The morning after the day before – which was the Street Party in Hampstead of Gail’s Bakery. They take our jams, we do their annual bunfest. A lot more people than the year before arriving with lists of the Tea Together jams they or their spouse need refreshed. Home past midnight and next morning, off to one of the last Brocantes of the season. Haul – two vintage coffee grinders for friend Phil, the best sound recordist Nick ever had when he was cameraman. A child’s felt coat, Austrian, beautiful applique, destined to be savaged for felt discs for the 1926 Citroen being restored. And three heavy heavy silver-plated hall marked dishes for the house. Still no Toulouse Lautrec drawing which graces the home of a couple a village away, pulled out of a folder of nothing much that was lying on a pavement in a Bethune brocante. Afternoon, de-stoning beautiful greeny-gold tiny greengages delivered Friday from our Paris organic distributor. Plenty of work but plenty of scent and taste and, Monday, Jocelyn made them into a jam that has managed to trap all the qualities listed above. Colour intact. Evening, the Tea Together Youth move into the fermette in Tortefontaine, village a bike ride from St Remy.
Suddenly we are sitting down to meals with four people round the table instead of the ten or twelve that had become normal. Strange. Dogs in mourning. Sofa destroyed. Spot the sad dog…..
Sad dog in wrecked cushion
