Back from Holiday
Thought it was time I caught up a bit as I have not posted for some weeks since going away on holiday. A couple of weeks in France and doing the closest thing I have to a hobby, wandering around antique centres, led to me to tell you more about Emmaus.
We love going to France and doing the things we love to do, one of which is traipsing around Emmaus centres. These are full of house clearance and donated items and sold to support the Emmaus charity, an organisation that supports homeless people with shelter, rehabilitation from addiction, support with mental health issues, and provides work in the centres as well.
Bargain Hunt
Full with everything from cooking utensils to colossal antique French wardrobes, it’s great to look out for something unusual, something vintage, something French no less.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmaus_(charity)
So here are a few of our recent finds from Emmaus centres in Fougeres, Laval and Rennes.
Glasses are always a bargain. Especially if an odd number or not a complete set. At half a euro each you have nothing to lose. A simple thing like this is always a talking point at the dining table when you have friends round for dinner.
When you see espresso sets you can understand why coffee jugs or cafetieres are often described as 8 cup, 10 cup, etc. Because the cups are so dinky. This would make a great collectible, as there are thousands of designs available. OK so this little set isn’t exactly vintage but I liked it anyway.
Branded bar glasses are something that I have not taken much notice of before. But again when you see something a little bit different at throw away prices, it’s hard to resist. Like charity shops in the UK there is always an awful lot of tat, but you do tend to get an eye for spotting good finds.
I admit I am not fond of the brown enamel dish here but these were being sold as the three for 2 € so I had them anyway. The small brown one, I am sure, will go in the oven or fridge on occasions but less like to grace the dining table.
I make no apology for the cow butter dish. Just a bit of fun and left for our friends in their house in France.
As another collectible item I think branded glassware is really interesting, fun and practical. Imagine the history that this one glass has? I must admit a fizzy minty drink isn’t my cup of tea!
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/11152/get-27-mint-liqueur
An aperitif before dinner! A glass of Pastis will always be served with a jug or decanter of cold water. I love these jugs and was really pleased to find this one. I also bought another, with the Ricard branding, which is a slightly different shape.
When you see something you like and have one of those reactions, this response is either confirmed or disqualified when you the see the price. This perfect condition case was just 8 €. Research on line back at home eventually lead me to find that these cases were originally sold containing a set of saucepans! Why would they do that? The case is now sat on top of a wardrobe and is housing 24 bottles of wine, about half that I brought home.
Emmaus shops are in the UK now but sadly I have none near to where I live, but next time I am in Bristol or London I will check one or two out to see if they are as good as the Emmaus in France.
