(My daughter and mon mari persuaded me to begin blogging again, so here it goes! These posts will not go through tiers of editing; therefore I might have made some grammatical errors.)
Living in this medieval village in the south of Fance has sparked so many new-found interests. It is because I've had precious time here: time to sleep, contemplate, create, pray, question, and wonder.
Here's my first random observation from France re: collecting. I have written a series of these observation, which I will post.
Antique French torchons (kitchen towels) have sparked my interest in collecting old stuff, while living in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. Each Saturday morning - gusty mistral or scorching heat - I pry myself out of bed for the local Brocante. A brocante is a french flea market, where professionals sell their collected wares, ranging from pewter to pétanque balls. I think it's the same as a flea market, but correct me if I'm wrong. I've honestly begun worrying that the brocante is a dying trade since there seems to be few traders under the age of 65. I also notice that many enjoy sipping zee Pastis whilst working, not that I blame them. I would need Pastis for people pilfering through my precious things or the unpredictable mistral wind* perforating fragile items, of which I've seen.
These monogrammed torchons are nearly one hundred years old and probably sat in someones cupboard for years, untouched. I like the fact that someone else owned them and I own a piece of french history. I already used them and sadly have a few stains, c'est la vie.
*Mistral Wind is a turbulent wind that is triggered by specific conditions. It's funneled down the Rhone Valley corridor all the way to Marseilles. It is also the subject of another story I'll post later.
