OLD STUFF

 

This is a selection of stuff from recent brocantes.

Some of it is old, some not so old.

On the day of our own village brocante the weather was terrible so there were not many stall holders.  This was good news for the lady holding a "vide maison" where people could browse indoors so she had a steady stream of customers.  She said this set of playing card stainless steel dishes had been a wedding present.  Guessing her age I would say they were probably from the 1970's.  I bought them as a gift for some friends who occasionally hold card tournaments.

She also said her house was for sale, or would be once she had cleared out all the stuff (there was a lot of it).  I gave her my number as it could be exactly the kind of small house we're looking for.

This pretty set of espresso cups came from the brocante at Neuilly-le-Brignon.  When I got them home two of them were chipped so I swapped them for some I had already.  It was still a bargain for 2€.

This unusual chandelier came from the brocante restaurant in Pleumartin, the one where everything is for sale, including the dishes you eat off and the chairs and tables you sit at.

It took me a while to find some candles slim enough to fit in it.

This pretty dish is probably fairly modern but it's proved very handy for serving bread or a few biscuits.  A bargain at 1€. 

I got these Pyrex cups from the vide grenier at Le Grand-Pressigny, perfect to supplement my collection of small cups to serve chocolate mousse or lemon posset.  They remind me of the glass cups and saucers that were used to serve coffee in the coffee shops that were all the rage when I was a teenager in the 1960's.

This pretty green plant pot holder looked as though it had never been used.  In fact the price label was still on the bottom of it.  Although the price was not legible I bet it cost a lot more than the 1€ I paid for it.  The pineapple plant is a recent purchase from Ikea.

MAKING THE MOST OF FINE WEATHER AND BECOMING A BAG LADY

The weather was lovely this last weekend.  Sunday was gorgeous and it was so good to see the blue sky and feel some warmth in the sun.  We sat on the deck with our tea in the afternoon and later with a glass of wine.

When the weather is good we abandon all plans for indoor jobs and make the most of being able to spend time outdoors.

On Saturday we went to Loches market.  The sun brought a lot of people out and it was very busy.  The bag lady was there with her stall, having been absent every time we went since the summer.  I’ve been on a mission to find a small handbag for "going out".  My usual bags are all huge and get in the way when we go to lunch or dinner.  I’ve experimented with not taking a bag at all but what do you then do with your tissues or phone? Not to mention the husband's wallet, phone and car keys! Bulging pockets are uncomfortable and even in a place where people happily leave bags and belongings out of sight I'm still nervous of leaving anything in a coat hung on a coat rack.  A habit of a lifetime to not be an easy target for a thief.

The bag lady had just the right size of bags for such occasions.  Small bags big enough for essentials that could be slung over a shoulder without getting in the way or over a chair without tripping up a waiter.  I got two; red for winter, pastel green for summer and she gave me a good discount for buying two at the same time.  

This black one is a very old bag that I resurrected.  You can tell how old it is from the size of the pouch for a mobile phone.  It's tiny!  Now I'm all set up and have finally turned into a bag lady myself!

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The weather has changed and we have wet, grey and miserable days for the foreseeable future.

OLD STUFF

 

The brocante season is under way.  (A brocante being a street market for junk, antiques or bric-a-brac.)  At the one I visited most recently, on an unusually warm and sunny day, I came away with a nice little haul.  Total spend 4.50€.

The little terracotta plant holders were 50 cents each.  (Useful for growing on my collection of spider plant babies, the mother of them being a brocante purchase a few years ago.) They are actually quite new and two of them still had price labels of 3.99€ on the bottom.  

The tall glass jug will come in handy as a vase for tall flowers and foliage and was 1€. 

The enamel bowl was the most expensive item, 2€.  I suppose that word has got round that tatty old enamel items are much sought after by the fans of "shabby chic". 

I bought the bowl because it makes a perfect liner for our bird bath which is otherwise difficult to keep clean.  The bath part is very heavy and not easily lifted for cleaning out.  In the summer it becomes unpleasant with algae, dead insects and bird poo very rapidly.  

I can now lift out the basin, clean it and refill it very quickly and easily.  Daily if necessary.  The little birds already seem to love it.