Every year for 10 years the 4th/last (that’s another story!) Sunday in August, we put on a “vide grenier”, our equivalent of a car boot sale. It is our big event that pretty much sponsors what we do for the rest of the year.

A lot of effort is put into: publicity, paperwork (authorisations etc.) marking out the stands, no parking areas, parking areas.

As you can see, we were very lucky as the lovely summer weather held out throughout the preparations.

On the day we meet up on the square at 5.30 ready to man barriers, guide stand holders, prepare the essential coffee, and the restaurant opens ready to do the inevitable “Tripoux” breakfast (accompanied by large amounts of red wine).

Unfortunately at 6am the heavens opened, by 10am the river that runs under the square seemed to have re-established itself above ground. By lunch time when my other half arrived, he seemed to be a bit worried that I was at risk from trench foot.

A few stout souls hung about till 4. But the usual 70 stalls was reduced to 15. I think it would be fair to say that for the first time in 10 years the event was nearly literally a wash out.

The clearing up took a while, (in fact I still have quite a few parking signs in the car) but you will be pleased to know that when my co-president and me sat down at the end when everyone had gone I looked up at the newly azure blue sky and complained it was too hot!

As a small post script here’s a few pictures from last year