Swans and a Salle de Bain with a view

This is the salle du bain at Shirley and Marks house.It is fab with its open beams and coir rug going floor to floor.It is truly country french.A old house Hundreds of years old. The kind of thing us americans try to do only we never seems to do it justice.I adore the way it leads you to a calm and peaceful place. So thoughtful and charming. A work of love that was a long time coming and they deserve it.
I got excited just looking at the door. They really did an incredible job in restoring it in period style.It takes a lot of time and patience to wait for doors and windows the right size.
!!!!THIS IS THE VIEW FROM THE SALLE DE BAIN!!!!
As I got out of the tub and went to the window I was so overcome buy the beauty of the grey skies and what I saw.(yes,I had the camera with me)I then ran outside hair soaking wet in Marks wellies to snap the pictured below.
Swans. Swans a swimming to be exact. Why did I not take the pic from inside? I paniced.It is not every day you see a couple of swans outside the window your looking out of. I know this picture does not do justice to what I saw. In vain I tried to have some help making this picture better but my people could not help. The swans were leaving for the day and I was too.We were both having our swan song.

Le Petite Chateau Brueil

Welcome to the chateau Mark and Shirley call home. Charles the three legged cat and Digger the Jack Russel make it a family of four. It was so fun coming down the long road and seeing the chateau come into sight. If we went any further we would run into the water!! They live on a marsh that floods in the winter and is dry in the summer. Absolutely stunning! Wait until tomorrow and I will show you the view from the bathroom.

Of course there are geraniums in the windows with shutters . Soft grey exterior and shutters. So quintessential country french .
Everyone has a wine cellar right?

Tomorrow were going in.

Brocante day deux and then to the chateau.......

This is the precious gate that goes to Mark and Shirleys house.(chateau)Yes ,I said chateau. A petite chateau. J'adore. Were not going there until tomorrow. There is more brocanting to do.
Here I am all bundled up for the wet weather with my rain boots on. Shirley was making fun of my boots but at the end of the day I had dry feet and she did not. I am just saying.
Everyone and there dog was at the brocante.This little frenchie was so cute.
All of the vans line up and then a person on his bicycle rides buy and declares the market open.
....then we are off and running.Sooooooooooooo much fun. I got bottle holders and a french map on canvas. Old reels of french film and hemp towels. Millenary feathers and old menus and boxes with french writing. Shirley got the most amazing wallpaper sample book she has listed right now on her ebay store and I am going to be wanting that. She also bought pages with french crowns and monogram scraps. It was a great market, I hope to go to again .And were is Mark in all this? He is running back and fourth to the car carrying our things emptying the bags and then in between he makes sure we have plenty of cafe and water. He is a english gentleman. You cannot carry anything or open your door.And he laughs at all his own jokes so we don't have to entertain him at all. No you cannot come so don't ask.It took me 4 years of begging and I do mean begging. I will tell you more about that tomorrow.

To muse or not to muse that is the question......

I present to you Madame Shirley(she is the one in the middle) She only looks like this at the brocante when people are eyeing her gear. Really to give you a visual of Shirley and Mark think Angelina and Brad......then forget about it. Maybe throw in some oompa loompa and your getting close.(On another note you cannot believe the things you can find at the brocante.I found Brad and Angelina there in Auqust a year and a half ago.I will have to post those photos sometime.) There will be no photos of Mark and Shirley as some things are just to sacred to share. Outside of her face etched in my mind we have our Jane Fonda workout nights to remember. It is how I shall carry on until we meet again.
Shirley plus textiles equals insanity.She has been at it for 25 years and is going strong. She found this building outside and called me on the telly to get me to come over.We bought a ton of stuff from this couple.Shirley got some incredible silk curtains and fabrics and gorgeous rouge ribbon on the original spool.I found a box of crowns and medals that were brass and tole painted from costumes .After much bartering I bought them all.It was a great day of fun.
We ran out of money or would have bought even more as it truly was one of the best spots for textiles. We found it towards the end of the day but what a great way to end it.
The last time I was at Le mans with Shirley I got this fabulous bed couronne. Snatched it right from under her nose.I feel a little bit guilty....NOT!!! See you tomorrow at lisieux.

Shirley Shirley Shirley

I met my Shirley some ten years ago on Ebay. She had sold textiles for years and owned a store in England and then moved to the Normandy area of France. She is so charming she even coaxed her lawyer husband to quit his job and move to the country. (He is the poster child for a whippin boy though Shirley prefers to call him a love slave. At least she has the slave part right.) I furnished a whole vacation cabin with finds from her online store. Sheets so thick in linen they must have wieghed 4 or 5 pounds each.Vichy check in red and lampshades with the same. Hemp towels and curtains. I could go on for hours. I had never been to France and she was my only association with it. All I knew was she sold what I liked. It has been a love affair ever since. Don't get me wrong, she is not perfect (but close.) Her issues are ones you can work with as you will come to find out. She sells under simply chateau on Ebay and has a blog with the same name. If you want to shop for French Brocante items and want it to be open 24 hours a day this is your ticket. New listings every week,straight from the country untouched. Just typing this makes me want to go shopping. I will finish this blog. Focus Amy Focus. If you're reading this Mark (her husband) you know I love you and feel sainthood is in your future for living with Shirley. I am sorry she always borrows your razor for her face. I will bring you a fresh one next time and we will hide it from her....... Here are a few of my favorite things from years past that I purchased from Shirley's store. Mark, I will look forward to seeing you with Shirley tomorrow at the Brocante in Le mans.

Antique french sheets with crowns from a royals trousseau ooh la la
an enchanting cherub plaque with bird in hand from a building

( she probably pryed it off herself)
petite shells in test tubes with the writing in french.I get to look at these everyday courtesy of Simply Chateau . Merci Beau Coup Madame Shirley

Are we there yet?

Yes,were loading up to head north for Shirleys but

not for a few days.I had to wait three days to see her and so do you. But,were gonna have fun. Plus the truck is too small for us so were gonna have take the train.

The good news is more shopping in Paris. This time we are leaving the window and going inside. Two words.Cire Trudon . One word Magnifique! They sell candles in fragrances that you have to develop a sixth sense just to process it in your mind.

Blue toile linen fabric walls with gorgeous drawings and antique domes over candles .Eye candy !Yes yes yes!

They also have walls of tapers for about 2,60 euro a piece. How fun that can tell all your friends you went to one of the oldest candle stores in Paris. If that is not enough, you can tell them they make all the candles for the Palace of Versailles. It's that little place that old King Louis and Marie lived......Not to be missed while in the city. I go everytime I am there----I think that is why they let me take pictures inside.So greatful.

Three days in Paris at Joyeux Noel time!

I am going to get to Shirley but first I need to show you some windows I saw during my three precious days in the city of lights. At Au Printemps department store the windows were bejeweled for holiday magique.............

...even the ceilings were festive. Lights and ribbons and ornaments hanging from the walkways outside!!! The french never leave you wanting more details. They just leave you wanting more ... insert sigh here at the memory of it all.

...from ghosts chasing children around at a christmas feast to busts that look like they came to life just for the holidays the windows were truly something from a dream of a place you can only find in Paris.

I found myself wondering if this man was real from another time or just a real dream of someones mind for the holiday season. Either way it fun to think of his life and how he ended up with his louvre museum like image hanging out for the holidays in Paris ....just like me.