The truffling gene...........

Up at 6am this morning for a little truffling with Miss Frou Frou at the only flea market for miles. She fell out of her cottage door clutching a huge oversize mug of tea that would not spill as I drove. Apparently this is the pre-planning of a serious Earl Grey addict!

 This small flea market is always quite a drab event that is held in a dark and dingy cattle shed .If you should find something you have to ask permission of the seller to walk to the daylight with it as what looks like soft rose pink on the inside will be flourescent orange once you walk outside with it!

 In the Spring and Summer when there are many vide-greniers and brocantes we always ignore this market but due to the Winter lack of places to truffle it actually sounded quite inviting today!!

As we arrived I fully expected the building to slam down its shutters in a hissy fit  and shout " If you can`t come all year don`t expect to be coming in now!".

There were quite a few dealers we know there already all searching as the sellers unpacked. There were only around 20 stands in all so I didn`t hold out much hope.

Miss Frou Frou who seems to have inherited the  "fall off the roof of a blazing building and you`ll land in a pair of shoes your size gene" walked straight into a gorgeous Paris hatbox that carries the inscription  "By appointment to King Edward VII". 

She followed this with the most amazing large gesso on wood carved panel in the original old chalky paint bedecked with scrolls, curls and flowers. She batted her eyelashes and the seller dropped the price without her even asking or having to barter!

It`s nice to truffle with a different pair of eyes sometimes.  I would have walked past a large box of old carved beads on the floor. Some look like ivory, some jade, some shaped like little skittles. Frou Frou snapped it up as she knows her jewelley making clients will adore them.

She then bought a huge pile of frothy edged parchment pages books, a batch of old damask linens that included an enormous and wonderful monogrammed banqueting cloth, old school books filled with divine old sepia script, a batch of Absynthe plates and some toile covered with birds.

I scored a huge "nil" on the truffling front but I was allowed the great honour of being allowed to buy coffee and croissants, carry some of mademoiselle`s finds and to load the car. Whoop -di- do!

I felt a little like a Victorian parlour maid walking after her mistress carrying her purchases! Oui mademoiselle.......non mademoiselle.....oui mademoiselle"

A la prochaine mes belles
xx