O Happy Days!!! Second day of sunshine here in Countyw Wicklow. Do we dare think the season is changing at last? There are definite signs around. Take a look at the shot below of the yellow gorse finally beginning to bloom on the Little Sugarloaf this morning. The world is definitely a brighter place when the skies are blue and the flowers are in bloom.

Of course another reason to be happy is Ireland's victory against England in the RBS 6 Nations Cup match last Saturday in Twickenham!! We've analysed the match inside out in here and all agree it was a super game and a well deserved win. Special congrats to winger Tommy Bowe as he scored two tries, the decisive one five minutes from time, to give Ireland the winning score.

We're getting ready for Christmas 2010 at the moment!! Yes I am sure you are wondering what that means given that we have just left one Christmas behind. Generally at this time of year we have to look towards what we are going to offer our customers for the following Christmas in terms of gift sets, fragrances etc. Barbara puts all her ideas & suggestions together on packaging, items etc and presents them to the team. Then each idea is vigorously discussed and finally decided upon. So already, hard to believe it, but yes we are currently in the process of getting ready for next Christmas!!!

We have also just launched a new promotion on Facebook. Why not log on to get details of our "Where in the World is Inis" competition. It's a lot of fun with good prizes and discounts - and worth having a look at our MD trekking up Little Sugarloaf to photograph his bottle of Inis believe me it is not the normal business attire in Fragrances!!

Is Spring finally on its way? Appears to be, here in Co. Wicklow anyhow! David managed to get a beautiful photo of snowdrops in bloom the other day – the first real sign of Spring. Just wish the temperatures would rise though because its still freezing cold and sometimes staying way below zero. Will we ever get some heat into our bones again? Here's hoping we get a sweltering summer this year, because we deserve it!!!

One day during the week we were all really late arriving to work here at Fragrances. A huge ten car pile up on the N11 as a result of freezing ice on the roads, brought the town of Bray and the N11 northbound to a standstill. It took ages to get in. Martin who works in our warehouse is also a fireman and was one of the first on the scene to help clear the carnage. Fortunately nobody lost their lives and there were no children involved but some people did have injuries. Let's hope they are all on the road to recovery now.

Still working to have our new fragrance CARU launched in the next few weeks. It's all very exciting and we will be dying to hear feedback from you, on what you think of it. CARU is a warm fragrance with scents of red berries, iris, vanilla and musk. We sent out newsletter during the week to our subscribers to introduce CARU and offering a limited amount of samples, so, if you would like a sneak preview before launch, just email us with your details....Trust me you'll love it!!!!

We are all ‘loved up’ here in Fragrances of Ireland. We have been sharing our Valentine’s Day experiences and all good!!! From cards to flowers to meals out – we have done pretty well!! Contrary to popular belief The Age of Chivalry is not dead!!!!

During the week we got together to review our Customer Service strategy here in Fragrances. Although we always aim to do our best and go that extra mile for our customers there is always that opportunity to do even better. So we sat down, thrashed out our ideas and suggestions (David managing to illustrate his every suggestion by using his love of food and cooking – yes, and it works!!!) and now we are looking forward to providing our customers with a better and more personal service for 2010. After all if it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t be here at all!!!!

Finally the new carton for our fabulous new fragrance CARU has been printed. You will love our new Eau de Toilette named after the old irish verb ‘to love’ – I for one, am it’s number one fan! Watch out for it as it is soon to be launched....

Another year’s stocktake over! Thankfully! It’s the one job that we don’t relish doing here at Fragrances of Ireland but it’s something that has to be done once a year. Every January our teams get together and spend time counting each and every stock item in our warehouses in Ireland and the US. It takes time and effort and can take second and third counts but we’ve gotten there and all over now for another year! Garry can now say goodbye to sleepless nights until next January - unless of course his two little boys manage to wake him up in the meantime!!

Last Tuesday we got our first glimpse of Spring here in County Wicklow – blue skies & crisp air! However it was a joke – we are now back to gloomy skies and very very cold! In fact we had hailstones here this morning and now Claire who lives in Roundwood (the highest village in Ireland!) is worrying that we are going to get another snowfall and she will be cut off from the world once again! Roll on summertime!

It was truly a weekend of two halves with Saturday being a glorious Winter's day, fresh, crisp, blue skies and Ireland winning their friendly against South Africa 15:10.. all in all a pretty perfect day. On Sunday morning you would have been forgiven for thinking that the world was about the end .... gales and monsoon rain, and the marquee swept up the courtyard!! But for those brave souls there was plenty of bargains to be had and even some of the lavender oil we distilled during the Summer.

As spring begins to battle its way through the sleet and the snow to add a touch of colour to the Garden of Ireland Angelina who has been keeping lookout at the Lavender Fields since Christmas has decided to take a well earned rest and head to the nearest ski resort!

She has asked us to send on her best wishes to all of you who made her feel so welcome while passing on the N11 we hope to see her again soon, we can pass on any messages to her as soon as she gets settled.

There is some talk of her sister Erin coming to visit so keep your eyes peeled and if any one happens to catch up with Angelina on the slopes send us in a photo and we shall put it up.

At this time of year, Fragrances of Ireland celebrates the harvesting of lavender from their lavender field in Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow, with a lavender harvest party. This year was no exception! more »

Nose Job

In a purple field down Wicklow way, there’s a fragrance to be bottled.

The Army of bumble bees may not know it as they work to the rumbling sound of the N11 in a field of purple. But they are part of what is possibly the world’s most expensive lavender oil production line. We are standing in the Fragrances of Ireland lavender field in Co Wicklow. It is a sight experienced by some as a bright blur on the left as they slow down and watch for speed-traps at Kilmacanogue on the road from Dublin to Wicklow.

Inside a shed at the back of the field, a tall chrome still waits for the blossoms, which will be hand-picked soon, and put inside to boil. The steam will evaporate and the golden yellow lavender oil will be allowed to drip into collection jars.

The whole two-and-a-half-acre field will produce just three litres of lavender oil, maybe four if they are lucky. With most perfume oils coming from countries where the weather is hot and the labour cheap, this Wicklow oil is hard-won and has more than a bit of kooky marketing attached to its annual harvesting ritual.

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Our TV/Movie advertisement for Inis – Energy of the Sea. more »