What is the matter with me?? I am collecting THINGS !! Not normal manly things such as a three metre rock on the mantlepiece that has written all over it “Heavy! Man!” or engine pistons from 1905 dripping oil from shelves onto the Persian carpet. No !! Perfume bottles !! And not any old common or garden bottles but Arabian perfume bottles. Why ?. Because I absolutely love them ! I can’t stand three metre rocks or piston rings. They should be left plugged into the side of a mountain or a car engine and I don’t care which item goes where.
But I’m a man. I should sell my Granny to get a 1917 piston from a make of car nobody has heard of. Or spending a year dragging a ten tonne rock down a mountain, across a piranha infested river, up to the house, onto the mantlepiece and flop onto the couch for the next year with a six-pack at my side. Wrong !! I’ve got Arabian perfume bottles lined up like a beauty contest at Las Vegas. Maybe that is why I collect them, subconsciously seeing feminine shapes in all their glory, tantalising me every time I look at them.
I am never going to use them. I am never going down to the local Sukh to the perfume shop filled with the aromas of a thousand and one nights and fill not one of them. The bottles collect THINGS !! Dust and spider webs ! But the bottles seem to like collecting more of them every time they are dusted. They are not writing a post on their collections. I wonder why I am ?
They make me think of genie bottles! Do the djinn pop out if you rub them? Thinks of the djinn of fire!! I will now pretend that I can belly dance!
Hello again Elisa. What a good idea. I haven’t tried rubbing them to see if there is a djinn. If not, I could always fill them with gin and pretend
Take care Elisa. Ralph x
No BOOZE!!! lord it’s hard to scowl and to giggle at once!
I am sure it is difficult Elisa
Nice “collection” of fancy looking perfume bottles.
LOL – They do look as if they are contestants in a beauty contest of sorts.
Hi RoSy. They do a little don’t they? I thought it might be rude to ask my lady readers which bottle they looked like. I daren’t !! They would kill me !!
Take care RoSy, Ralph x
Ha – I would have to say the 1st one – I have no hips…
RoSyyyyy!! I cannot comment on any comparison remarks. I am too much of a gentleman…..hmm !
Very nice your collection of perfume bottles, Arabic!
I think besides “bottles collect things! Dust and cobwebs!” Together and many memories that store invisible within them. I think … If they could talk … many beautiful stories would say! Thank you so much, Ralph, that share your hobby with us, the collector, which is very nice!
Have a great day, Ralph! All the best to be for you! Stefania!
What a lovely way of expressing “if only they could talk”. If they were female they would probably talk a lot
And to you Stefania. Have a wonderful weekend. Ralph x
Ralph you are just weird!
Actually you are not weird at all – these are beautiful and you obviously have an eye for the finer things. I love the one with the spout–but they are all graceful and speak of times long ago and far away.
Lou Annnnn !! Over the last few days I have been called sweet, a philanderer, a sly dog, a scoundrel, a goof and now weird. Any one else want to add to the list ? I love you all really.
Lou Ann I thank you for your beautiful comment. Take care. Ralph x
Why not fill one of them with the aromas of a thousand and one nights and then realise it into the warmth of night? Why not? The same person, who called you ‘philanderer’, also knows that you are a gentleman … one of those from now all but extinct breed of gentleman who were called that because they embodied that rare combination of strength and tenderness in a same person.
Take Care
Daniela
Okay Daniela I shall ride my magic carpet to Morocco from Spain, fill up, return and release the fragrances. Sounds good to me. I prefer your version of the word philanderer. The Oxford English dictionary has another risque meaning which of course would never apply to me. Yes. Your version is pleasing and acceptable. Have a nice weekend Daniela and thank you for another comment full of your wisdom. Ralph x
Ralph, I love your collection! They are exquisite without being overly pretty. Antiques hold history and charm – releasing the aroma of mystique into the rooms they inhabit. Sometimes I buy something just because it is old.
~ Wendy
Hello Wendy and thank you for liking my bottles. I don’t think that they are that old. But they are pretty. You can buy me. I’m old !!
Have a nice weekend Wendy. Ralph x
Funny what we collect. I do have an oil can from the railroad that sat on my fireplace mantle for years…Collect what you love.
Hello again Alice. Interesting…..hmmm ! Woman…..oilcan !!
Take care. Ralph x
Oh dear Ralph, I love to collect these kind of things too… I loved them all. You are amazing. Thank you, with my love, nia
Hello again Nia. I am now blushing even more so. Thank you for your wonderful comment. Take care Ralph x
The bottles are lovely, however it’s your writing here which stands out. Very well written and enjoyable. No, the bottles do not write, thankfully you do.
Elisa reckons that there could be a djinn in a bottle…..who knows he may be a blogger? LOL
Your comment Alex is graciously accepted. Ralph x
But how gorgeous they are! And when you think about it, it’s a pretty unique collection and will always serve as a conversation starter for guests.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I appreciate it!
Thank you so much Carrie for your wonderful comment. I’ll visit your blog again soon. Ralph x
I used to collect Genie bottles but then I moved to San Diego and they didn’t make the trip from Texas. I have just four right now, including a huge bronze one that cost me a few hundred bucks. It’s my favorite, though.
What a great shame Russel losing those bottles. The genii took them
No. I gather they broke. They are so thin and delicate. When I moved house I had them all packed together with nothing else in a tight fit in a small drawer of a cabinet. They made the move okay. I would love to see the huge bronze one. Take care. Ralph
I think I had something like 220 of them. I actually sold the whole collection to a woman in Houston. The ones I have now are ones that I kind of got attracted to and couldn’t resist buying.
220 !! Wow !! That’s some collection ! Yes, I understand having favourites, the special ones to you. Have a good week Russel. Ralph
Hello Ralph, your collection (collect?) is beautiful, for me i prefer to collect old decanters, it’s almost the same thing, excuse me i don’t speak english very well, bise
Bonjour Maxine et bienvenue sur mon petit blog. J’espère que c’était amusant autant pour vous que le vôtre a été pour moi. Votre anglais est très bon et je vous comprends. J’aime utiliser Google Translate que nous pouvons parler à l’autre tellement mieux et il est plus facile que de se battre avec l’autre langue. Carafes anciennes hein! Très belle ….. encore plein de vin ou maintenant vide après une bonne nuit.
Prenez soin Maxine et ont une belle semaine. x Ralph
Ralph, how about a little compromise. Display the bottles, and they are indeed lovely, on a stone of whatever tonnage you feel comfortable with. You have a keen eye, and I can see why you collect them. Also, you are writing this post because it makes US happy. Many thanks.
Good idea Freedlife. I am in temporary accomodation at the moment. But!! When I’m settled…..stone on bottles was it ??….
Thanks for your great comment. Take care. Ralph
Love your collection of Arabian perfume bottles – so pretty!
Oh That’s nice. Thank you Natfee. Take care Ralph x
Ralph, you are YOU, do not try to fit the box other men fit into. Keep your originality and your beautiful perfume bottles.
Hello Valentina. Oh yes I am certainly me, well I think I am
Thank you for your fitting remarks and as you say I must keep my originality. (Now where did I put it ?) My perfume bottles will definitely stay with me and I hope to add to the collection in the future when I finally get permanently settled. Hugs. Ralph x
They are part of you, so if you space and you like to collect, you should add to it when you find that particular example of originality. Once I started a collection of tea and coffee pots from around the world. I ran out of space and stopped. Dommage!
The thrill for me is not only the beauty of the bottles but the way I found them, tucked away behind bric-a-brac in a quant shop by Ronda Bull Ring or a back street store in Mijas or a friend buying me one in a Sukh in Morocco. Each one has it’s story to tell. I could buy a million on line but it’s not the same as chancing upon one now and again. That’s the fun for me.