Blame it on the rain or my being in a funk but when I passed these pique-cierges, or candelabras sitting on the sidewalk in front of the local junk shop, my heart went out to them. I know the owner, he gave me an incredibly low price “for you. Of course for anyone else it would be much, much more.” Thigh high candelabras of this quality are getting increasingly rare and increasingly expensive so I was surprised. I also appreciated the sloppy lion’s paws and that the carvings were gossiping angels, not a cross or flaming heart in sight. He assured me that they were made of bronze and had come from une grande maison provençale, a home of consequence. Très bien. My arms hurt as I lugged the pair home, getting soaked in the process.
I called out to Remi excitedly when I finally closed the front door behind me. As he approached, the corners of his mouth turned down ever so slightly. Uh oh. Pause. “I thought that you wanted to be more stream-lined, less Baroque for the next apartment?” he asked gently, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. “Yes, but…” I floundered, gesturing with floppy hands at the pair that we absolutely have no need for whatsoever. He was right and on top it, he confirmed what I had feared, that they weren’t indeed bronze, only metal and a very dirty metal at that. “Should we take them back?” I pestered him with the question throughout the afternoon. “Let’s wait and see.”
Thunder and lightening cracked above the roofs all through the night. Little to say no one slept well, least of all poor petrified Ben. So what better to do on a dreary day after than to take another look at my purchase? Two hours later and here we are. Too impatient to post once the job is done. Silly girl that I am, I chose to start with the “cleaner” of the two and so imagine that I have many, many hours still ahead but I don’t mind. It has been so soothing to just focus on one task at hand. Simple movements, revealing. A little like rubbing Aladdin’s lamp without any hope of a genie. I am most definitely still on the fence about this pair but I do feel like I am discovering as I go and that is always positive. They certainly have a pretty patina. To be continued…
Merci, Saskia! I was happy to write about your renovation because it is absolutely stunning!!
Dear Heather, thank you for leaving such kind words on my blog regarding the renovation of my living room. I love your blog, what you write and the way you write it make me smile and think.
Greetings from la Belgique 😉 Saskia
Thrilled for the visit Penelope!
If the candlesticks don't work out in the new apartment, I'll definitely let you know. But I have to admit that now that they have received your stamp of approval, they look even more attractive to me. 😉
Sending you and your ducks all my best…
those giant candlesticks are beyond divine!
want to unload them!?!
I'll take them……plus a percentage…..and pay the postage to California!
Penelope
Impossibly slowly, David, I couldn't agree with you more. And oddly, even slower on a windy day. Welcome to the South of France where time is too busy off flirting with some senorita in a corner to pay much attention to its own rules.
Ps. I very much appreciated the above www adress, especially in that it is an .org and not a .com. I am assuming that it is a non-profit?
P.S> I just realized that this comment was a response to your most recent posting, in which you mentioned working on a French keyboard.. I scrolled down too far.
dispirtedly yours as ever (by the way, your server works REALLY slowly….)
—david terry