The man with a doll.
I saw this man and his son several times throughout the day and each and every time I saw them he had this over-sized stuffed doll in his arms…Pebbles was her name. Curiosity had my imagination going…Maybe it was his lucky charm? Sure people collect dolls, but he carried it most of the day… mile after dusty mile!
I asked Nathalie if she had seen the man with the doll? Nathalie's response reminded me why she is a better chineur (antique hunter) than I am, "I don't notice the people around when I am chining (Yet another Franglais word I use often it means to go antiquing.)"
So while I was looking at the man with his Pebbles over-sized doll, Mrs. Queen of Chining Nathalie was nabbing yet another thing that I wanted to call my own.
The girl with an umbrella.
As the day was hot, keeping cool was of vital importance. Several years ago while at Leyment it was unbearably hot, the glaring sun was frying my mood at the fair, and bringing the brocante to a near stand still. In my desperation I bought a white cotton nightgown (the classic chemise de nuit) and a straw hat. Then I went behind one of the parked trucks, stripped, stuffed my clothes under the truck (I came back for them later) and put the chemise de nuit on, it saved me from melting into the pavement.
Frog legs for Lunch.
If you are a vegetarian it is slim pickin' at the brocante in Leyment.
Frog legs a bucket for 10 euro. There was also mussels, and paella, grilled sausages, French fries and crepes.
Crepes with Nutella and a cold beer, such a feast!
Finding anything at the brocante is a miracle when the whole world seems to be looking at the same thing I want. I thought about blind folding everybody but then I reminded myself that thoughts like this are not healthy and to cut it out. Ah the trials of trying to be a good person.
Yes, I looked in everyone of those little boxes. I do not know what I expected to find. Certainly not anything valuable like rubies or diamonds. Nonetheless the pleasure of seeing what someone saved and consider valuable brings the hidden story of a life long ago alive.
I found baby teeth.
Hooks and eyes,
Stamps,
Sewing needles,
A locket of hair….
It was the baby teeth that made me laugh out loud.
The green bottle had my initials on it, but it was more than my budget and I had to walk away. Though I did tell the dealer that my name was carved on that bottle and I thought he should give it to me for less. He didn't budge.
So not fun!
When buying anything at Leyment you must consider how far you will have to carry it and if it can fit in your car.
There were two men and a mirror in this tiny sports car.
The guy on the other side was not smiling. I don't know how the driver was going to shift.
A baby stroller comes in handy.
While I was taking photos of a dog in a stroller, frog legs, and boxes with baby teeth, Nathalie was doing the thing we were set out to do… a
ntiquing.
I have a photo of a dog and she has this 19th century hand made quilt. I wanted to bark, "Not fair!"
But hey that is how it is when one is distracted and another one is focused. The distracted gets baby teeth.
(Three photos above are by Nathalie.)
Nathalie also found a Charles the Tenth tea pot, a set of four 18th century paperback books and a stack of documents. Honestly I think it might be better to go chining with someone who doesn't like what I like. That way when we return to the car and show our finds of the day I would not grow green with envy. Instead I would say:
"Oh you found a Pebbles doll, how cute. Lucky lucky you!"
While looking for linens, which means digging through trunks straight out of attics, I found a packet of letters between a wife and her husband during WWII. Heart breaking! (I'll share about the letters later this week.)
Hemp dish towels and grain sacks.
Five rolls of antique hemp and a stack of linen towels (not shown).
At the end of the day, after walking around the brocante for several hours, after having carried purchase after purchase back to the van and then going back at it again, not giving a second thought to how many miles I had covered. I came across a field I had not discovered earlier. It was by far the best of the lot. I looked up to heaven whispering loud enough so they could hear upstairs, "I did not blind fold anyone and this is how you reward me?" Then I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and repented, "I am sorry, I am here, thank you…" but the child in me had to sneak in a little dig, "Better late than never."
It was there that I found rolls of antique hemp fabric and linen that I had spent hours trying to find. When I saw the rolls of antique fabric it was then that the reality of distance and my energy level came to mind. The stand was light years away from the van and the fabric weighed more than my little arms could manage in one haul!
Desire is an amazing force isn't it?
The rolls of fabric cost me the soreness I have in my muscles today.
This chair looks like how I felt after carrying the five rolls of fabric back to the van.
Now, if you are still with me after this marathon of a brocante adventure– then you are a true brocante fan and deserve to have some fun other than just seeing what the French brocante has to offer! Tomorrow I will post a guessing game and maybe offer fried frog legs on the side.
____________Note______________
Thank you for correcting me I have changed Bam-Bam the doll to the correct name of Pebbles.
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