The Diary of a Brocanteuse

My musings, my photos, my adventures buying antiques in France and my love for being a Brocanteuse. The story starts right at the bottom of these entries and recounts each trip to France made since the very beginning.

Les plus beaux jours....

Les plus beaux jours….

(I have been writing a memoire of my buying trips to France for quite some …
Markets

Markets

(From pre-pandemic times) Autumn had crept in. Through the bedroom window of a Normandy sea-side …
Bounty

Bounty

Walking out past les Arenes in the early morning was a heart filling pleasure.  Purple …
Lunch.... and a bit of brocante

Lunch…. and a bit of brocante

(From the time before Covid……) A major air traffic control outage over France cut this …
Taking time.

Taking time.

(From the time before Covid). Then came three days of intense buying at the Deballages.  …
Old stories.

Old stories.

(From the time before Covid) At home, the air drenched with rain and the garden …
General abundance.

General abundance.

(From a time before Covid) The auction at the Salle des Ventes in Le Puy …
Travels in the Auvergne

Travels in the Auvergne

I’d known Eric for eight years. At 10 o’clock he arrived at the chateau and …
Life gone by.

Life gone by.

The train from Paris to Le Puy ran along mountain rivers, past rugged stone villages …
Brocante ici

Brocante ici

As part of our “holiday” we were on our way to visit Saintes with its …
"Le magasin est tres froid"

“Le magasin est tres froid”

I scraped the icy windscreen on a black Sunday morning. Time for the monthly vide-grenier …
Cold Charente

Cold Charente

(From a time before Covid…..) It was decided. This trip to France was going to …
Marchand de Bonheur.

Marchand de Bonheur.

(From a time before Covid….) It’s impossible not to feel a quiver of anticipation in …
Christmas Decorative Home and Salvage Fair online, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th November

Christmas Decorative Home and Salvage Fair online, Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th November

Organised by AS Fairs, this online Christmas fair will showcase one hundred dealers, fifty on …
Still in Pezenas.

Still in Pezenas.

Laurent was preparing for major works in his shop. An eleven metre long roof truss …
Early morning buying

Early morning buying

England had begun to taste of Autumn, chestnut leaves starting to curl. But I followed …
Thanks for the kind words

Thanks for the kind words

Thanks Alice Roberton for the nice mention in the August edition of Period Living (out …
Hot, hot, hot

Hot, hot, hot

The other antiques shop stood at the outskirts of the village, its wide, glazed frontage …
Pineau!

Pineau!

The village, marooned in a green sea of vines, shimmered under strong light. On the …
Early morning.

Early morning.

Bright coloured posters at every round about and junction had been announcing a vide-grenier at …
A good day.....

A good day…..

Lunchtime service in Royan was in full swing.  Bright sun caught on awnings, ice cubes …
Good, honest Brocante

Good, honest Brocante

A summer trip down to explore the Cognac area with it’s jewel green undulating landscape, …
Chartres and Le Mans

Chartres and Le Mans

Entry to the Chartres Deballage was now limited to dealers with a trade ID card …
Social

Social

This was a quick trip down through Normandy to the dealer fairs in Chartres and …

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