Weekword: Accord

In spite of my usual forced-sunny outlook for January - it's not as bad as everyone makes out, poor old January, etc - I have found that blogging, like many other things which don't involve napping under a duvet, has been quite a struggle so far this month.

This week's weekword, picked by newcomer Helen, is no exception. An exciting word, with several meanings: just the sort of word I like for Weekword. But it's been buzzing round my head all week and all I can think of is perfume. I am used to seeing "sweet cream accord" or some such thing on a list of notes in perfumes from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab but realised I never quite knew what it meant. I'd always assumed it meant the purest form, but then concluded that would be an absolute. Turns out, an accord is a combo of scents which together make a familiar fragrance: hence, sweet cream, which of course has a smell but cannot be added to a perfume. Who knew?

Incidentally, though, when trying to find out what an accord is in perfume, I found this which just calls loudly to the bit of my brain that goes gaga for mind maps. I'm a bit famous in the History department at school for loving mind maps more than is perhaps proper. I sometimes feel a bit sorry for students in my classes who are not visual learners, because mind maps or spider diagrams or whatever it is I am calling them on that particular day make up, I would gues, roughly one third of my starter activities.

Finally, the word did make me think of this song.



Weird Al has done a lot of polkas, but this is the one I know best. There's a lot of accordion in it. It also sort of makes me think of the man who plays the accordion up the 'wood. He's there all the time: not just Saturdays, but weekdays too, if the week before Christmas is anything to go by. He plays in all weathers. I guess it's good practice and he has a good busking spot so hopefully he makes some money as well. I think he shows remarkable dedication, though. He'll have got his 10,000 hours in before he knows it.

Turns out, I did have something to say! And I'm picking for next week, so please pop back on Monday for the word, and post a comment if you'd like to play along.