Brocantes and strawberries

Brocantes are a great place to find some real bargains and the one at Jouhet was no exception.  The village is a pretty one with a lovely centre by the river.  Sadly the weather was not kind to the many stall holders in the morning but the afternoon brightened up and the rain and storms stayed away.  The streets were lined with people selling everything from bags to bicycles and you really do need a little patience to search through the many “bargains” to find the true ones.   It is always fun to take the kids to these as there is so much for them to encounter – so many different people mulling over the latest news, so many smells from old clothes to freshly baked bread and a chance for Ruby to find some toys that she would like to take home – within reason. 

As we meandered through the streets we came across a couple of musicians playing instruments that I had never seen before – they were a cross between a guitar and an organ I guess.  Have you ever seen these before and if so what are they called?  They were beautiful instruments and the music being played matched their beauty.  We had nearly run out of time and not found anything worth buying when we came across a couple of remote controlled cars for 10 euros.  It is always a bit of a gamble buying electrical or battery operated items from such places but all the other items on the stall were clean and clearly well looked after so we took a chance.  When we got home Ruby could not wait to get the cars going so Dad helped put in the new batteries and with fingers crossed we switched them on – they worked! They provide great entertainment for both Ruby and Rivan – Ruby drives the cars around while Rivan tries to catch them – good exercise both mentally for Ruby and physically for Rivan.

Monday afternoon took us strawberry picking at our friends who has a glut of strawberries at the moment.  Between us we managed to fill 3 large bowls before the kids had eaten enough strawberries and were bored.  Both the kids love strawberries and I had better warn my mum when we visit next weekend that she might not get any for herself!!!  At our fiends she has the most magnificent little rocking horse that was made for “little E” by her grandfather.  Ruby was quick to jump on and enjoy the craftsmanship of this beautiful little pony.

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Time will stand still….

I have been meaning to take hand and foot prints of both Ruby and Rivan for such a long time now and it is just one of those things that has never been done. When I went to collect the children we were given a present – one labelled Rivan and one labelled Ruby. Inside these gift wrapped presents were a hand print of Ruby and foot prints of Rivan – these were one of the best presents ever and really made my mothers day. They will be etched in my mind for evermore and on our wall until we are grey and old – thank you to all the ladies at the crèche for caring for my children and giving such a lovely gift!

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