me, and those odds have tipped even further in my favour as I have four rooms that are 'mine' to his one!  Oh the candles I have been buying.  Not to mention the mood reeds or the oils.  Each room of mine has a theme - my office is vanilla, warm and inviting, yet not too relaxed.  The guest bedroom is Lilly of the Valley as its my mums favorite.  The reading room is 'calm' - lavender and rose, while the lounge room is a unisex 'seaside'.

 

 

 

Mr K is a smoker - so he has his own aromatherapy called 'yuck!'.  Now that he has his own study, he has decided that this is his room and he will smoke in there (smokers are all rebels - thats why they started in the first place!).  I don't care, as long as the doors are closed and I don't ever need to go in there -its his domain.  Its a shame however, his study is all newly painted and carpeted, so to stink it up with smoke is sad.  But, as I said, its his room.  He has a mate come over each week - confirmed bachelor, who thinks having a mans study is as it should be - gentlemen smoking pipes and cigars and swilling red wine, while the women cook and make no kitchen noise (his words not mine). 

 

After a week, Mr K sheepishly says his study is a bit on the nose and were there any masculine candles?  I am not sure if he was thinking 'camping' - the smell of campfire and burnt chops, or 'sport' the smell of wet footy socks and meat pies, or even 'boys night out'- the smell of stale beer and vomit.  I did try however, went into my favorite candle store, Dusk, and asked if there were any smells for men!  Yes, I did get a funny look, so had to go on to explain the need for a candle to cover stale cigarette smoke. 

 

Ms Dusk Girl and I made the executive decision that a 'destination' candle called Tibet - a heady blend of black tea and lychee's would be the least girly smell.  I can't really see Mr K heading off to meditate in Tibet, but I am glad it was black tea and not green as that would have been a hippy thing too far for him.  I selected a tall pillar candle, matched it with a glass plate and trotted home to present the offering to Mr K.  He opened the package, accepted that it was a candle, sniffed it, asked what the glass plate was for and proceeded to set it up and light it.  I gave him the little speech they give me every time I buy a new candle, make sure you trim the wick each time, only burn it for an hour the first time etc.

 

 

 

He puffed away in his office for hours, his candle burning away, a romantic scene if ever there was one.  Dubious about how much a candle could actually cover the pungency of smoke, I snuck into his office the next day and was very pleasantly surprised and had my olfactory senses appeased.  I almost forgot myself and thought I was indeed immersed in Tibet. 

 

The next day, he came up to my reading room, asking for the little thing-a-ma-jig that I trim the wicks with.  What!!?  Not only did he listen to me, but he was getting a little bit cardigan with matching scarf for my liking.  I have to say, I am most impressed but even more surprised that my husband now likes candles.