"A light hearted and humorous account of 'ma vie' as a brocanteuse, experiences from my life in France and my love of antiques, all things vintage, period interiors and 'les trucs' (eclectic thingamybobs)"

Monday 13 June 2016

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Contrary to popular belief it frequently rains here in France and has been doing so on and off for a couple of weeks now, but a week and a half ago we were lucky to have a brief respite and went out in search of bargains.

Our first stop was very local to us in a hamlet called Genté and the day began well with the sun breaking through the mist rising over the vineyards.


The fair at Genté was in most part a vide-grenier (which translates as 'empty attic sale'). These sales generally have more private people from the surrounding area selling than professionals so the gems can be few and far between.


As with most vide greniers we had mixed luck but managed to find a few quirky trucs that I haven't yet managed to process but can't wait to share when I have.

We then went on to a brocante in the very pretty village of Tesson and found some more treasures as well as some super plants for our courtyard garden and some delicious asparagus from a local farm.



After a couple of hours wandering the pretty streets of Tesson the weather began to really hot up and the humidity was building so we decided to quit while we were ahead and visit the beautiful medieval town of Pons just up the road for lunch.


We booked a table on the terrace of a charming traditional restaurant and went for a wander around the nearby Donjon (which gives the restaurant it's name) and it's stunning topiary gardens.





You never know what rare flora and fauna you might find in gardens of this type... could that be the hitherto thought extinct 'Lesser Spotted Spikius' I spy???

A breathtaking view over the surrounding countryside

Since that lovely day I've struggled to find a good day to shop for bargains or take photographs of my stock as the light hasn't been so good so I'm so glad we made the most of it when we could and look forward hopefully to sunnier days ahead.  

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