My Rocking Chair

Sometimes things in your life just don't have a place anymore and it was with a heavy heart that last Sunday I sold my childhood rocking chair.  To many people this 1980's pine chair probably doesn't have much value but I did my best with a couple of coats of 'Pale Powder' Farrow and Ball paint to give it the face lift it deserved before sending it out into the world without me (sniff sniff).

Our slightly full car with my rocking chair strapped to the roof 

The brocante market was in our nearest town with commerce, Matha, and because we no longer have a van we decided to risk strapping the chair to the roof of the car (must buy a roof-rack) for the 3km journey.  Our old Volvo was so full by the time we had finished packing that Spike had to take his motorbike as there was no room for him on the passenger seat.

The market was set in and around the ancient feudal castle (or what's left of it) in Matha and being a local brocante it was pleasant catching up with lots of people we know.  

The ancient feudal château in Matha

Some of the stock we managed to squeeze into our poor old Volvo

As the morning passed it became clear that it wasn't going to be the most lucrative day we've ever had but when a lovely couple showed an interest in the rocking chair I was over there quick as a flash armed with my somewhat dodgy French sales patter "C'est confortable, n'est-ce pas?" or something along those lines. 

After the usual bartering we settled on a mutually agreeable price and the wife then turned to her husband and whispered to him confidentially in English "That's exactly what I wanted to pay".  

Having realised that we were all English we continued the conversation in our native tongue and I was thrilled to learn that they were going to put it in their young son's bedroom.  She absolutely loved the colour of the chair (recognising it as Farrow and Ball immediately - a woman after my own heart) and promised she would look after it.

My rocking chair... please don't look at the weedy gravel!

As I watched my chair disappearing into the crowd I did feel a bit sad but also incredibly relieved that I didn't have to drive home with it balancing precariously on the roof of the car!