We have been making the rounds of the flea markets, called brocantes here, that pop up in every village near and far. Some are just a block, others fill the town square, and some take up several streets of the village. The offerings range from shoes, baby clothes, and toys to antique furniture, homemade jam, tools, car parts, and unusual bric-a-brac. I love going and our calendar is full of them every weekend. There’s even a website that keeps a record of when and where they are happening. Bob is a good sport and goes along, but not quite as enthusiastically as me.

I’ve started a few collections – it’s more fun to have something particular to search for, something that is not so ordinary that you’ll have no trouble finding it. I’ve decided to collect small copper vessels, particularly ones with feet or stands. Not your usual copper cooking pots.

Most brocantes offer a fixed-price lunch, usually a sausage in a baguette and fries. But one we attended recently offered a lunch of moules frites, mussels and fries. For 14 euros, it was a fantastic meal, and the experience of sitting there, eating a pile of mussels under a big tent with a hundred French people happily chatting and enjoying themselves, was one of those pinch-me moments.

After lunch, we continued browsing the stalls. This brocante in La Celle Guenand was huge and went on forever. It was a super hot day so we finally left without seeing it all.

And today’s surprise: