Cheeky
We wanted to head over to the district of Haute-Marne, to one of our preferred wine producers — Muid Montsaugeonais. We love their wines, both red and white, and they are a great addition to our guest offering. It’s about a 90 minute drive for us, through beautiful countryside and stunning little villages.
The dégustation takes place in their boutique, and it’s quite extensive. We enjoyed a really good tasting, and bought some lovely wines, then we nipped next door to a little local restaurant for their ‘plat du jour’. For €17 we had a cold buffet selection for starter, then pasta with blanquette de veau for main. We could also have had a raspberry pana cotta, but we were both full by dessert. Instead we enjoyed a little expresso before setting off.
On the way home I suggested to Brian we make a little detour, to visit a brocante I knew was in the village of Auberive. He’s always up for a trip to a brocante, so he didn’t take much persuading.
They had some beautiful pieces there — some a little out of our normal price range. However, we did take a liking to a few of the paintings they had on display. Brian knows I love paintings of flowers, and spotted a beautiful one of some loosely painted white flowers. Close by was a painting of a rather relaxed nude (she was looking terribly comfortable). Again, we both liked the loose style used. Brian had also noticed a deliciously impressionistic painting of a Chateau, with a couple enjoying the gardens surrounding it. The three were out of our price range, but I wondered whether if we offered a cheeky bid for the three, would she take it? There was no one else in the shop, it was raining, and the road outside was currently being dug up, so it seemed like a good day to try our luck. Brian set the scene to the shopkeeper, making her aware he was going to make an offer before he did. This set her expectations, and with a little bit of haggling, and the odd “Ooh, non, trop cher”, we were soon the proud owners of three delightful paintings.
They really are very different for us. We both love having beautiful art on our walls, of all styles, it’s good for the soul. Now it’s just a decision of where to hang them.