The best of 2010

So the end of the year is nearly with us and the lovely Trish from Scent Hive has arranged for a group of bloggers to write about our favourite fragrances, food and anything else that took our fancy this year.

I find deciding what my best anything is very difficult; I struggle with a favourite colour, most beloved album, ultimate film, clearly I have no idea at all which perfume I would wear if there could be only one! Inevitably I think when you try to do year bests you tend to be thinking more of recent discoveries and therefore yearly round ups often favour the more recently released. I have tried to avoid giving you a best of November and December but I fear I may have failed a little in some areas.

So to start with fragrances- this year I think has been particularly strong for male scents and I've particularly liked Sartorial by Penhaligons, both for it's character and for it's unusual and cool inspiration (a Saville Row tailor)- Penhaligon's future releases seem sure to be as quirky and clever; I also appreciated Chanel's Bleu- it's classic but I think in a male scent that is no bad thing, you want men to smell like men sometimes.

For the ladies I liked the Annick Goutal rose collection- I have so many rose perfumes that I haven't actually invested in these but I thought they were well done- beautiful, full, romantic, classic scents.

Although they were not only released this year my great perfume house discovery has been Strange Invisible Perfumes- a really wonderful collection of scents which happen to be natural but which are the best and most interesting scents I've smelled for women this year.

In food I continue to be obsessed with flower flavourings and trying to track down essences; if anyone can find me some geranium essence to bake with I would be very grateful. I thought the invention of, or at least mainstream availability of, alcoholic ginger beer in 2010 was spiffing old chap!

Films I loved this year- well I can't remember films I loved this week at the moment but Inception certainly stood out as a challenging film that straddled the mainstream and art house audience and that I was truly gripped by. I also loved The Social Network, Four Lions, The Illusionist (the cartoon), Somewhere (not for everyone I know but for me, it worked) and two films that I saw this year at the London film festival- Little White Lies and the King's Speech, more on both soon I hope.

Music of the year- for once this is actually easy- the best album of the year for me was Laura Marling's I speak because I can; it's been my almost constant companion and seen me through some quite stressful early mornings, I don't imagine I could ever not want to listen to it and I know I will still treasure it in thirty years. Hadestown by Anais Mitchell is also incredibly cool- thanks very much to For Folk's Sake for pointing me towards this one.

In television I am very predictable and if it has a costume I probably like it- Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Upstairs Downstairs and Ashes to Ashes please stand up. I also found Grey's Anatomy this year and lost about one hundred hours of my life to people who only wear scrubs. My love affair continues to be with the radio though- specifically Radio Four (although I like the Radio Five film show very much too) and of course the now saved and cherished BBC 6music.

Books- I can only ever remember what I just read which was Comfort and Joy by India Knight for Christmas (which I loved, there should be more Christmas books)- and the Diary of the Lady by Rachel Johnson (which is hilarious, filled with details of the idiosyncratic Lady office, the publications delightfully eccentric readers and staff and what it's really like to be an Editor). I have read lots this year though and hope to read more next- my find of the year was probably Foyle's book shop (I'm aware it's been there forever but it's new to me)- I always have a lovely time ambling around there and they do great events and have a nice cafe. Long live the book shop.

Wishing you all a very happy New Year; please do visit the other blogs that are participating in offering you their best of 2010:

The Non Blonde

Smelly Blog

Roxana Illuminated Perfume

DSH Notebook

I Smell Therefore I am

EauMG

All I am, a Redhead

Schreibman's Live

Portland Examiner

CaFleureBon

Persolaise

Sorcery of Scent

Scent Hive


Image thanks to Roxana Villa from Roxana Illuminated Perfume