It’s amazing what smells can do. No, I don’t mind the Lynx effect (however appealing that advert may make it, I’ve been taught that women are not objects – magnetic or otherwise) but more the smells of food.

This happened earlier last week. I got off of the bus to uni and headed towards the entrance to the main building. All of a sudden there was this waft of something. That sort of indistinguishable smell of food that instantly makes you hungry regardless of how full you are or how bulimic you are.

But it came down to the kind of generic smell only school cafeterias could provide. But I’m talking proper school dinners, not any of this Jamie Oliver bollocks. Turkey drummers, curly fries and beans. Side of jelly. Beautiful.

But if I were to pinpoint any time in my life that smell reminded me of, it would have to be Kingswood Activity Centre (If you don’t know what Kingswood’s like, think Center Parcs but for poor people). I went there in Year 4 for a weekend, then Year 6 for a week back in the day when Northampton had a 3-tier school system – ie the good old days. You’re constantly doing activities throughout the day – things like rock climbing, quad biking and aeroball – and as a young kid you work up an appetite. So when you smelt that smell, you knew dinner was on its way. Something that you desperately needed.

Then, the other day I was walking along Bournemouth beach and smelt another smell. Surprisingly being a British beach it wasn’t excrement, but that of aeroplane. You know the smell, it’s not quite air-conditioned air, it’s not quite sterilised air, it’s the kind of air that you smell and just want to open a window.

Anyway, that instantly made me want to go on holiday this summer. I know last year I went to Canada but I want to go again. Even if it’s somewhere lame like Spain (but obviously, I’d prefer Australia – just saying…) I just like having that anticipation of going somewhere on a plane.

The ‘waking up early for a flight’ bit is one of my favourites. I mean, for anything else waking up early is one of the things I absolutely hate, but when you’re flying somewhere there’s that air of excitement when you do it. Then there’s check-in, security, the taking off bit, (the actual flying’s a bit lame), the landing bit, the journey to the hotel bit and the first lie down on your bed at the other end. Ahh, I want to do it again just writing this. Rawr. Anyone want to take me anywhere exotic? Obviously don’t if you’re a weirdo. Okay, now I’ve changed my mind.

*sigh* Now I’m stuck in Poole with no money to do anything spontaneous and exciting (Thanks, Student Finance). No journey to Canada this year. Perhaps if I save up extra hard I can go somewhere after my second year…

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Tags: Bournemouth, May, Northampton, Poole