Today there is a brocante near where we live. The roads are blocked off and our neighbours have laid out their unwanted goods in front of their houses. Oh I love brocantes. So far we have purchased:
– a dress for the Princess (2 euros)
– minature wooden table and chairs for the Princess (10 euros)
– plastic yoke on wheels for the Princess to push around (2 euros)
– waffle for the Princess – no Belgian gathering is complete without a waffle van (1.50)
And we’re going to be going back this afternoon.
In future we’ll probably stay away from the neighbour who was offering the following tomes for sale:
“Children and violence”
“Fathers who don’t know how to love”
“Bad parents make bad children”
Charitable Mr. Waffle offers the following suggestions – psychiatrist, review copies or, if they’re selling, then they’ve obviously resolved their issues. Or, the children have moved out of home or are in prison.
The kids a few houses up did something like that a while back (without the road blocks and the waffle van). All sorts of bargains were to be had, including a knock-down price first edition of a children’s novel that I loved as a kid.
Sadly, no one told the dad…
I reluctantly gave it back when he came round with that totally devestated what kids can do to you look in his eyes. 
Beth, we don’t really have an equivalent in Ireland, so I don’t know whether you have either in America. It’s a bit like a flea market, I suppose. By the by, really enjoyed your story about the cat pee.
Jack, that’s tragic. What was the book?
The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff. I used to see myself as a kind of out-of-time Evicatos of the Spear!!!
Ooh, must rush out and buy.
we have Brocante too here but being Swiss it’s called Broci.
Is this because Swiss French is a little odd? No smart comments about Belgian French, please.
it’s even odder than that, waffle – it’s a classic example of swiss german.