Would I really do a thing like that?

Last Friday we pitched-up at a brocante in the lovely town of Meschers-sur-Gironde just south of the glamorous resort of Royan.  We had taken a bit of a risk as we had had to pay in advance for this particular market and as lovely as the weather in the Charente Maritime can be (at least compared to the UK) there really are no guarantees in November.  

We left home at the crack of dawn so that we could find a good pitch (yes I know we'd already booked but that doesn't mean they mark out a particular place for you!) and the weather was thankfully dry when an hour or so later and still bleary eyed we arrived.  The lucky sun however was still firmly tucked up in bed and was to make but a few brief appearances over the duration of the day.  

We congratulated ourselves when we got a great pitch with plenty of room for our old Renault Master van and decided to tuck into a celebratory pain au chocolat before unloading.  We noted that we were within spitting distance of the dealer who had recommended this particular collectors fair to us a couple of weeks previously which conveniently meant that he would be an easy target to kick in the shins later if the fair turned out to be rubbish.

For November, considering the cold breeze blasting down the road and the fact that many of the second home owners and holiday makers had left, we didn't have a bad day of takings at all (Monsieur Le Brocanteur's shins therefore remained intact!).

We sold a few bits of furniture, a lovely pair of opera glasses that I had been coveting (boo hoo!) and a good quantity of my lovely vintage jewellery.  I love selling the jewellery in particular as it always leaves me with a warm glow as I watch customers happily wander off on their way with their purchases.  

The warm glow, however, was to be short-lived as a few drops of rain started to fall on the stall.  Being made of steely stuff we wimped out at about 3pm after Spike had managed to scout out an escape route for the van through the crowds.  I think it's that time of year when it's best to admit defeat and start doing the markets again in the Spring!  

As I packed everything up for the umpteenth time this year I stopped to admire a wonderful vintage mirrored photo frame that I acquired recently from a market in Cognac.  I had made a decision that to demonstrate the frame to it's full loveliness I would put in a fabulous picture of my grandmother (sadly I never knew her as she died just days after I was born) that had been taken in a photographer's studio in the 1920's.

I was busy debating with myself whether to pop it on the front seat of the van and keep it for myself (so much of my stock makes detours into our home - some of them permanent... oops!) when it dawned on me that I was actually trying to sell my own Grandmother!

How low I have stooped to scrape a living!

All this aside I am going to brave one more market in mid December in the historical town of Angôuleme. It's just a little flea market and there will hopefully be some sophisticates who are looking for original Christmas presents for their loved ones (I know I would prefer something original of quality rather than mass produced rubbish... someone take that soapbox away from her!!!).  I do hope that Santa (aka Spike reads this!)

Apart from that I am going to dig in for the winter and sell some of my trucs on various sites on the internet. In fact I've spent a good part of the day grappling with French Ebay along with some local websites to sell some furniture that has been lovingly painted by moi.  

I am looking forward to sharing with you some of these painted pieces of furniture another time along with some of the goodies that have been surreptitiously liberated from my stall over the course of the year!