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Wednesday 30 November 2011

Breathing New Life into Old Treasure..................


We had a welcome phonecall at the weekend from a wonderful dear old French Lady who became one of our very best friends when we first arrived here in France, to invite us for dinner. She was, and still is, a Brocanteuse & unbelievably still works the Antiques markets & Fairs at the tender age of 74 yrs, going out in all weathers with her trusty dog at her side-she is quite amazing. She once owned her own large roadside Brocante where she lived in Normandy before moving south & her wonderful home here is like a treasure trove of history & memories of her past life. Whilst we were there she asked if we were interested in purchasing some Textiles from her, as she had too much stock & would never get round to selling it all herself-WOULD WE EVER???!!! Oh my-it was like all our Christmases had come at once!! I literally sat on the floor of her Chambre, surrounded by  a mountain of  material,lace,curtains,vetements,& things I had never seen before, her various cats making an apperance from time to time to see whatever was going on,whilst we squeeled with laughter at some of the items we uncovered which had sat neatly folded in Armoirs for many years. There were lots of  giggles at some of the undergarments,corsets etc-My other half stood at the top of the stairs taking boxes full which we had trawled through & chosen, back to the van.We had a wonderful time in such wonderful company-she is a true darling of a Lady who rambles on to us at great speed in French, forgetting we are not (& never WILL be) fluent, but despite us only having a limited vocabulary ourselves, we all eventually grasp the conversation as she slows down & reverts to some English once again.We did not need to venture out this weekend, so we stayed at home and have been sorting through our Textile treasure-as you will see over the coming weeks.We took some photos whilst we were there-she is so lucky to live opposite &  facing a wonderful Chateau which lies empty for the most part of the year-just occasionally visited by its' Parisian owners to keep it ticking over....what a waste,we would SO love to live there.......!!




Friday 25 November 2011

Time-warp.....................

                Imagine looking through textiles we have bought & stored for years in our Rummage room full of treasures,and finding the very same piece of Antique Toile de Jouy that we have a reproduction piece of, on our Auction site! The chances of that are quite remote don't you think?! The Original is unfortunately just a small remnant-seemingly once perhaps used as a piece of a curtain but is much more detailed than its' modern adaptation-which of course is lovely-as these fabrics are,but still not QUITE the same....the many delightful scenes featuring Children and water in such a small area of Fabric render it quite a collectable and interesting piece and it dates circa.early 19th Century...it is now online for your Perusal!........



Sunday 20 November 2011

Before Sunrise..............................

My first Sunday back from the UK & I got turfed out of bed mega-early by my other half thismorning with......"come on-hurry up-it takes you forever to get ready".....so blurry-eyed I crawled into a warm dressing gown & downed a lovely cup of Yorkshire Tea (can you TELL I've been back to England?!) to wake myself up with. With seemingly no time to spare, the minute I was washed & dressed,off we embarked south to Angouleme. The orange Sun was creeping through the blackness as we arrived & off we tootled, the puppy in tow-(who was equally wondering what she was being dragged round at that unearthly hour for)...for a first scan of what might be uncovered as the trestle tables were still being brought out of the vans..................

We purchased some nice bits & pieces,and Dita got lots of nice comments & strokes, though after her initial enthusiasm to meet new people got the better of her,we decided it was safer to put her back to bed for a while before she brought somebody's precious display table down or worse. Centred around a market square & superb Ancient Église, the clear blue sky eeventually merged when the sun rose & cast its' warm glow over everyone present and it has been another beautiful November day!......




Saturday 19 November 2011

Reflecting....................................


Having just returned from a week's visit to the UK, I am in somewhat of a reflective mood thismorning.......it was brilliant to see my young family-especially my gorgeous Grand-daughter who I was so glad hadn't forgotten me since her short holiday here in September & who greeted me by now crawling up to me at a great speed & shouting "hyeee"-with a big smile on her face.That in itself is just priceless.Of course I missed my other half-left here on his own to babysit all the animals including Dita-who is doing a great impersontion of the "puppy from hell" at the moment,-enough to try the patience of a saint as they say,but it was lovely to visit friends,parents,go shopping,etc.Then there was the serious business of work which has unfortunately taken a back seat this week as we have only been able to list just a few new items during my stay in England. But today,back in sunny warm France,I feel revitalised,full of enthusiasm & I am going to get started and make a concerted effort to catch up & bring you all a whole new "choix" of new and interesting French Finds over the coming week which we have been storing up during the summer-ready for the Winter Months ahead-so have a good rummage and find something different,unusual or uniquely French to pop in that Xmas stocking for your loved ones!A Bientot!!

Friday 4 November 2011

Chatting with the neighbours..........................



Walking down the lane with the pup yesterday evening she spotted this small herd of ten handsome guys as she passed the entrance to the land at the back of our house which borders onto the farmer's field. She has never seen a cow close-up so I walked up to the fence & she was curious,but more bothered about what had been walking across the grass she was standing on. These Limousin cattle were quite a way away and I stood there pondering whilst watching Dita dart around like something gone daft.Imagine when I turned around and came face to face with all ten of them-who must have tiptoed across that field in double-quick time to come and investigate US because I never heard a THING! (and you can hear a pin drop in these parts it's so quiet!).



With only a barbed-wire fence inbetween us and ten yearlings-it was a bit daunting I can tell you....................but they did venture very tentatively for a sniff....!

I must admit-I'm a sucker for animals.
Anyway,I was rummaging in the "back room" today and found a bag full of Lace Collars I'd forgotten I'd acquired (last year or thereabouts) so have been busy photographing thismorning ready to tempt you with later........so until then...A bientot!

Tuesday 1 November 2011

HATS OFF!...................................

It has been well over a week since our last blog, but we were ultra busy preparing for our puppy's debut in the Showring last weekend (where she won "Meilleur Puppy" at her first ever attempt!) & I have to admit-I actually FORGOT to take the camera with me on this Sunday's Treasure Hunt.. AND my mobile phone wasn't charged up-so no photos there EITHER (what a SIN!)........I could have cried, because we have visited such a beautiful village in the Vienne department that photographs would have been lovely to share with you all.......ISN'T that just TYPICAL?!...oh well, I will have to see if I can find some on the net........talking of net, I have dusted off a collection of Hats bought a long while back and decided to list a few this week for a change. Wonderful Vintage styles & colours-with net veils & scrummy designs. I have to admit,it gets very hard to part with some of the things we purchase as they are so fascinating-particularly our fab Paris Leather Hatbox & Top Hat within........the Textile lined box fascinates me-I wish I could get hold of a good length of that gorgeous Fabric!..................

Gorgeous Rich colourway..........


..................................................................wonderful Vintage Paris Logo..


Fabulous weathered Leather Patina!