Diane St Clair’s Song of Aubrac is beautiful. Distractingly, overwhelmingly beautiful.

I am drowning in golden light, as woozy as a pollen-dusted bumblebee. Drunk, and bumping into my own words.

I’m wearing it again and again because I find it so hard to believe.

I want to be able to make sense of it by rooting it in memories, unpacking a moment (golden hour –somewhere– with an undercurrent of deep contentment) that resonates like this polyphonic narcissus but instead I am almost cross with it. I want to be able to explain it away and move on.

Not a chance.

And it keeps stopping me, interrupting me, making me pause and shift attention to this green and gold light. It’s not intrusive like the press of strangers on a train, people walking out of step in a crowd, being tall in front of you in a gallery. But it’s present. A welcome presence, taking your hand as you walk along. (I am amazed that something so wholly floral can have such human presence, be alive with the warmth of a loved body.)

It’s glancing up from your book because you feel someone you love watching you read. And you lose your train of thought, lose your place, but there are worse interruptions. And maybe you should go for a walk together now instead.

All I can think of is the light pouring into St Jerome’s study in Durer’s print, of being transfixed by the glow of Van Eyck’s paintings, those translucent, living layers of oil, light through glass in an annunciation, embroidered jewels, flushed cheeks. And of the warm breeze that’s wrapping this scent around me as I sit in an open window and stitch shimmering thread, watching bees weave through the air.

St Clair Scents is only selling this in 2ml sample sprays at the moment* –and mine was a generous gift– but I very much hope there will be a bottle I can buy. Because I can’t bear the idea of only having a few more days of this perfume in my life.

* She expanded to bottle sizes up to 30ml and it’s still available. I am on bottle #2.

Originally posted 28 May 2020 and Yes, I know Godzilla is not a dinosaur. Dürer St Jerome added December 2025.