Star gazing...........

It's fantastic to go outside during a humid summer's night, maybe sit down with a beer or glass of wine (which unusually for someone living in wine country, I don't drink a lot of) and gaze at the twinkling night sky, scanning the stars for ...........UFOs?!  Yes, that's right, unidentified flying objects. 

Since moving from a city lifestyle into the countryside, it's amazing how breathtaking and clear the 'sky-scapes' can actually be, something that you just can't fully appreciate if you live in a large town or city.

Well, UFO-spotting is something I really do once in a while and am convinced one evening a few years back I actually saw one; sadly, or perhaps even happily (depending on their intent), there has been nothing to report since.  

And so to the photos for today's post - after deciding to test out what the zoom capability was like on my Nikon P80 I shot a few snaps of a star.....

As you can see from the photos above, without a tripod the camera shake is substantial and the star ends up looking like quite a credible UFO; maybe this accounts for many explainable photos? Who knows, but I thought it was interesting none the less and it's a fascinating subject to speculate, don't you think?

Out and about.......

Poppies and corn flowers I spotted on today's journey.

Traveled around 70 miles this weekend looking for new items for my shop, yesterday's pickings being better than today's.  Today's events were truly terrible and I wouldn't have wanted most items offered for sale even if someone had tried to give them to me for free - it really was that terrible!  That's just the way it goes in this way of life though.   

Funnily enough I met an interesting chap while perusing a stall at yesterday's flea market who was overjoyed at the sight of a horrendous piece of 'modern art' (I'm very open-minded with art, so believe me when I confirm, it was terrible!); he stated it was truly one of the worst pieces he'd ever seen and was having a laugh with the French stall holder about it - I asked if  he really liked that sort of thing and he told me he'd given up trying to find any nice things for a reasonable price, so now collects the worst pieces of bad taste he can find for his collection. It's fun when I meet interesting new people. I suppose I really should have taken a photo of the art for my blog but I was to shy to been seen looking at it.

So, to close this post I'll reassure myself that today's journey was not a complete loss, as after all, the weather was perfect and I enjoyed the drive in my little VW Golf while singing along with some retro 80's music.

In, out, in, out, shake it all about........and we're out!

Thank goodness something is beautiful today, and in this case it's a flower in my garden. 

Been quite a day with news the UK will be leaving the European Union, and to say I'm shocked is an understatement; I knew it would be a close call but didn't believe such a large number of people would  vote the way they did.  

With so many unknowns ahead of me it's very difficult to make any plans or even feel comfortable as an expat in France.  I will continue as normal though, and even if it means reigning in my spending, you'll still be able to find wonderful vintage treasures on my Etsy shop.

Chilly around the chateau......

an evening last week.  Since I last wrote the weather has turned around for the better and I'm now experiencing temps in the 30s which is a change from the damp, chilly weather a few days back.

Above is a photo I took in my village last week, a rather spooky-looking scene which is pretty cool.

Maison

Guess what? It's still stormy and cool outside..........I went out to take a photo for the blog but it was as dreary as yesterday's weather, so today's photo is a picture of my home on a sunnier day.

Hopefully the weekend's weather will look a little more like the pic above :) 

Polishing copper!

A rather mundane post I know, but here's one of my weekend purchases which as you can see in the photo on the left, was a rather dull-looking copper planter which I wasn't too sure about to begin with, but after spending yesterday afternoon with my polishing cloth, the pic on the right shows the fruits of my labour.

I still have some more polishing to do but this one will be available very soon.

A weekend's vintage haul..............

Well, the last two weekend's anyway............

Okay, so after a few weeks of clutching tightly onto my euros I let loose and the photos below represent a part of my last two weekend's buying for my Etsy shop. I would have shown you more but it's unbelievably hot outside, so carrying all these items into the garden and unpacking and re-packing wasn't too much fun! But mustn't complain, I'm so glad the sun has at last arrived.

When shopping my car always tends to be parked miles away which means dashing back and forth to unload, then getting back pretty damn quick so as not to miss anything I have my eyes on........In the photo above is a modest selection of what can be found if you head off in the early hours, and are prepared to travel to the various fairs and brocantes which are not always close by.  Remember that diesel car I mentioned? Well, I still need one.

I forgot to mention that more often than not the items are filthy having languished in attics, sheds, and God knows where, so as well as extensive travel there is nearly always a lot of work involved once an item has been purchased. That hanging lantern above for example - that was completely rusty so I  purchased some rather pricey paint and embarked (and was sorry once I'd started) on rubbing it down and giving it a repaint, then distressing it again for that authentic rustic appearance.  I still haven't finished the project........ 

Above, if you look carefully you'll see a little bronze candelabra - that's it! Next to the chrome desk lamp - well that was also once a desk lamp but the old wiring was too badly perished so I stripped it down and after some modifications it became become a candle holder, but with the option to still have it rewired.

Had to have those red enamel pans and also those ironstone bowls - beautiful!  On the far right of the photo is a boar casserole dish which I bought for one reason only - the cool wild boer's head on top! It was only afterwards I discovered it was an Apilco piece.

The lantern above is HUGE! It's also an original old one in good condition and took a big portion of my wallet's contents!  It needs a few little repairs so isn't quite ready for sale - if you're interested drop me message HERE.  Next to it you'll see some nice trench art brass shell casings and a few more smaller hanging lanterns - I bought a box of them which all need thoroughly cleaning. 

So there you have it, some nice treasures that are all available to purchase for your home. I always keep an extensive stock, so if there is ever an item you are looking for, please drop me an email - if I don't have it in stock, I'll more than likely be able to find it for you.