Oink !!

Many years ago...more years than I care to remember I answered an email from a Ebay buyer who had been my number one client for 18th and 19th century Vichy check. 

The email read " I am coming Paris could we meet up?". I politely refused but she worked on me with more emails until she caught me at a weak moment and I gave in. Kind of like a Chinese water torture thing. 

She came clutching treasures.....

It soon became apparent how similar we are, almost "sisters from another mister" and we have been firm friends ever since.

So....brace yourselves for again we are awaiting the arrival of Tartelette Amy from Oregon and then we are off truffling!!

Last time we set off on a trip we found so many things that I had her packed so tightly in the car that all you could see of her was one hand!!

To say the least she is a live wire with boundless energy, a wicked sense of humour, a very good eye, a knack for talking me out of my own personal treasures, she cooks her own pasta, tries to poison me with Mexican food, never stops talking,  and has a heart of gold. (But don`t tell her said the last bit I have to keep her on her toes!).

Charles le Baron du Breuil is going in to hiding as we speak

Sir Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw is waiting patiently as she brings him chicken chews USA style!

She is always first out of bed for truffle trips and I have known her disappear out in to the darkness at 4 a.m from a hotel room as the call of what she might find is simply too much to bear.

She is the only person who managed to entice me on the Paris Metro at rush hour. Not only that, but we were pulling a trolley loaded with treasures she had found at an early morning market. Most of it fell off at regular intervals and we had to carry the trolley up endless steps! 

She is also the only person who could entice me for a "tuctuc" ride up the Champs Elysees with some poor guy pedalling away in front of us as she waved like the queen on an official outing. But we were going to Laduree for gateaux so she is excused.

At the end of the day we usually have to do " show and tell" where we get to truffle through each others finds. This usually ends with a bout of stealing from each others bags, the odd scuffle a few Chinese burns with a little begging thrown in.

I managed to talk her out of this wonderful gilded Sacre Coeur last time and I am going to hide it so she can`t take it back with her this time!!

I remember well one day turning a corner at an early brocante I found her sitting on the grass in a huge pile of antique ballet costumes. She looked up at me and said " I don`t know...which one shall I have?". 

I panicked as looking round I could see Paris textile dealers approaching from every angle. I dragged her to her feet yelling  "The LOT take the LOT...all of it...now...quick!!!" We proceeded to stuff it all in bags before we got mobbed and we were followed back to the van by a host of ladies ( I use that term loosely as they were heat seeking missiles in sling backs wearing shoulder pads)  asking to look and buy what was there.

So, we are off to a huge brocante that runs for 6 kilometres through a forest. It is so big that last year after walking it for the third time I demanded to be airlifted back to the hotel!! 


I hope the weather is good to us.

I shall keep you posted as the trip goes on. 

I forgot to say that I received an email from a Ebayer with nothing better to do who gave me a ticking off about using the word "truffling"  saying it was "artificial speech intended to impress - adopted for merchandising purposes"'

 As most of you know I have used that word for 30 years to describe my hunting for treasure like a truffle pig. So to that lady I say a firm "OINK!!!"

A note to Dee, Blanche and Mo....I am still alive and kicking...not missing in action just in full truffle mode..one of the truffelerati....xxxx

A la prochaine
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