Miroir Magique au Mur...

I thought it would be fun to look at mirrors this week .  They come in so many shapes, sizes and styles that one can be found to suit any taste or budget.

A French 'Granny Mirror' I have for sale dating from the 30s/40s

When I was a child my Nana had a frameless 1930's mirror on the wall of her living room, complete with metal chain, and I have to admit that at the time I wasn't keen on it at all - well it was the mid 70's and if it wasn't made of teak or a dodgy Spanish style wrought iron one it just wasn't in (I may well have to eat my words when they suddenly become the next big thing!)

Having come to understand a bit more about vintage interiors these frameless bevelled mirrors are style icons of their age and in their original context have great design merit. All things considered I have now formed a strong attachment to what I affectionately term as 'granny mirrors' and will be on the lookout for some when I'm back in England on my long awaited shopping spree!  I have seen these granny mirrors in numerous interior magazines grouped together on a blank wall and I think they look amazing.

Whilst I'm on the subject mirrors I couldn't resist including a photo of a beautiful Venetian mirror I have at home.  I wish I could fill my brocante stall with them but these mirrors are very allusive and when you do find them they are extremely expensive and I don't have that kind of spending power I'm afraid (or the buyers for that matter).

Venetian Mirror  - it's not for sale...  it's mine (hahaha!)

Gilded mirrors are still very popular in France and I know that if I could find some at a reasonable price they would fly off my brocante stall in no time so I hope that I can source some on my upcoming trip to England.

My stunning antique French gilt mirror

A few years back I painted an Edwardian gilded over-mantle mirror for our living room in the shabby chic style and do occasionally feel a little bad about it (but doesn't it look lovely against the natural stone of the chimney breast?... Please say YES!!!) 

My painted Edwardian over mantle mirror

Many mirror frames can be greatly improved with a thoughtful lick of paint but I wouldn't (normally) condone painting an antique one unless it's already been overpainted in crappy gold spray paint (which many of them have) in which case there is no need to feel guilty (or should that be gilty... sorry about that!)

Modernish mirror frame painted with a chalky matt paint

Art Déco is still in high demand and I do have a mirror in stock at the moment that is halfway between a granny mirror and a Venetian mirror with a peach glass frame.  I think it's gorgeous but it does have a wee chip on the edge of the frame so I'll have to see how much that holds it back over the summer.  Perhaps I should brazenly stare at the potential customer like the French dealers do and say "Well it's old, what do you expect?"

I do find it very hard to find stock over here that is not damaged in some way as the majority of trucs languish in barns and attics for many a year before finding there way onto the market.

Gorgeous peach tinted glass framed mirror ready to display on my stall

One thing I have found though is that antique and vintage mirrors seem to be much kinder to the user than new ones so for that reason alone, aside from the obvious investment potential, they're a must have in every home!

Le Truc to Antique Auctions in France

This Wednesday morning we were up and out of the house bright and early to catch an auction we had decided to attend in order to buy some trucs for the upcoming brocante season.  Unfortunately at this particular Vente aux Enchères in the historic town of Angoulême you are only permitted half and hour before the sale to view the myriad of lots on offer.     

The tables are laden with random objects that have no lot numbers  

When we arrived we pushed the heavy door of the saleroom open to find the place crammed with people struggling to view the lots.   For the next twenty minutes or so it helps if you are feeling strong as it mainly consists of being pushed around the crowded room by lots of little old men.  I have to confess that this was not my idea of fun but I was determined to hold my own and dived right in.

Over the years I have attended many auctions in England and France but I have to say that this particular one is especially challenging as there are no lot numbers and no auction catalogue.  This kind of sale is known as a Vente Courante which is a General Sale that mainly deals with trucs from deceased estates and house clearances.

Being of a rather wimpy disposition and prone to dizzy spells if I stand for too long I have found that the best thing to do once the alarming experience of the viewing is over is to find a comfortable chair somewhere in the middle of the room and settle down in the hope of standing half a chance of seeing what's going on once the sale kicks off.  

The room turned towards the auctioneer who has begun his random rummage! 

The room became hushed as the auctioneer made his way to a hitherto undisclosed part of the saleroom and picked up the first lot.  At this pivotal moment the crowd surged forward in a wave and in the process completely blocked my view from the aforementioned comfy chair!

With much reluctance I gave up on the chair and moved to the outer edges of the room for a better view. The auctioneer proceeded to discuss the object (chosen on what can only be described as a whim) with one of his colleagues (at great length I may add!) which led me to believe (I could be mistaken!) that he had never clapped his eyes on the object before!

It was at this point in the proceedings that it became painfully clear to me that we were all in for a very long morning.

Some trucs that may or may not (auctioneers discretion) be sold in group lots

Another quirk I have noticed concerning provincial French auction rooms is that you are not provided with a bidding paddle or number before the sale.  The accepted protocol is that once you have made your first successful bid you are required to hand over a signed blank cheque.

Having lived in London for much of my adult life and therefore cultivated a healthy mistrust of human nature the ordeal of handing a complete stranger a signed blank cheque is naturally a nail-biting moment for me.   However, I have also lived in France for the last 10 years so I have come to accept the system (albeit reluctantly).  I am happy to say that I no longer feel compelled to stare mistrustfully at the holder of the cheque for those usual telltale signs of villainy such as moustache twiddling or evil sniggering from behind a long black cape.

The dilemma I now face is assuming I am actually able to see the lot being offered for sale and do, by some miracle, win a bid I am then trapped in the saleroom for the duration. This means that if the auctioneer decides, in his infinite wisdom, to auction 15 cases of wine by the individual bottle I am, in effect, a virtual prisoner until the ordeal is over (they have my cheque... ahhhhh!)

All things considered, having looked around the room and the faced the possibility of waiting for the next three hours for lots that I probably wouldn't get anyway, I took action and did the only thing a hardened antique dealer could do in this situation. I snuck out of the saleroom on about Lot 16 and suggested to my husband, Spike, that we find somewhere nice for lunch!

In all fairness I must stress that I have been lucky enough to attend numerous fine art and antique auctions since living in France and have found them to be a wonderfully catalogued and organised.

Since this experience I am looking forward to, more than ever, my imminent trip back to England in March and can hardly wait to find myself in the familiar surroundings of an English auction room enjoying the security of clutching a heavily annotated catalogue consisting of numbered lots having had the luxury of rummaging through all the interesting trucs on offer the day before the sale.

You know what they say about best laid plans... I will keep you posted on how that goes soon!

A Vintage Birthday

It was my birthday this week and having entered this world in February 1970 I guess that makes me at the grand of age of 44 'vintage' or is that 'retro'?

In a bid to cheer me up (there's not so much to celebrate once you've hit your 40's) Spike came home from work the day before with a beautiful bunch of flowers that brightened up the house with a much needed shot of colour during this dark, cold and soggy time of year!

Something I've noticed recently is that the trucs that surrounded me as a child are now considered vintage/retro too and although I am much more into the 1920's and 1930's I thought it would be great fun to embrace the current trend and have lunch in the kind of traditional French restaurant that was commonplace during my early childhood in the 1970's.

On the morning of my birthday we woke up to a cold, wet and blustery day (which unfortunately is not uncommon on my birthday) and decided it would be good to go somewhere cosy where we would feel cocooned from the raging elements outside.  This was one of the reasons we chose a lovely restaurant we had discovered in the St. Jacques quarter of Cognac called Les Pigeons Blancs.

Having decided to park a little way away from the restaurant (never again!) we tumbled in the entrance like two frozen popsicles to be greeted warmly by the charming owner. Les Pigeons Blancs was everything we had hoped to find in a traditional restaurant but what we really didn't expect was the amazing quality of the food.  For two gourmands (ie. piggies) we found ourselves well and truly in our element.  

Wonderful sea bream with asparagus and butter sauce

I must confess though that the main (and I admit slightly immature) reason for choosing this particular restaurant was that it was the only one that continued the tradition of THE DESSERT TROLLEY and, oh joy of joys, when this bastion of the 1970's was discreetly wheeled over to our table we were not to be disappointed!  

The dessert trolley of our retro/vintage dreams!

Les Desserts au Chariot consisted of many of the old 1970's favourites but with a slightly updated/local twist like the 'Cognac' Babas and a modern take on a traditional Black Forest Gateau.  I plumped for the more gooey desserts (which the waiter assured me were not fattening at all!) of a lemon mousse on a dark chocolate sponge, an exotic fruit cheesecake and yummy coffee meringues.  

My very 'light' selection from the Chariot

I had a wonderful birthday lunch at Les Trois Pigeons and would not hesitate to visit again in the summer so that I can enjoy another sensational meal and sit and sun myself on their delightful terrace.  However, looking at the photos I must confess that I'm starting to feel a bit peckish now so I'll be off.... the diet starts tomorrow!   

Un Oeuf is Enough!

Just before Christmas we bought three new chickens to keep our old hen, Mildred (aka Millie), company after the last of her companions died.  Because they all looked very similar we named them after the Andrews Sisters - Patty, Maxene and LaVerne.

Millie with her three new friends (who wouldn't stand still for the photo!)

Things in the hen house were quiet for a few weeks as the girls settled in but now they are laying practically every day (even Millie has started laying again).  As wonderful as this is it's just the two of us and things are beginning to get a bit out of hand.  

Luckily we purchased an Egg Skelter a few years back when we encountered the same problem and this has proved to be invaluable because we can, at least, be sure that we eat the eggs in date order.

The ingenious Egg Skelter devised by a very clever man from Devon

In our last home we lived on a busy road so we were able to sell our excess eggs on a table with an honesty box which worked really well and earned us a little extra cash. However, where we live now is totally rural with no passing trade so as far as the eggs go we're truly on our own!

Selling fresh free-range eggs from our old house

This week, so far, we have given away 18 eggs to friends and neighbours but the girls keep on laying so I thought I would make a quiche with a few bits that needed using up in the fridge.  I found some left over smoked trout and some slightly overripe camembert which, along with the pastry, used up four eggs. Although this will no doubt be yummy for supper tonight it does not really solve the long term problem.

My rather rustic looking quiche (well I'm not a chef like Spike!)

Another method of using up eggs is to make fresh pasta and to freeze it so I will probably do that when I get a minute but the best solution will be when this year's brocante season begins to pop a few boxes of eggs on my stall so that the ladies can start earning their keep!

Yet more eggs today... aghhhhhhh!