The following morning breakfast was laid out for me in front of the huge granite fireplace but I took my coffee onto the terrace by the wisteria in full, fragrant blossom. Such abundance. The trees were full of birds and I learned the name for blue tits, “mésonges”. Off into the beautiful morning for a […]
Jean-Francois had set up a vast Brocante in an old cider factory, with its great brick vats and huge beamed rooves, easy to find on a minor road out of town. Dark haired with ruddy cheeks and a gentle smile, he stood back to let me peer and scrutinise in the first high-ceilinged room, dusty […]
(This entry should follow on from Great Finds in Fortified Farmhouses – je m’excuse). Bowling on northwards I see a big sign for Antiquités. Following a narrow road down the side of a forest I find the tiny hamlet of Lernay. Placards and signs indicate that Lernay is up in arms against les aeoliennes – […]
Winter had brought a brief trip to Venice – always utterly beautiful and mysterious. Down one side alley I’d found an antiques shop and lingered, absorbing the atmosphere, touching and looking. Here there was the workshop with pots of rabbit glue and many tools. Fine gold frames waited for restoration. A tawny light filtered in […]
I’m driving north to meet Lilianne at her farmhouse. Along a peaceful river lined with poplars, I come to a white walled fortified building with a square tower. Lili buzzed open the tall blue gates and I drive into the courtyard. The house takes up one side, and and other buildings and barns the rest. […]
I’d booked a chambre d’hote just south of Le Mans, a large farmhouse with a new wing for guests. Moe was directed to a large open-sided barn where she was dwarfed by some massive agricultural equipment. Dinner would be served at 8pm. The dining room held a table big enough to accommodate twenty. At one […]
On a blustery November night I set off for the ferry at Portsmouth, regretfully leaving Graham at home by the wood-burner in our cottage. I’ve got myself a bit wound up about going actually – the euro rate is abysmal, Moe has been losing a bit of oil, I’ve not sold many large items recently, […]
I know there’s a vide grenier near Conches sur Ouche, but on this August day I also have a yearning for a shady patch of grass beside the Seine to enjoy the last of the afternoon. I also know though that I would only regret passing up the chance of finding some last tempting thing […]
Back on the road. A 1960’s garage comes into view, pumps gone, but on the concrete forecourt is a magical sign: “Brocante.” The building has been painted in white and blue – this is “L’Atelier de la Chineuse.” I am too early – the shop doesn’t open until 14h of course. Back in Moe I’m […]
5am. Adrenalin soon kicks in as I load my bag into Moe, start the engine, headlights on – off on a mission! Out of the village and into the deep countryside. I love seeing the day gradually emerge, and the smell of the sweet earth. There was a long line of white vans at La […]
On a bend of the wide, languid Seine, edged by white cliffs, I came to Les Andelys. River cruise boats moored, groups of people spread out on rugs. I found a weekly market in full swing and a friendly stall holder with boxes and boxes of old linen – a crumpled jumble of freshly washed […]
Another hot day followed. I returned to Gisors and found the small antique shop packed with gilt framed oil paintings and furniture in pristine condition. Monsieur said he’d take me round to his storage where he also had many items “dans leur jus.” He shut the shop and I drove round the block with him […]
Through a quiet village with a black dog sitting by the church. I turn into a large gravel courtyard, with farm house and many outbuildings. A tiny, feisty woman in turquoise with a tangle of straw coloured hair comes out to greet me. My room is up a narrow wooden staircase and down the end of […]
I drove on eastwards and my list of dealers dwindled due to many closures, retirements and deaths. But, turning off my route, I found a brocante in an industrial unit sitting in the middle of farmland, all shuttered and very “Fermé” The sign announced it would open at 14h 30. A hot little rain shower […]
There is a wedding invitation waiting for me back at home. The daughter of a friend who I’d known in Paris in my twenties. Alice was just a little girl when I last saw her, and I cannot miss the chance to celebrate her marriage, and to see Colombe again. A ferry ticket is booked […]
Later in the day Graham and I visited Argentan sur Creuse, prettily perched on the river. We strolled down past the old water mills, along the tree-lined banks, and – oh, look, c’est un Antiquaire! We went in to the shop at 19h 30 but Monsieur reassured us that he wouldn’t be closing just yet. […]
Saturday morning, sun rise, clear sky, air scented with earth and green, happily bowling along towards discovery and possible treasures. This feeling is priceless. On down windy wooded lanes and I come to La Foret. In the small square outside the stone and faded grey facade of La Mairie is a long trestle table, women […]
While offloading and inventorying the contents of Moe before they are temporarily stored in the Gite’s barn, I become aware of faint snufflings and shuffling in the leaves by the enormous old barn doors. Two adolescent hedgehogs the size of baked potatoes have emerged under the door and are out for their daily forage. They […]
Francoise handed me a fine linen sheet with beautifully worked drawn threads (this is called Jours de Venise, like peeking through Venetian blinds) and monogramme. We examined it reverentially. “It’s good that I don’t also have a magasin de brocante,” she said, “because we’d be in competition here – we like all the same things!” […]
We set out at 7am for the drive to meet Francoise at the old house near Clermont. The landscape changed from wooded hills, pastures and farms to wide plains with volcanic mountain plugs on the vast horizon. I’m so looking forward to seeing Francoise and the possibilities of the day ahead. After a rendezvous (“Bonjour, […]
We arrive at our ivy covered Gite in a hamlet with a population of four. Extravagant bushes of blue hydrangeas surround the house and barn. Monsieur and Madame are there to welcome us and show us around. They open cupboard doors to show us where they keep their cherries in eau de vie, and say […]
I am sitting in a deeply green, sunny garden that runs along the canal just outside Loches, a town with fortified royal chateau. Across the water, next to our stone built chambre d’hote, sits the old Moulin with its ancient water wheel. This June trip is the first of the year – and how I […]
Madame had left a kettle and tea on a tray with a packet of Madeleine sponges for my 5 am petit déjeuner. Catherine opted for a more leisurely start to the day, so I drove off as quietly as I could, into the dark morning. Another stony grey day in Lisieux. Early risers shone their […]
November in northern France is not the most agreeable month for visiting brocantes and markets. We find a few dealers in their cold barns, all bunched up in padded jackets, but there is little to inspire. So we drive on a little way to call in on a dealer I’ve been wanting to visit, and […]
