A PAIR OF PAIRS, A STACK OF PLATES, A MISHAP AND A FREE DISH (old stuff)

One of the things I look for at brocantes and vide greniers (French "flea markets") is mugs. Earlier this year I picked up a really nice mug with a cat design on it for 2€.  When I got it home I looked up the name on the bottom of it, "Rosina Wachtmeister", and discovered a whole new world of cats.  This lady designs striking figurines as well as mugs and delightful calendars, see here.  

Once I discovered how much these mugs usually cost I stopped putting it in the dishwasher, now wash it lovingly by hand, and then found another modestly priced one in a different design online in the UK to make a pair (after all, there are two of us!).  (I may put a calendar on my Christmas wish list!)

I brought the second mug back to France in my well stuffed check-in bag last month.

These two mugs were on sale in a UK charity shop for £1.50 each.  We get a lot of swallows around us in France and enjoy their twittering and gymnastics as they perform for us each evening.  Being surrounded by otherwise unattractive pylons and overhead cables has its advantages for observing the antics of birdlife.  This is now our favourite pair of mugs for our morning cuppa.

I also brought them back to France last month, safely stowed in my overstuffed check-in bag.

These cheese plates were in a box in a UK charity shop for £4.  The box was scruffy but the plates pristine.  I managed to find another set online for a sensible price that also appeared unused and, with no room left in my check-in bag, managed to squeeze both boxes into my "under the seat in front" small cabin bag to bring them back to France. 

A set of eight matching dedicated cheese plates will come in very handy.  Cheese is served before dessert in France and I sometimes find myself having to wash up plates in the middle of a meal if a starter and dessert also need small plates.  Having friends round for lunch or dinner is a total joy but washing up in the middle takes the shine off!

However, my heart sank when I saw my "small bag" being diverted to the inspection lane at the airport.  Last time it was the rhubarb, this time the two boxes of plates which I admit could have looked like land mines on the scanner.  The young woman doing the inspection handled them very tentatively and then clearly thought I was smuggling English Camembert into France until I pointed out that they were boxed sets of cheese plates, not actual cheese.  She gave me one of those withering looks such people reserve for mad passengers.

It reminds me of the stories told by a friend who used to work on the check-in desk at an airport (before the days of fancy scanners) where people used to try to check in live chickens, and gas cookers, amongst other things, on the flights to India.

This mug is without its pair.  I accidentally knocked one out of the cupboard when putting things away.  It bounced twice on the worktop but landed on the tiled floor and was of course doomed.  It’s a shame because it was a favourite pair of mugs from Sainsbury's and they no longer stock the design.  I'm hoping that one day I might spot a replacement in a charity shop somewhere.

This Pyrex dish is a freebie from the "help yourself" table at the local déchèterie (recycling centre, or tip).  It’s in excellent condition and is the perfect size for a clafoutis!

A BIRTHDAY BASH

Yesterday a whole bunch of friends gathered to celebrate a friend's 70th birthday. 

The picnic shelter in a nearby village was transformed to hold the party.

Those who are musically talented performed songs throughout the afternoon.

I did a little sketch entitled "An Ode to Turning Seventy", helped by my two glamorous assistants and a lot of visual aids.

Years of enjoying the work of Victoria Wood and Pam Ayres came in handy for inspiration.

 For more pictures and a review of the event see Jim's post here.

That a tiny village here in the middle of France should have such a great venue available to all for free is amazing but even more so is that we have made such a wonderful number of friends here.

GOING BACKWARDS

Going back to my most recent trip to the UK I met up with my brother at a National Trust property called Calke Abbey at Ticknall in Derbyshire.

 

On acquiring the house in the 1980's National Trust decided not to restore it to how it was in its glory days, but to preserve it in the state of dilapidation in which they found it. 

Its peeling paintwork and dusty objects set it apart from the glamour of other National Trust properties.  They often tend to merge into one after a while - it's hard to remember in which fine stately home a particular piece of fine furniture was seen.

Calke is unforgettable.

I had been before, but not for a long time.

Since then a number of extra rooms have been opened to the public, and some interesting tunnels joining various bits of the house to other parts in the grounds.

 I enjoyed the visit very much.

Apart from the tea rooms which were mainly staffed by young people who didn't seem to have much of a clue.  I also had to get five teacups from the shelf before I found two clean ones.

Which just goes to show, perfection is hard to achieve and you can't have everything!

SERENITY AND COFFEE

With Nick back in the UK for a family funeral, I was on dog walking duty.

One of our favourite walks is two laps around the plan d'eau at Le Petit-Pressigny.

I was late on this occasion so stopped for a coffee and a home made madeleine at the tea garden.

It normally doesn't open until the afternoon but I was lucky.  Someone was there and happy to serve me.

Their peach tree was full of gorgeous ripe fruit, just right for picking.

It was my first visit, but will not be the last.

It was peaceful and serene, a perfect place to enjoy a delicious coffee.

ACCIDENTAL GARDENING

We have scaled down the amount of vegetable gardening this year and only planted a few tomato plants.  A single courgette plant appeared of its own accord on the compost heap and one minute there was nothing, the next there was this.

Gardening by accident.

PALM TREE LAMP (OLD STUFF)

On my recent visit to the UK, I spotted this lamp in a local charity shop.

I had exactly the right place for it.

It came without a shade so I added my own.

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Since I first wrote this post a friend has told me she saw an identical lamp in a very upmarket antique  shop in a very well heeled town in the south of England.

It was definitely a lucky find for me!

ANOTHER ANNOYING BLOGGERISM!

For a while now, Blogger has refused to upload any photos from my iPad into a post. Which means that photos taken using my phone, which automatically appear in my iPad library, can’t be used unless I email them to myself and finish the post on my laptop.

The wording of instructions on how to upload photos in Blogger does not mention any such obstacle to the process.  If anyone has any ideas how to fix this I'd be very pleased to hear them!

My profile picture and text have also been changed back to an old one from years ago without me doing anything!

All this covert "updating" and changing of things without my knowledge is very annoying.  The overwhelming sense of "oh for goodness sake, is it worth it?" is only just overridden by a determination not to be defeated by the "Big Brother is watching you" interference in my life!

Aaaarrrgghhhhhhhh……….