Saturday 30 April 2011

Congratulations to Kate & William & NGBF's latest purchase!

La Poste lost our invite so we decided to make an effort at home!
Every home needs a door mat like this one!  Thanks to S & L x
Can you see what this is yet?
Yep you guessed it - introducing Theo the baby duckling!  I left NGBF for 10 minutes in our local market last week with my two girls (warning them to watch him as I could see where he was heading) and returned to find his latest purchase.  "He was only 2 euro's babes"!!!   Hmmm.......... who gets lumbered with him whilst he gets back for "The Wedding"?  Theo is now ensconced in our spare room (of all places) as he is too small to join our duck and hens  (and Jack Russells in particular) at the moment.  His Daddy returns in a couple of weeks when he will be building him a chateau of his own to live in - or paying someone else to do it!

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Being taken for a walk

Youngest daughter being taken for a walk by ........... Louis Phillipe, Lola Ferrari (Jack Russells) and Barley Mo (errant house eating Labrador).

Past the old water pump that still works but no-one washes their clothes here or collects their water - great for washing the car though!.......................................
Past the numerous sweet smelling lilac bushes that are all in full bloom ...........................................
Past our house.................................................................I wish(!) I couldn't possibly afford the heating bills for this monster!   Taken at the weekend whilst out brocanting - the brocante was in the grounds of this beautiful chateau (not the one I am waiting for Leslie)!
Wouldn't fancy being Rupunzel for this tower!
The start of the brocante - I couldn't get across this bridge quick enough!

And back home again to chill in the garden........................Barley, Lola and Louis - too bad they are screwing their eyes up in this lovely sunshine we are having. 
Red necks, dry lips, dusty feet, a tank and a half of diesel, a lighter purse, a hungry BH (no cooking on brocante days ;) and a full shopping trolley - a good day at the brocante..................

Thursday 7 April 2011

Divine Dechetterie

Nothing beats a journey to the local "Dechetterie" of rubbish tip.  Whilst dumping another microwave (4th or 5th French bought one since living - there have been so many I have lost count) I had a quick glance round in the skips at other peoples rubbish.  Here is what I found:
A fabulous old wine crate, perfect for gardening tools

and this sweet pot stand (I think).  Who knows what it is for but handy to put my pot full of mint on it.  We have found quite a few things at the tip, old his masters voice records, a box of pharmacy test tubes and labels and a couple of years ago an old pink Art Deco enamelled wood burner which was in the very bottom of an empty skip - I sent BH in for that one.........................................its still in our barn awaiting new glass to make it useable, although it is too small to throw off any heat - I might just drag it in for decorative purposes only!

Monday 4 April 2011

Brocante or Not?

Why does it always rain on a Sunday?  Why did I drive for 1.1/2 hrs to go to a "Vide Grenier" (boot fair) and not a brocante?  Why was the brocante advertised as a brocante but then having driven for hours it turned out to be a Vide Grenier?  I just couldn't ask myself any of the above questions once me and my two girls had arrived as I had to concentrate on parking and sorting out an argument about footwear before we had even got out of the car.  The day had started badly..............................plus it had started to rain!
Until I found the above little Edwardian hand held ladies mirror and I felt a bit better, to be swiftly followed by some beautiful amber coloured velvet ribbon, lovely toile and lace and a pretty brooch in the shape of some scissors.  Not a lot considering the journey involved but we managed to combine a trip to MacDonalds to placate everyone (normally a 1 hour drive from our house) and get out of the rain. 
Roll on next Sunday and sunshine!