Antiques in France Has Moved

The whole packing up and moving thing is a drag. Moving from home to home, is exhausting, I don't even want to think about it. The last two weekends I packed up and did antique shows, not as bad as packing up a home but not my favorite thing.

Packing up in cyberspace is a little easier....and my daughter did it for me. I've moved over to WordPress, which she tells me is easier to do, we will see. The name is changed just slightly, too:

New address is Antiquesfromfrance.com/blog. Easy, and now is all lines up with my web address and business name. So I hope you will come and visit me on my new little piece of cyberspace.

In just a few days, I will be heading off to Paris, and then down to the Southwest. I am really going to be shopping up a storm....euro is $1.29 tonight, the lowest it has been in a long time.

New Home

Come join Terry in her new home at http://Antiquesfromfrance.com/blog !

Time to Plan a Trip

Even though Easter was stormy and unseasonably cold here in California, it is Spring. And if it's Spring, it's time to plan a trip to France. I am burning up the web, looking for a way to use air miles, or find a great price.

I have some time to take a small group early in June. This will be a week of antiques, gardens, chateaux, food, wine, and much more! Cost is reasonable, accommodations are comfortable and charming. Food is terrific and wine is unlimited. Best of all, you don't have to think about anything except what to pack. Email me for details.

A typical week will include stops at some great local brocantes, a day in the medieval village of St Emilion (see today's photo), Bordeaux marche aux puces on Sunday morning, wine tasting, visit to Brantome, Ch Hautforte, Bergerac and dinner at a Ferme Auberge.

I can't wait to go, and I love nothing better than sharing my other home with friends.

Where do you want to spend your vacation?

France is a major destination for vacationers from all over the world. Most of these visitors head for Paris or Provence; both wonderful places. That leaves a huge and diverse area largely undiscovered by many Americans.

When Sally and I started renting vacation homes in Europe, we had to look through books with grainy photos, and read "Brit Speak" descriptions. Now with the internet, you can go to sites and scroll through dozens of rentals. Still, I think Americans are a bit timid about venturing far from Paris and the south of France. Today, I am going to tell you about a vacation spot in an unspoiled village near where I live in the Dordogne, Chez Lili.

To begin, Chez Lili and the village of Carsac de Gurson is easy to get to. From Paris, a simple transfer by train or plane to Bordeaux. Pick up your rental car, and drive through miles of rolling hills planted with the grapes that will be turned into Bordeaux wine. Stone villages, church spires and chateau can be spotted with great frequency.

Paul and Lisa are the hosts at Chez Lili. Content to let their guests make discoveries on their own, they are also there to help with suggestions for local markets, restaurants, or happenings in the village. They provide a perfect home away from home, outfitted with everything you would need. In France, these homes are called "gites". Basically stand alone homes, that for less than the cost of a hotel room, Chez Lili provides you with a fully equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, private pool and hot tub, laundry, living room, and garden. Perfect for a couple, or small family.

Now, one of my favorite things is to sit in the garden, on one of the long summer nights (it stays light past 10pm) and enjoy a bottle of wine with Paul and Lisa. The French would say "tres drole". I would just say they are completely entertaining. The lovely Lisa, with her kind heart and love of stray animals; Paul with his quietly quick wit.

Chez Lili is a perfect base to explore the 1,001 chaeaux in the Dordogne, visit St. Emilion, see where the last battle of the 100 Years War was fought, bicycle through the vines, and enjoy some of France's best cuisine. Of course, I go for the ANTIQUES!!!!!

I almost forgot to mention, this charming gite is available for less than $80 a day.

It's Not Always About France

It wasn't looking good for a quick trip to France for a couple of weeks in March. Too much work at home to get away for two weeks, April was out of the question, because of the Remnants of the Past antique show, and a simultaneous visit from two dealer friends from the East Coast. So, when a friend, casually asked if I was interested in going to Ixtapa Mexico in five days, I jumped on it.
Nothing wrong with sun, great food, pristine beach, and warm tropical air in February is there?

Last Monday morning, we were jetting south. I have been to numerous areas in Mexico; Cabo (30 years ago, before it was so cool), Guadalajara, Cozumel, Oxacca, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, but never to Ixtapa. Ixtapa, is really two different destinations; Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Ixtapa is the newer, fancier, resort and Zihuatanejo is the older, more really village.

The group I was with was primarily interested in golf, so I had plenty of time to get into trouble on my own. I checked the internet for cooking classes. What a treasure I found with Monica! She didn't answer my emails, she shyly explained, because it is difficult for her to write in English. Her English was up to the job of explaining all the nuances of one of the specialties of the region, chili rellanos. We charred, peeled, stuffed, rolled in flour, and then beaten eggs and fried. This was all under the watchful eye of an enormous iguana. Monica said he was more of a pet and lived in the tree with a couple of smaller females.

Just to add to the atmosphere, the authorities came through the neighborhood and announced the possibility of a tsunami between 2 and 5 pm, the result of that monster earthquake in Chile. I am going to post a video of Monica on UTube later tonight.

It's Spring Somewhere

Even though the weatherman says there is snow on the ground in fifty states, here in the Bay Area, it is 70 degrees; trees are blooming, daffodils are up, and all is right with my world. While we enjoy the early Spring weather in California, a I planning trips to France. If you are interested in coming along on a trip, please email me, and I will get you detailed information.

May and June are great months to visit France. For those of you seeking brocantes and antique fairs, it is a spectacular time. In May, there are no less than three special holidays, which means three extra shopping days. Those same holidays may wreak havoc with normal travel plans; but if you know where to go, these holidays can be a lot of fun.

A couple of years ago, we were shopping the May markets. The weather was not cooperative....rain was a real problem. They don't generally cancel a large market, but the smaller vide grieners can be a real waste of time in inclement weather. This May, we decided to visit Libourne, which had a small market, and what was advertised as an "Omelet Giante". This was an omelet made with 1,001 ouefs (eggs). They had tents and most of the market was covered, except in true French fashion, the giant omelet pan was exposed to the elements. Needless to say, it turned out a little runny. It did not dampen the spirits of the locals, or maybe that was the wine.

Talking Politics

I usually don't talk politics in social situations while in France. It's not that I don't like to talk about politics, I just don't want to offend. Here at home, I have some friends, whom I enjoy, but their politics are so far from mine, that we generally leave it alone. But it is always interesting to hear how people who live in Europe feel about America and our politics.

Several years ago, at a neighbors barbecue in France, Monique, turned to me and said, in French, "and what about George Bush?" I responded, "and what about Chirac?" At least George Bush hasn't been brought up on charges yet. I never feel it's proper, when I am visiting another country to bad mouth my president. (even if I didn't vote for him)

The other evening I had dinner with my French tutor and her family. Discussion was quite lively. I was really glad to learn that it was the French who introduced democracy to Europe, and that was a reason the British were often at odds with the French. It's great, even when you live in a new country, to be proud of your native heritage. I suppose it's a good thing that each country is allowed to write their own history.

Today, a couple of photos of a famous Frenchman, alas, not a politician, more a would-be lover; Cyrano d'Bergerac....I took these in Bergerac, I try to snap one every time I visit this town. Sometimes his nose is there, sometimes it's not!

Casting on is a Commitment

Thankfully, life has been very busy; which is a great excuse not to write. We finished the cottage remodel in Walnut Creek, and have put it on the market. No more Home Depot trips for a while. Tennis resumed after "Christmas Vacation", only to come to a screeching halt with all the rain. My daughter was home for the holidays and came with me to Alameda Point Antiques Market, thanks Mary, you are great company.

As we have been transfixed to the earthquake aftermath in Haiti (and reminded that we live in earthquake country) I am so proud of the way people step up to donate to relief efforts. The Yarnharlot (Stephanie Perl Macphee) has made an amazing posting on her blog with an appeal to donate to the effort. Please look her up and read it, if you have a chance.

The Yarnharlot won my daughters heart when she called her an "over-achieving knitter" as she was learning to knit by making socks. Some 30 plus pairs later (in a year), I have to agree. I really like to knit. The whole package is appealing; browsing Ravelry or books for a pattern, picking out the yarn, maybe some new needles. Until finally, you cast on. I never cast-on once for a project, I usually don't leave myself enough yarn, so I frog the cast-on, and try again.

Once I have cast-on, it is a commitment. After all, some little animal grew the wool, someone had to get the wool off the animal. Someone took the time to spin the wool (lace, fingering, DK, sport, worsted, bulky), someone dyed the wool, and someone ordered it so it could be sold to me. Then there is the pattern; a simple scarf, cardigan, or socks, it's people who count the stitches and write it down. So behind every garment that is cast on needles, there are people, faceless, but not unknown, and not unappreciated, who are pulling for you to finish your project.

Knitters have all these terms; WIP (work in progress), FROGGED (when you rip it out) and on it goes. It binds them into a wonderful, ancient tradition. People coming together, creating something beautiful. So, when I cast-on, it is a commitment for me, I don't want to be the one to break the tradition. I am currently finishing up all the WIP's, and deciding what wonderful project to tackle next.

Next up: Spring trips to France!!!!!! It's just around the corner.

T'was the night before the night before.....

I am listening to the weather reports and thinking California isn't such a bad place to be. It is a little chilly today, maybe 55, but brilliant sun and blue skies. Lot's of rain in my part of France, and with the short, dark days, they need the holidays just to brighten this time of year. England and most of Europe seem to be under an early cloak of winter. Staying by the fire with a good book, a ball of yarn, and nice glass of Bordeaux sounds like just the ticket.

Except for some food shopping tonight, gifts are purchased, and most are even wrapped. Tree and house are decorated, and the kid is home from Lexington. The things I like to do the best, baking, knitting and some jewelry making are each pulling me with projects to finish.

I haven't written a card yet, but really enjoy the ones I received. I used to write cards on the plane as we left New York each year for a December trip. But I am not going anywhere this week.

So for all of us who havn't finished the shopping, card writing, decorating, wrapping, etc.....I invite you to sit down, pull the blanket around you, reach for that cup of tea, or glass of wine. The holiday's are over in the wink of an eye, if something isn't finished, the world doesn't end, and really, no one will notice. Take a little time and enjoy what you have finished, and that we have all made it through another year.

A Cookie by Any Other Name

December and the holiday season is well under way, everywhere. My friends in France have emailed about the Marche' du Noel's in their villages, the lights have gone up, turkeys ordered, and travel plans made. Most of my friends stay home, and friends and relatives come to them. Dinners are planned and each village seems to have a party on New Year's Eve. Everyone; young and old attends, and they can be quite lively.

This week was the annual cookie party, and the competition was fierce. This years cookies were really the best, overall. I don't know who made what, that was all kind of a blur, but I loved the peppermint, chocolate meringues , the peanut butter, the pretzel shaped ones, the coconut bar, the gingerbread snowflake...did I miss one? I haven't tasted them all yet. Well done ladies. To me it isn't really Christmas until I have gotten into the kitchen and made a few different cookies. It takes me back to the baking of my grandmother, and great-grandmother. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Sunday my daughter comes home, and we will finish all the Christmas knitting, and I will get a little jewelry making done, and of course, bake some more cookies. Here is an old recipe, super easy, and always well received.

Peanut Butter Kisses
18 ounces smooth peanut butter (not a fancy brand)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 bag Hershy Kisses
Some flour
Preheat oven to 350

Stir peanut butter, sugar and eggs together until combined. Dust hand with flour, and shape dough into a ball, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball. Place on a cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. I use parchment paper, but it is a personal preference. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies look a little dry on the surface and have a few cracks in them. Take out and push an unwrapped kiss into each one. Let cool completely.

Shopping Opportunities!

Along with the anticipation that leads up to the holidays, I have been waiting for the call that tells me "the goods are here". The call came just after Thanksgiving, and I picked up my shipment yesterday, just in time for Alameda Point Antique Market tomorrow. That meant today was unloading, unpacking, repacking, and figuring out just what to take.

There are lot's of plates: Majolica, Quimper, Comedie, and purple, blue, green, red, blue, and mulberry transferware. I think it looks terrific when all the colors are mixed. I also have linens: whites, sheets, window panels, ticking, and toile. Giant tian bowls, confit pots, and a garde fromage were also on board. I have some terrific large wooden rosary beads (one with a Stanhope), hotel silver, French doll furniture, infant chairs, and some blue cafe chairs. I can't leave out the Souvenir du Marriage and a charming set ready for a creche.

Ok, time to go back to work. Please come out to Alameda Point, tomorrow, Sunday December 6th, booth G-8.

Thankful

Ah, Thanksgiving. For cooks, (like me) and non-cooks alike it's a great holiday. The menu is set, there are very few surprises. Everyone coming together and pitching in one way or another. One of my favorite holidays, because it is just about the food.

Yesterday, while wandering a little aimlessly around Target, I was approached by a reporter who was querying shoppers about what they were looking to purchase for holiday gifts. I was caught untypically speechless. It isn't that I don't love shopping (I do) or that I am not planning on buying gifts, (I am). My focus has been on what I can MAKE this year for gifts.

In the last couple of years, I have learned to make jewelry, and started knitting again. The photo today is of a couple of elves that I made the other night, needle felting. I use a lot of vintage and antique pieces when I make jewelry, so each piece is unique. I will be posting some of these items for sale in the coming days.

One of the best holidays I spent was up in New Hamphsire. We had just returned from successfully buying our house in France. We were feeling that giddiness from starting a new adventure. The rules for Christmas was, handmade, reused, or recycled. Everyone was busy sewing, painting, knitting, and going through cupboards looking for perfect gifts. I didn't realize what a talented group this was. That Christmas was 10 years ago, this year.

This Thanksgiving, I am so grateful for my husband, my daughter, my friends and extended family and all the trimmings life has brought me.

Beau Temps!!!

The little icon on my phone and lap top keeps me informed of the weather in France on a daily basis. While I lived in New York, we watched the weather channel . My friends in California don't understand why anyone would need to do that. Certainly, in California, we don't need to watch the weather channel. Each day seems to be pretty much like the next, sunny, maybe a little morning fog, cooler in the winter, perhaps an occasional shower or storm might roll in during the winter.

My French friends don't understand my fascination with the weather, either. There isn't a thing you can do about it, so why waste the time endlessly discussing it? Now, their health, that is something worth talking about. The last two weeks, in France, I know they have had buckets of rain. The days are shorter, leaves have fallen, and it is a different place than what I left just a couple of weeks ago. I wonder how all the clothes get dry, most people don't have a dryer.

For a country that doesn't generally like to discuss the weather, they sell a lot of thermometers and barometers. The photograph today is a barometer I bought at a brocante several years ago. I loved the graphics, the size and the fact it had seen it's fair share of "tempetes". I just assumed it wouldn't work. I hung it over my bed in France and didn't give it another thought. That is until a large spring storm was brewing....and viola! The arms moved. It has hung above my bed for at least six years, and continues to inform me of "beau temps" and "pluie".

Tempete: Storm
Beau temps: Good weather
Pluie: Rain

Someone pointed out to me that when people travel, there is a certain "transition" time. You are plucked out of your familiar surroundings. Then, deposited on unfamiliar territory. Who hasn't woken in the dark of night and had to take a minute to figure out where they were? It can make some people cranky. You can't understand the language, food is different; in fact nothing is really the same. Don't you just love it? If you have been away from home for a long time, you might also experience transition time coming home.

The French are different. They drive cars the size of Altoid tins, they hang their clothes on laundry lines after the 60 minute wash cycle, they garden and compost, they don't shop on Sundays, or after 7pm on any day, they still take a two hour lunch on weekdays, they turn off lights when no one is in the shop, they burn big piles of garden waste, they hunt, fish, and forage in the woods. They also have smaller beds, homes, and Christmas lists. Breakfast is only cafe, croissant or bread, and maybe juice.

Here in California, I am nearly mowed down by a neighbors car the size of a moving van, my laundry is done in forty minutes; start to finish. The gardens in my neighborhood are beautiful, but don't produce a thing to eat, I can shop 24/7, drive through a restaurant to pick up lunch, and wolf it down while I am driving. Lights in all the office buildings are on all night, you are fined $400 for a second offense if you use your fireplace on a spare-the-air night, my friends husbands fly to Montana to go hunting, I have a king sized bed....well, you get the idea.

So, when people ask me what I do with my time in France, besides shopping for antiques, I don't really have to search for an answer. I am making jam, knitting, visiting with friends, and enjoying the time to do the things we never have time to do at home. And I think this is where the French have gotten it right. Sunday lunch, the most important meal of the week, is a family/friends affair that lasts all afternoon. Imagine, just sitting and enjoying a wonderful meal with people you care about.

Packing up and Getting Ready to Go

I hate packing up. I hate having to say good bye to friends, and I really hate the thought of the brocantes and vide greniers that I will be missing. Also, I'll miss the cepes that are just coming in, the truffles next month. So, I pack as much as I can into the last few days.

As this trip draws to a close, I stop and savor every view. When I am home in California, on one of our perfect sunny days, I can close my eyes and see the stone buildings, the endless rows of vines, and almost feel a little part of France.

Besides the things I buy to bring home, I always seem to pick-up something a little more intangible to carry home. Last spring, I came home and started a compost pile. All my neighbors and friends in France do this; not because it's trendy, but because it would be silly and wasteful not to have one. All of our French neighbors hang clothes on the line. My neigborhood in California, sadly, doesn't allow clothes lines. Now that is silly.

The Life of the Brocantuer

There are a lot of reasons that I have made part of my life in France, but a big one is brocanting. Brocante, literally used household goods, but for many people it means seeking out the treasurers of everyday life that someone has discarded or left behind. The French have an historically high standard of design for decorative arts that carries over into almost every product manufactured or hand made since Napoleon legislated it. And let's face it, there is just something about French stuff that sings to a lot of people.

So, cut to 6am, it's dark, drizzly and my friend, Lisa and I are getting up in some small village in the Sarthe to find our way to the Parc Expositions for the monthly market in Le Mans. We give a bit of thanks to Joan, a neighbor who lent us her TomTom GPS finder. How did we find these markets without them?

At 8am (still dark) The men at the gate are checking business cards or other ID, as this show is only for professionals. The set up starts about the same time, so people are unpacking and setting out as" le monde" push in. The show shuts down at noon, there are between 800 and 1,000 dealers, so a lot to see, in a short time. The pace is a bit frantic.

As the sky starts to lighten, the drizzle continues. Not a really downpour, so no one is too worried about covering up their stuff. There is an inside section, but a lot of dealers are outside, exposed to the elements. The market draws a lot of buyers/sellers from Paris and the prices reflect that. A lot of art, furniture, decorative smalls, industrial, nautical and wonderful things. Some prices were over the moon, some much more reasonable. After slogging through for four hours, we meet up for a lunch of steak frites with friends, to compare notes. Everyone saw the adorable child sized mannequin. The seller was firm at 300euros. That is $450, before shipping. William pointed out that yesterday, at the show in Chartres, there wasn't a stain on the mannequin, but it hadn't stayed out of the rain. We all passed on that one. Katie scored a couple of old handpainted tamborines, I bought a tall, stacked wire bin, painted green, William did find a great adult sized mannequin at a more reasonable price.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Well, it did warm up today, but the morning started off at a frosty 29 degrees. Brrrrrr! Since we were siting outside last Sunday in the blazing sun in Bordeaux, this is quite a change. The unexpected frost has turned some of the vines brown, by passing the fall colors. Oh well.

I drove down to the Lot yesterday to have a knitting session with my Ravelry friends. Rowena's husband, (who really should get husband of the year award) cooked Sunday lunch for us. A roast, brussel sprouts, corn, roasted carrots and potatoes, mashed potatoes, and, be still my heart, Yorkshire pudding!!!! Fabulous! Also, congratulations on Mabel, the newest member of the family, born a few days late.

Debbie and Rowena are both inspiring knitters, turning out one dazzling project after another. They inspire me, as well as translate French patterns, pick-up my drop stitches, and otherwise enhance the time I spend over here. We missed Karen yesterday.

The drive down into the Lot takes me through vines, into prune and orchard country. Towns are small, rustic, and largely unspoiled. Rowena's and her neighbors raise chickens, organic beef, one makes goats cheese, another sandals. It is really a place to discover what is important.

Today, I have been packing up to go to Le Mans and meet William who will take everything back to California for me. (and for only $5,000) We will get a chance to make some purchases at the huge show in Le Mans on Wednesday. Saturday is the Nouveau Vin et Brocante Foire in Bordeaux.

Fruits of the Harvest

On Monday, the warm weather seemed to disappear and we welcomed a cool evening and brisk morning. Today it just felt chilly. As I headed to the market for some supplies, I could really see the changes in the vines. The harvest has just concluded, and already the vineyards are turning the yellows, reds and golds.

A few days ago, my friend Lisa made some suggestions for the surplus figs and pomegranates. "Pomegranate jam is just the taste of Fall". She sent me her recipe, which I will put at the end of this post. I've made a lot of different kinds of jams and jellies, but never pomegranate. Lisa starts with 31/2 cups of pomegranate juice. Have you ever opened a pomegranate? How do you juice those little seeds? After a little experimentation, I came up with something that doesn't require a juicer, or pectin, which I couldn't find here in the market.

Three or four pomegranates, seeded. Here is a trick from my friend Imeileen; seed them in a bowl full of water. No pink spots on white shirts, and the white bits float to the top. Drain most, but not all of the water.

Measure how much water and seeds you have. Now here is the tricky part, French markets sell a zillon different kinds of sugar, including one that says "Special pour Gelees et Confitures". I used not quite 2/3's of the volume of seeds to sugar. Add some lemon juice. Bring to a boil and wait till it thickens a bit. Strain and pour into properly prepared jars. Viola!

The color is brillant, I controlled the sweetness, and used up the pomegranates!
Here is Lisa's recipe, which I will try on my pomegranates in California.


3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin (2 oz)
4 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare 3 pint-sized jars. In a large kettle, combine the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and pectin. Over high heat, bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and stir to blend. Bring to a second rolling boil, then boil for exactly 2 minutes. Remove jelly for heat immediately when the time is up. Let stand a minute to allow foam to form, then carefully remove the foam. Pour hot jelly quickly into hot jars, filling the jars within about 1/8 inch of the tops. Carefully wipe off the rim of the jar. Put lid on each jar as it is filled, screwing band on as tightly as you comfortably can. Cool jars away from drafts on a towel.

Early Flights Out

Michael is headed home this morning. Flight leaves Bordeaux at 6am, so counting backwards; he needed to check-in at 5am, the drive is an hour, so leave the house at 4am. In other words, 3:15am wake up call for us.

The last day, whether it is for Michael, a house guest, or me is always flavored with a little bittersweet taste. We all look forward to getting back home, but there are always one or two things left undone on any great trip. For Michael and I, it is often the "find" left undiscovered, or the meal we missed. After lunch yesterday in a nearby village, we wandered around, admiring the views and architecture, decided to take a drive. Since it was his last day, direction was all up to him.

We headed south, going through St Foy, stopping at the factory outside of Duras that sells prunes dipped in chocolate. From Duras, it was due south towards Marmande, hanging a right at the river, and following it west. The weather has turned cooler the last couple of days and the air was crisp.

A vintner had told me that as soon as the grapes are harvested, the leaves on the vines give up, and start turning gold and red. The change of colors in the vineyards is almost over night.

I have a little over a week left, and a lot to finish up. Tomorrow: adventures with Pommegrante Jam.

Brocante, Brocante, Brocante!

If it's Sunday, it's must be flea market day. While most of France sleeps in after a late Saturday night, antique dealers and collectors are on the hunt at an early hour. The market in Bordeaux takes place every Sunday morning, starting before it's light, with vendors packing up when the noon church bells start ringing.

While Bordeaux is a lovely city, and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Place Meyard, where the market takes place is a rather seedy area. An ethnic melting pot that attracts upscale and homeless alike. Every visit I have made in the last ten years has been marked by the crazy guy who tells his tale of woe from the top of his lungs to the taunts of nearby vendors. He is obviously a fixture.

The nuts and bolts of the market are the vendors and their inventories. Today there was more junk than usual, but a nearby, three day fair may have pulled some dealers who would normally be at the show. I did score four wicker cafe chairs, a wonderful crown, transferware plates, and a shell frame to list just a few items.