BRITTANY

We are on holiday in Brittany, some distance from the coast.  The gite is very rural and remote, down a long single lane grassy track, equipped reasonably well and clean, with excellent wifi, comfortable beds and plenty of hot water.

It’s a very pretty area and not as crowded as the seaside places.  There is more to Brittany than boats and beaches yet none of that is very far away.  It’s rather like how we see our home in the Loire.  We’re away from the touristy places but they’re not too far away if we fancy a day out (with visitors for example).

The other evening we went out for dinner to a restaurant we had spotted earlier in the day.  As we left the house and rounded the first bend our way was blocked just a few feet ahead by an enormous stag.  A fine full grown animal complete with antlers.  He blinked at us as if to say "what are YOU doing here?"  Then after a few moments just leapt through the hedge and disappeared.  Although we are surrounded by forest at home and see deer (and boar) regularly, I’ve never been close enough before to appreciate how big and magnificent they are.

The gite was once a farm and there is a barn full of ancient tractors and machinery jumbled amongst old furniture and other stuff.  It’s a brocanteur's paradise with loads of stuff that would "do up" nicely and fetch a small fortune.

At a brocante a few weeks ago we lashed out 8€ for an electric barbecue with our holiday in mind.  Often the barbecue provided can be rather unappealing so we brought our bargain with us but without high expectations.  It works really well, who would have thought it?!

Today we headed off to the coast, hoping for lunch, and were not disappointed.  We had misgivings as there is a lot of disruption caused by the strikes and protests going on all over France.  We spotted the occasional road block but were otherwise unaffected.

The weather is wet today and with that came a drop in temperature so the restaurant had its fire lit.

Hugo is getting used to accompanying us to lunch or dinner as we don’t like to leave him in the gite by himself.  He's well behaved but easily distracted.  He's learning and so are we.

 Lastly, as other bloggers that I read have reported, my page view count has suddenly gone through the roof.  Presumably due to AI activity of some sort but it’s hard to see how there would be anything to gain from it.  It’s all a mystery to me!

LUNCH IN A BROCANTE

A few weeks ago we went for the first time to a restaurant in Pleumartin.

Everything in there is for sale, including the china, tables and chairs.

A friend tells how she went for lunch and came away with a wardrobe.

It's like eating in an indoor brocante.

I couldn't resist the little dish which is the perfect size for peanuts or nibbles.

I picked it up and put it on our table.

Then I spotted the candlestick which was in the same colours.

The prices were very reasonable.

While I was away from the table browsing the exterior, which is also full of brocante, the little pot that matches the dish appeared mysteriously on our table.

Nobody noticed who put it there but it was probably the owner.

10/10 for salesmanship! 

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!