Over the last few weeks, I’ve become a perfume tart. There, I’ve said it. After faithful service to Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea splash for the past two years, I’ve turned my back on loyalty and branched out.

It started when I met the boy from the bike shop, who I’ve been hanging out with after buying a helmet I didn’t need and giving him my phone number afterwards. A few days before our first date, I went to my favorite store on Brunswick Street, Klein’s Perfumery and after much deliberation, bought the most beautiful perfume called Stella. I couldn’t help laughing when the sales woman showed me the description on the box - “as opinionated and moody as a rebellious young Italian beauty”. I’ve been described as opinionated and moody, also rebellious. Young might be stretching the envelope, but a chunk of my family background is definitely Italian … and it smells like blood oranges, my most beloved citrus ever.

So Stella was my constant companion until I went to Bali. I spent that week devoid of any scent except the slightly metallic undertone of the well water we bathed in, and the occasional frangiapani behind the ear. When we came home, I couldn’t resist going to the duty free shop and perusing the perfumes. I bought a bottle of Chanel No 5 and have spent the last week remembering how much I love the smell, which reminds me of my mother, and a crazy producer I used to work with on Blue Heelers.

On Friday I went into the city to buy jeans, and ended up at the Jo Malone counter in David Jones. I’d been reading about her blue agave and cacao perfume in heaps of magazines and wanted to try it, but it was way too chocolatey for my liking - possibly the first time I’ve ever said such a thing! I sampled a few of the others, and fell in love with the nutmeg and ginger fragrance, which is light and gorgeous - perfect for summer. Now the only hard part is deciding which one fits my day best.

Last night (wearing the Jo Malone perfume), I went to see La Clique, a circus/burlesque show at the Famous Spiegeltent. Trying to describe the show in words is almost impossible, so let me just say I have a new training goal in mind, which is to become so strong I can lift my body just using fabric swathes hung from a convenient location on a ceiling … I’m figuring I should have it down in a couple of weeks … (!)

One of the performers was an unbelievable female acrobat who had fabric swathes just like the ones I mentioned, and she’s replaced Lara Croft as my hero. Thank God my wrist is up for weight training again!

Today I’m loving: the idea of three days off next week, so I can get myself organised.