Another new year: 2016

So, as I move forward while running my little business and living life in rural France, last year is already becoming a distant memory - and good riddance! No, I'm only joking of course, well at least for the most part anyway. However, we can always do better so 2016 is going to be my year, it really is! I have all my resolutions firmly in mind and a new one-year plan, which really isn't as ominous as it sounds............

As 2015's Christmas decorations are soon to come down, here are a few pics.

Above: I believe a Christmas atmosphere, or any type of atmosphere for that matter, can be successfully and easily created with lighting.....Below: a somewhat cooler festive photo, this time showing some of my tureens (available on my Etsy shop) and a beautiful 1930s soda siphon which I'll be keeping. 

Unlike this time last January I am prepared and have plenty of stock, so shopping is not an issue for the time being.  Below is a large French copper planter I've just listed on my Etsy shop - and what a beauty it is!

A large and beautiful copper planter available from my Etsy shop

The lion handles are a great feature on this super French copper planter.

Then there's this wonderful old majolica plate featuring..........I think it's Joan of Arc but I'll have to check. It even comes with a very old plate hanger, which although not recommended as they can cause damage to old plates such as this, has been left on as it was original to this particular piece.

Soon available on my Etsy store...........

You can see the age on this piece and the hanger is rather rustic-looking!

As for the January weather in my part of the world, the last couple of days have been rainy, windy and dull which is a shame as it was unusually mild and pleasant right up until Christmas. Today's miserable climate means that staying indoors and feeling bored is par for the course! Despite having many things I could be doing, this type of weather generally throws a damp duvet over my normally creative mood. 

It's a cat's life!

Even my cat Harvey is out for the count, although I suspect he's enjoying his in-time far more than yours truly. 

Right then, I think that now is the perfect time to wish anyone reading this post a Happy and Healthy 2016; I'll also give you a glimpse of the summer days I look forward to once again experiencing (and sharing on this blog)...........

Life on a Lily pad must be divine...........

A romantic sunset...........

Until next time..................

The Great Vintage/Antique Hunt

During the flea market season days normally begin early, and that’s 5 am early! Maybe that’s not so early for many people but believe me when I tell you, I’m so not a morning person.... 

With the window shutters closed and my bedroom in total darkness I’m blissfully unaware of anything, as is the loudly-snoring cat weighing down my legs under the duvet. Therefore it's up to one of many vintage alarm clocks to wake me for the day’s hunting adventure - luckily they're all reliable old friends.

First off I try to gently slip my legs from under the sleeping cat and fail - this means he’s fully awake and hungry, as are the rest of his furry tribe (6 cats in total). 

Okay, I'll deal with them first, so I reluctantly stumble out from under my duvet, wash up, grub-up les chats, and voila - before you know it I’m on my way to the hunt!  

The cat that weighs down my bed - heavy but adorable!

Now, it's important that you understand the cigarette lighter in my car doesn’t work, which doesn’t matter to me much because I gave up smoking years ago...... But hang-on, the sat-nav won’t re-charge without it! 

So, despite vowing to repair it every cold, dark morning it's needed and unavailable, some how it later manages to slip my mind until once again I’m reading hastily scrawled directions from the back of an old shopping receipt. Not to worry though, so far I’ve always managed to find my way to the fairs and markets, even if I do end up arriving somewhat later than planned. 

A bad photo of an event I visited last summer.

Upon finding a place to park, the panic tends to set in, especially as I notice people walking by with baroque-style antique mirrors, oil paintings of anonymous but important-looking figures, or maybe some other, unidentified object tucked proudly under their arms. With plastic supermarkets bags bulging in my pockets and keen Euros in my wallet, I walk hastily toward the stalls resisting the temptation to break into a sprint. It looks like a good one today - the excitement is building; what treasure am I about to discover?!

One of my good finds, although there is a catch - I'll explain in another post.

You mustn’t be fooled by these markets or fairs, even the ones in deepest rural France – the locale might be picturesque but the competition can be fierce and the bartering ruthless.  Whether the event is held in a summer field, a winter's day car park, or in the quaint streets of a normally sleepy village, you're normally going to meet the same hardcore collectors and dealers unless you venture further afield. 

After a while you tend to recognise most of them although I’ve not struck up any meaning relationships as of yet. That being said I occasionally receive a nod of recognition or even the odd, ‘Bonjour’.  You just never know, my future wife might be somewhere in among the crowd of shoppers.............

The hunt for me is mostly methodical, as that’s just the type of person I am.  I normally begin at what I consider to be the beginning of the stalls and start scanning each one furtively before moving onto the next.  You see, I believe the key is to first carry out a brief reconnaissance (mentally noting any items of interest worthy for later examination), while of course immediately purchasing any obvious treasures that you can’t bear losing to the nosy so-and-so who's been looking over your shoulder, greedily eyeing up that Napoleonic-era pediment. 

There have been countless times when uncertain as to whether to take the plunge with an item, I’ve put it back on the table to have a think only to have it rudely snapped up by some dealer lurking ‘in the wings’. 

But anyway, so where was I – Oh yes, so after the initial recon exercise is over and my must-have items are gratifyingly filling my plastic bags, I deposit them back at the car and return ready for action once again, only this time more prepared as I have a mental list of possible purchases thanks to the earlier recce. 

Also, having already grabbed some exciting items I can now take my time perusing the stalls from the beginning, but this time without so much of a panic.  At this time all is normally good in the world, everything being more enjoyable and a distinct feeling of calm comes over me. Okay, so maybe later I’ll get home to discover the boo-boos I’ve made, but at this point I’m blissfully ignorant to the coffee jug missing its filter, the missing piece from an antique chess set hastily purchased so the man wearing those silly 3/4 length shorts didn’t get it before me.

But - all good hunts have to come to an end so when it’s time for home, my legs normally feel heavy from the hours of walking back and forth while my stomach grumbles because I was too stingy to buy myself a cheese baguette. If the hunt’s gone well I'll drive home singing along to tunes belted out by my MP3 while feeling rather too smug, and if it wasn’t I’ll go home cursing the fact I’ve burned up a tank of fuel only to be soaked in rain.

Oh well, as the French say, 'C'est la vie!'

Introduction

Well, I've finally decided to begin a blog, a diary of my vintage buying escapades here in south west France, and hopefully share the stunning scenery I see, the items I discover, and any other experiences that interest me along the way.

Beginning a 'job' such buying and selling vintage items, like any job, is fun, frustrating, and sometimes depressing, and more often than not provides experiences that embody nearly every aspect of one's life whether it be the physical hunt itself, or the clutter that surrounds any and every flat space of the home; it takes some getting used to, especially for this once minimalist-loving individual.  This being said, I'm grateful for the knowledge gained, the interesting people I meet, and the very cool items I manage get my paws on!

So, not wanting to bore myself or anyone else with my very first post, I give you my succinct introduction to my new blog, a journal if you will, of an expatriate living in France and trying to make ends meet with my micro-business called: La Bonne Vie 72