It always feels like a little bit of a battle to get out of the door when we’re leaving for France. Don’t get me wrong. We are always eager to go. It’s trying to leave the cottage in some sort of a decent state before we go thats the problem! Anyone else feel like that? There’s nothing better than coming home to a clean and tidy house after being away. Well it was this which caused us to leave a lot later than we had planned on the Thursday afternoon. It’s not unusual for us to have to push the time of our train back a few hours and we are so thankful for the option to do so.
We do the craziest of things sometimes! Last week we had been selling at Ardingly Antiques Fair on the Tuesday and Wednesday and then, having returned home we unpacked the van and dropped the dog off on her own mini-break . By the time Thursday was over we had driven all the way to Orleans in the Loire Valley and were both tucked up in our bed in the hotel room, exhausted but excited for the next few days.
We had a lazy start to the following day. We’d received some worrying news from back home during our drive down which had us considering turning around and heading back to the UK. Having made the difficult decision to stay we both had an unsettled night so decided to take it easy and enjoy a slow morning and tuck into a lovely continental breakfast.
We drove a further two hours down south, heading for Auvergne and spent the remainder of the day pottering around a few places en route. One of my favourite finds from that afternoon was this gorgeous old throw. I found it buried at the bottom of a pile of old eiderdowns and the flash of red made me pull it out for a closer look..
That feeling of finding something you weren't expecting is so good. It’s like a sudden rush of excitement! The stripes and letters give it such a typically French feel it and I love it.
After a few hours of pottering in the 30+ degree heat we headed back to the hotel where we were so thankful for our air conditioned room.
The alarm went off incredibly early the next day and we were out before breakfast. As we headed out of the hotel we instantly knew it was going to be another scorcher. It was warm already and the sun hadn’t even risen.
Our chosen market was one we had found a year ago but we’d arrived a little later in the day. We had promised each other we would return for the next one but make sure we were nice and early second time around. It had given off vibes of being a great one so we were excited to see if we were right! Having found a great little parking spot nice and close, we unloaded our carts and got a wriggle on. The market was held in the centre of a gorgeous old little town nestled in the hills of the French countryside. If you close your eyes, imagine French music playing and scenes of old French village architecture you’d probably not be far off picturing this gorgeous little place. Traders cars and vans were just arriving as we walked into the centre with our trolleys. Tables were being set out and their goods began to appear.
We often begin by quickly whizzing around the whole market first, picking up anything that immediately catches our eye and then retracing our steps at a slower pace as more things appear from the back of vehicles. Sometimes markets can have a bit of a chaotic feel to them early doors, as dealers get a little enthusiastic with their buying but this had a lovely relaxed vibe to it and we were happy to take up a slower pace that morning. It was a funny start to the day on Saturday as the majority of our finds first thing were confit pots or beautiful old stoneware oil jars. These tend to be one of my favourite finds but not something we find an awful lot of up in Northern France so when we do see them, they go straight into our trolley.
As the light came up, most of the traders were all set up and ready for a day of selling. We grabbed a croissant and a coffee on the go from a lovely little patisserie and started out once more.
It was at this point we found one of our star buys. This lovely wardrobe/French cupboard, just as it began to rain. Perfect timing as we were able to take shelter under their gazebo whilst James negotiated a deal without it looking too rude! Thankfully it was just a quick shower and once we’d exchanged money and arranged pick up up later on in the day, we moved on.
It was a day of a couple of showers and then full on sunshine and full on heat. It honestly was like the centre of the sun…….or so James kept telling me! It’s not easy when you are walking round a fair countless times pulling your treasures behind you in your cart, which seems to get heavier and heavier with every step you take and the heat zapping your energy. It was a great fair though and along with our confit pots and the wardrobe, we picked up many other treasures too. We found these two crop spray cans, used locally to spray the grapes in the vineyards. These have already been snapped up and are on their way to the States! James and I had a giggle when I captured this picture. As i popped them down in front of the door, he said: “You are kidding! That’s someones front door?' He was right. The neighbour was pretending to sweep her step while staring, bewildered at our escapades! We quickly popped them back in the our cart and scurried back to the van.
It was a great first day and we headed back to the hotel to catch up on a bit of kip ready for the next day and to enjoy the lovely air conditioned room! …………..
