Charles le Baron du Breuil

They know nothing! Nothing at all! They think I am just a semi feral three legged cat dumped in a ditch! Huh!

What do they know?! When they are not looking I am secretly researching my ancestry as I am sure that I am a descendant of one of Maire Antoinette`s cats.

Already I have discovered Great Great Aunt Mimi a famous court cat.

And Great auntie twice removed Mademoiselle La Souris

 

But best of all Monsieur Louis le Marquis de Vannes

 

 

When this becomes public they will have to treat me with the respect I deserve.

 

Until then................. I shall dream of my life to be.

 

 

 

A la prochaine & bonne weekend mes belles

xxxx

A new service?

As I sat replying to emails in the warm sunlight flowing into the cuisine this morning two chattering swallows flew in through the door.

Charles le Baron du Breuil thought his breakfast had arrived and panic followed! I pressed a quick " send" on my email and then rushed to open the windows.

The swallows were panicking and fluttering against the windows ( pooing as they went!!) and Charles was leaping like a lunatic with his claws out.

I managed to get them both out safely and went back to my emails ignoring the dirty looks from Charles!

Then I looked at what I had sent!

The email was a lady asking me if I posted items to the USA. I had replied " Yes, we WHIP internationally".

A new service perhaps?!!!

A la prochaine mes belles
xxxx

Time for chocolat..............

I adore chippy old distressed paintwork............

................and I adore chocolat............................

So what`s not to like?!!!

This divine old chocolaterie clock from the late 1800s/early 1900s is being listed in my auctions tonight.

A la prochaine mes belles
xxxxx

First through the door............

I know I have mentioned this Paris apartment before but now more details have come to light. What would you have given to be first through those doors ?

 

The Paris time capsule apartment: Untouched since the wealthy owner locked up and fled to the South of France at the outbreak of World

 

The doors open on the 70 year-old timewarp to reveal a hoard of 1940s treasures, including a £3million painting

Caked in dust and full of turn-of-the century treasures, this Paris apartment is like going back in time.

Having lain untouched for seven decades the abandoned home was discovered three years ago after its owner died aged 91.
The woman who owned the flat, a Mrs De Florian, had fled for the south of France before the outbreak of the Second World War.
She never returned and in the 70 years since, it looks like no-one had set foot inside.

Back in time: The flat near the Trinité church in Paris between the Pigalle red light district and Opera

The property was found near a church in the French capital's 9th arrondissement, between Pigalle red light district and Opera. Experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions which included a painting by the 19th century Italian artist Giovanni Boldini.
One expert said it was like stumbling into the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where time had stood still since 1900. 'There was a smell of old dust,' said Olivier Choppin-Janvry, who made the discovery.

 

But he said his heart missed a beat when he caught sight of a stunning tableau of a woman in a pink muslin evening dress.
The painting was by Boldini and the subject a beautiful Frenchwoman who turned out to be the artist's former muse and Mrs de Florian’s grandmother, Marthe de Florian, a beautiful French actress and socialite of the Belle Époque.

Under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects including a painting by the 19th century Italian artist Giovanni Boldini

Untouched: The cobweb-filled flat was discovered in the 9th arrondissement of Paris

Treasure trove: Behind the door, under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects, including the Boldini painting that sold for £1.78million

When the owner died died aged 91, experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions

Mrs de Florian fled Paris before the outbreak of war in 1939, which saw the Nazis invade France and reach Paris on June 14. Pictured here, German officers and Parisians mingle near a sidewalk cafe on the Champs Elysees on Bastille Day in 1940

Marthe de Florian was an actress with a long list of ardent admirers whose fervent love letters she kept wrapped neatly in ribbon and were still on the premises.
Among the admirers was the 72nd prime minister of France, George Clemenceau, but also Boldini.
The expert had a hunch the painting was by Boldini, but could find no record of the painting.
'No reference book dedicated to Boldini mentioned the tableau, which was never exhibited,' said Marc Ottavi, the art specialist he consulted about the work.
When Mr Choppin-Janvry found a visiting card with a scribbled love note from Boldini, he knew he had struck gold. 'We had the link and I was sure at that moment that it was indeed a very fine Boldini'.
He finally found a reference to the work in a book by the artist's widow, which said it was painted in 1898 when Miss de Florian was 24.
The starting price for the painting was £253,000 but it rocketed as ten bidders vyed for the historic work. Finally it went under the hammer for £1.78million, a world record for the artist.
'It was a magic moment. One could see that the buyer loved the painting; he paid the price of passion,' said Mr Ottavi.

 

Ooooh if only mes belles!!

Boing!!

Yesterday evening we went to a birthday cocktail party at a friends cottage.

It was a beautiful evening so as everyone was chatting away inside Miss Frou Frou and I took a walk around their huge  and very beautiful wild flower garden. And then I saw it........................a  trampoline!!

Oooooooh la la!!!  The temptation! We only went over to look but.........soon I was trying to climb up ( in my finest cocktail dress!) but realised I was too short to make it.

Unable to breathe because of laughing so much I took another try and Miss Frou Frou gave me a huge push from behind and I was sprawled like a sky diver at the centre of the trampoline!!!

Well I`d got that far it would have been rude not to try it wouldn`t it? No one could see us....no one would be any the wiser.

At this point we were both totally helpless with laughter so I could either slide off the other side like an anaconda or try to stand.

I did the latter but soon realised I was too scared to jump and just wobbled about for a while as Miss Frou Frou was in need of oxygen watching her old mum out of control.

In my mind I looked like this....

But the reality was that I had to crawl on my hands and knees to reach the edge and then couldn`t get down again as it was so high.

We smoothed ourselves down  and sorted out my bird`s nest hair and returned to the party to find that everyone had been watching us through the cuisine window!!

By the way I hadn`t even had a drink at that point!

Bon weekend mes belles!
xxxx

Recover or not to recover?

Here is the chair I adore!!! Original old paintwork and blue faded silk.

Divine swags and ribbons and I know I shouldn`t bring things home that cannot be posted in a box!!

But hey ho!! It will find a corner here somewhere!

I would quite happily leave it just like this but that may be a tad too far for Mark!! 

To cover or not to cover .....that is the question!

Versailles treasure trove..............

Driving through Versailles today ( as you do on a Tuesday!!) we found in a backstreet the most wonderful architectural antiques brocante.

It has been in the same family for over 100 years and is a huge sprawling yard filled with stunning period doors, windows, window grilles, oeil de boeuf zinc windows, garden furniture, every old fitting you could need to restore an old house.

Row upon row, avenue upon avenue of stunning pieces. I redecorated the chateau over and over in my head with each new treasure I found! I had to be literally dragged out to continue our journey. But , you can peruse the treasures at your leisure with the photographs below!

( cast iron stair rails)

I have had a wonderful truffling trip and I shall be home tomorrow. The car is packed so full that you couldn`t even find a gap to slide an anorexic mouse that has been run over by a steam roller!!

But oooooooooooh the chair......a chair I found this morning....so delicieux it may be staying at the chateau! I will photograph it when I am home.

A demain mes belles
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Truffling..............

I am off on a five day trip truffling for treasures................

 

Back next week mes belles hopefully laded with wonderful finds.

 

Try and behave whilst I am away!!

 

xxxxx

 

Samedi shopping...........

 

How on earth an I supposed to concentrate on shopping when...................

 

 

 

 

 

 

....When these old shop fronts are absolutely edible!!!

Bon weekend mes belles and Len who is not a fairy.
xxxx

A little money laundering..................

We were all set to rush off to la poste today with all our packages ready to catch the lorry that leaves for Paris at 2.30. Mark grabbed his wallet and realised our bank card was missing so we launched a search.

Half an hour later we still hadn`t found it so we tried to track back to the last time we used it and what we were wearing. Mark thought he might have slipped it into his shirt pocket, the shirt that had just been on a hot wash cycle in the washing machine.

And oui! There it was lying in the drum looking quite shiny. We set off for La poste and tried it in the bank cash point on the way.....................saved!!! It worked perfectly!!!

I shall be checking his pockets in future!

Have a wonderful weekend mes belles.....