Author Archives: tony

Pezenas the Day of Antiques

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Twice a year our local town of Pezenas closes its streets nd holds the biggest antique and collectables fair in the South of France – this happens the first Sunday of may and the first Sunday of September.

Our home Villa Roquette is only a few minutes from this fascinating medieval town which for centuries ws the most important town in languedoc and was the seat of government for the independent states of Languedoc before France was united in the 17th century.

The stalls and shops are a carnival of bric-a-brac, rubbish, collectable nonesense and – occasionally – an antique.

I met a friend in the market who is a painter (he is an artist really as he sells his excellent work all over the world, but he calls himself a painter so as not to get confused with the rash of “artists” ) – his website is PaintFrance – I think I also saw what I believe to be the most awful image I have ever seen.

Here is a snapshot video of the day and I leave the judgement of the “painting” to you.

the worst painting in the world perhaps

Seen at pezenas Junk (I mean antique) market

Really Cool Bikes

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Once Upon a Long Time Ago….. I spent many happy evenings, and sometimes nights, at the Ace cafe on the North Circular Road. My bikes were a Triumph T100 in a Norton frame – a Vincent series D Black Knight and many other strange and exotic machines.

I guess my biking days are now over, but I still get a “twinge” when I see a piece of elegent machinery.

A regular guest at our home and Guest House, Villa Roquette is Jonny, a real enthusiast who drives down in a van with a couple of his bikes in. This trip he brought his 280 bhp Nitro powered turbo.

Here are some photos of Jonny and his magic machines. Next trip he promises his Honda CBX with twin turbo chargers.

Musée de la Porte in Pezenas

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My daughter Miranda and I were walking through Pezenas yesterday, we were on the way to collect my son jack and his friend who had just come from Germany on a school visit and had half an hour to wait. We have lived no more than ten minuted from the town center for nearly 20 years, but we discovered a magical place – a museum of doors – just doors and hinges and stuff.

The were five large rooms and basements full of doors dating back centuries and centuries – woodworking tools, hinges, locks – all manner of fascinating things.

Doors in the door museum Pezenas

The museaum is at the top of the hill near the gates of the ancient chateau, this chateau was demolished in the 17th century and not much is left (except perhaps the doors)

Old doors in Pezenas

More old doors from Pezenas