Now what? Life in rural Ariege

Burblings about adjusting to life in the deep south west of France or "la France profonde" as they call it here and the challenges of restoring a ramshackle collection of tumbledown buildings. I mainly write about local festivals, events and celebrations and, most of all, the weekly ritual of combing vide greniers and brocantes for pre-loved vintage treasures.

21 June 2014

Shopping!

I love most aspects of running Histoires, my online French vintage shop, but probably my favourite part is "le shopping". Today, I had the pleasure of the company of 2 like-minded ladies who arrived to collect me at 0830 in order to be at my new favourite shopping haunt at 0900 as it opened.

Now, I can shop. I can really, really shop. But these 2, Linda and Iris, they can really, really shop too!

Just take a look at the little red car and picture, if you will, the following:

3 ladies
1 fold up table
3 large fruit picking baskets
2 huge zinc containers (approximately the size of small dustbins)
And in additon an assortment of tins, crockery, enamelware, 6 pairs of crochet curtains, embroidery ephemera, a vanity case, an aluminium kitchen utensil rack, a demijohn and, well those are just the items I remember.








The boot was crammed, bien sur. I had a fruit basket full of "le tresor" balanced on my knee and Iris was enclosed in the back seat by her gorgeous chippy fold up metal table! Didn't we do well!


There are plenty of lovely items that will be on sale in Histoires in September after I reopen after a long summer break. Here's a taster...





Beautiful art deco spelter bookends on black marble bases with a stag and a doe and fawn




art nouveau irridescent glass inkwell with bronze lid and original glass ink bottle




such an unusual round gold metal wire box, lovely and tarnished




1960s retro kitchen wall clock by Japy




A simply huge monogram stamp for the initial E




Tall blue graniteware enamel water pitcher

And there'll be plenty more...

I think we'll take a van next time :)