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| First...and last coffee of the day. No time! |
I had a lovely Saturday recently on the Central coast of New South Wales attending the French Country Market, held on the grounds of the Chertsey primary school. I booked and ran a stall and it was a pleasure to spend the day chatting to fellow francophiles about my book and our French house, which we have on holiday let.
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| French Country Market - Chertsey |
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| Our little stall in Chertsey |
We were clearly the amateur stand alongside the well-polished stalls! The last time that we had done something similar was when we were living in France and we participated in the Talloires vide-grenier, literally 'empty attic', the equivalent of a whole village garage sale.
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| Vide-grenier - Talloires |
Similarities
- Both days were in May and, for us as stallholders, they started at the crack of dawn, were amazingly tiring but were brilliant fun.
- We sold more than we were expecting!
- Both were friendly places where people happily stopped to chat and swap stories.
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| Our little stall in Talloires, looking out over the Annecy Lake. |
Differences
- The weather... A few days out of winter here in Australia, and despite the fact that I started the day wearing a coat and jumper, by 9 o'clock I was wishing that I had dressed in shorts and tee-shirt.
- The setting - as the photos attest - French village v. Australian bush.
- Australians don't haggle like the French do!
A French Country Market in Australia? That sounds so lovely! I hope you had a good time and a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love to chat, so it was fun from start to finish. It is surprising the number of francophiles that live in Australia. I am definitely not the odd one out...at least in that respect! Have a lovely week.
DeleteAll the little tents! It's so fancy!
ReplyDeleteI have a basement full of stuff ready to unload as soon as the weather stabilizes.
It was a picturesque setting, there is no doubt about it. A strange, but lovely mix of France and Australia. Good luck with both the weather stabilising and your vide-grenier!
DeleteI discovered these vide-greniers in France years ago and had a ball at one in Burgundy. Somehow, I miraculously was able to speak French and barter on a piece of French enamelware. So exciting!
ReplyDeleteIt is one of those strange truths, isn't it Cheryl, that when you are really into something the words find themselves! Where are you living now? Still in France and able to put your French to the test again?
DeleteI live in upstate New York but travel to France every year. Just love it there!!!
DeleteAmazing that so many of us feel this way...but it is a good thing!
DeleteVide-greniers are thrilling no matter where they are! This is my first time visiting you, have spent a lovely time reading your blog posts, merci Beaucoup.
ReplyDeleteI do so agree! Thank-you for your lovely comment.
DeleteRegards, Catherine
Both places look utterly charming, except the part about not having time for more coffee. I'm hoping I always have time for a leisurely coffee in France.
ReplyDeleteThanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. There's another one today if you want to join in again. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme
Hi Paulita, yes, it was a great day even without the coffee!
DeleteI have visited your site before but was not sure what to do with the meme?
Look forward to the contact.
Regards, Catherine