Brocanting we will go.
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.
this one is my favorite – it’s about 9″ tall
Most brocantes offer a fixed-price lunch, usually a sausage in a baguette and fries. But one we attended recently offered a lunch of
my moules frites lunch
friendly local volunteers served lunch 
the frites station
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.
I loved this little guy and regret now that I didn’t buy him
body parts 
spooky dolls
drawer pulls and keys 
door latches 
rusty tools
I’m oddly attracted to rusty things
And today’s surprise:
I didn’t know that Kiwi fruit grows in France until we saw it on a recent hike
Joli | 22nd Aug 19
Oh those copper pots!
Susan Walter | 22nd Aug 19
Uh oh! You are going to have to acquire a 12 year old girl who is employed to do nothing but polish copper — or get it all lacquered, which unfortunately devalues the objects.
Happy birthday — I hope Bob found something at the market to surprise you with.
Ann | 22nd Aug 19
Great photos -what fun browsing the markets.