French Treasure

I've had several requests to show what I brought back from my October visit to France. Because we traveled with just one suitcase each, so much easier in this age of complicated overseas travel, and the poor exchange rate, we didn't buy too much. I mailed back two parcels at an exorbitant postal rate ~ apparently everything goes airmail now, fast but so expensive.

So a few gifts for family and friends, and some little treasures for the cottage were all I could manage.

The two tall silver capped perfume bottles look great with my silver lidded powder bowls ~ the one on the right was my mother's and given to her on her 21st birthday. I discovered the bottles in a brocante in the Minervois near my family's home - great stuff at good prices.

La Rotonde - Aix-en-Provence

See those little silver cups, second shelf up on the right? I brought them back across the pond!

During my fabulous afternoon with Corey Amaro in Aix-en-Provence, I purchased the set of six silver monogrammed liqueur cups and tray from a charming antiques dealer on a market stall with a generous 'Corey discount'. The other small items, which I now realize were all used for drinking French liquids, were from a huge brocante in an Aix backstreet directly behind our hotel. I would have missed it but of course Corey, who knows all the treasure troves in Provence, took me there!

High on my wish list were old French books, preferably yellowed with age, even water damaged! I love the look of them stacked so the wrinkled pages show.
In the world famous antiques shops of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue they had bundles of half a dozen old books tied together and were selling them for 150 euros!!!!!

These were my finds..............bargains at just a euro or two each from a rickety stall set outside a used bookshop in a little cobbled alley.

In our beautiful apartment at La Madone in Apt in the Luberon, I longed for these monogrammed heavy linen flax cushion covers on the daybed.

The owner sold them to me! As soon as I buy pillow forms to fit they will be on the bed in the guest room.

No, couldn't quite squeeze this elegant chair into either the suitcase or a mailing box, but did buy the huge antique linen tablecloth. It has two lovely monograms, and one tiny hole ~ for just 10 euros, from the brocante in Carcassonne shown in a recent post.

Just love this linen laundry bag even though it's not antique or even vintage ~ but easy to pack in the suitcase.

A couple more new items include a wooden Gros Sel (coarse salt) box ~ great to have nearby when cooking.....................

.........traditional wooden clothes pegs ~ love the label "25 Pinces a Linge a L'Ancienne".

............and a metal Liste des Courses (shopping list) to hang in the kitchen ~ what fun to flip those pointers to French words!

The antique, hand stitched, cream and red monogrammed kitchen towels I also purchased from La Madone. In this image you can just see the monogram on that large tablecloth.

...........and next time.................I'm definitely taking that extra suitcase!!!

Going Home ~ Coming Home

Back in the USA! Arrived Sunday after an almost nine hour flight. Not the best way to be celebrating an auspicious Birthday - yes, it was a big one and I didn't even get a slice of cake - just a granola bar!

Where to start? At the beginning perhaps. Was limited for computer time while in France and England, WIFI not readily available like here. Hope you enjoyed at least a couple of glimpses from life on the roads of Europe and, as promised, I'll bring you more over the coming weeks. I did take a lot of pics of some beautiful scenery, decor, food, markets, my family, and some very special blog friends whom many of you know.

Typical English countryside at daybreak before landing at Heathrow.

After a coach ride from Heathrow to Gatwick Airport, a snack to keep us going while awaiting our flight to Toulouse. No time in England but did get a quick visit on the return.

Leaving the UK and heading across the English Channel to France.


By late afternoon we were in Caunes-Minervois, hugged by family and comfortably ensconced in a "room with a view" of the lovely garden. The window, complete with heavy wood shutters so typical to France, looked out onto the lower level garden and the small "impasse", a pedestrian lane running between the house, some farmland and Caunes Abbey. When here in June 2006, my brother was still renovating this house and we stayed in his former home in a nearby village. The changes here are amazing and I'll be showing you more later.

Thanks to all of you who have kept up with me and left comments and e-mails. Being gone for almost a month and unable to visit you and leave comments has been tough.......but each one of you has been on my mind. I wish you could have all been along to enjoy everything the South of France has to offer.