French Country Antiques
Grandfather Clocks
Clocks found in local village brocante shop
During the winter of 2004 in the south of France...
The Story of how the Antique, French, Country Grandfather Clocks came into our lives, began the first,
blustery, day of Winter, 2003.
Moi Monsieur and I were headed for home, after purchasing fresh produce in a nearby village.
Our route took us through a village, near to our maison.
Moi Monsieur slipped into the village Tobac Shop, for a newspaper, while I walked up to a shop,
a Brocante (Antique) Shop, next door.
I began (what the French call) ‘licking the window’ (lecher la vitrine) of that Establishment!
A pair of alabaster, pink coloured statues looked back at me, through the cold glass.
They set at opposite ends of a table.
Madame Statue was balancing a basket on her head; Monsieur had sheaves of wheat hoisted over one shoulder.
Both were dressed in Peasantry Garb of the 1600's.
Being the door was shut and locked until mid afternoon, it was a must we return, later that day.
After examining the faces of this pair of Harvesters, we ( Monsieur and Moi) said ‘Yes’!
The Pair would, Perfectly, display their Owners Joyful labours, when Monsieur and Madame were called to work,
out in the lavande fields.
We had yet to pay for the Statuary, when Madame motioned us to follow her and proceeded to escort us to another building,
across the street. We entered with her to find two rooms filled with more French Antiques.
We were left on our own, to browse.
As we looked into the second room, a rectangular shaped room, to my Surprise and Delight, scattered thru-out,
along the walls, Stood FOUR Grandfather Clocks!
Those Clocks permeated my Thoughts and the Spinner of Dreams sparked a longing in me, during the course of that evening,
and all the night through, and the long week that followed!
There was a strange desire to take photos of each clock and weave fantastic stories around each Splendid Piece!
Deeper, was the longing to see the pendulums swinging and hear the chansons of these
Four French Country Grandfather Clocks.
Not only did we discover, during our next four visits to Madame’s Shop,
that there was a written history on the Clocks, but also that each clock was in working order,
and every one had come from the Heart of France (the vicinity of the area in which we found ourselves)
and the Grandfather Clocks Each had been Owned by French Families, one per Household!
On the third visit, we were introduced to an Expert in French, Antique Clocks,
and with the help of our good Neighbor, Monsieur A, a French/English Bridge was built,
that Moi Monsieur and myself could cross without a language barrier to hinder Communication.
And the rest we have filed under ‘Golden Hours’ in Beautiful France. Il fait beau! (It is beautiful in France!)
Copyright © 1997-2005 Lily Bee