This being the first Saturday since the opening of the new market, I resolved to go and help my friend Elisabeth in case it was crowded.
But first I had to do the Whale chores and instruct the Bear (for the umpteenth time) on how to use the microwave to thaw and heat two shepherd's pies for their lunch.
The Bear kindly drove me into town and dropped me as near the market as possible because my knee was suffering after a spell of gardening. As soon as I set off between the clothes stalls (outside the market) I had proof of my poor eyesight (cataract operations due in January) when I tripped over a step and landed in an inelegant heap on the pavement. Three kind people rushed to pick me up and make sure I was OK and I limped off towards the indoor section feeling highly embarrassed at my clumsiness and not a little sore in my already painful knee.
The market had been very quiet since it opened at eight, but was beginning to fill up by ten thirty. We put out samples of English Breakfast teabags for people to try at home, Jacob's Cream Crackers with salted butter, digestive biscuits and small samples of ginger cake and syrup cake. At first it looked as though we were having trouble giving stuff away, let alone selling it, but eventually trade took a turn for the better.
It was interesting to watch French people as they tasted something new. Whereas your average English person would pop in a whole mouthful, the French took delicate little nibbles and really savoured each bite before pronouncing their verdict. Reactions were mixed but all the Cream Crackers and Digestives were sold before lunch time.
During the lunch break, from midday till two, the market was practically empty and we didn't sell a thing. We took it in turns to go and look round the other stalls and I bought some very good clementines - with a free kiwi thrown in - and the last three quiches from the baker's. Elisabeth found some peculiar vegetables which she said were 'giant radishes' full of vitamins. She insisted on giving me one to try. They are about the size of an aubergine with a hard black skin. Apparently you peel them and then either slice them thinly or grate them and eat them with vinaigrette or just salt.
When the potential customers returned we put out samples of water biscuits with strawberry jam as the jams were not selling but it was just the marmalade that sold out. A young couple seized on a bottle of Ginger Beer but I had to explain that it was not really beer. I'm not sure whether they understood my attempts to explain what it was - complete with references to Famous Five stories(!) - but they bought one to try.
Our stall seemed to be more a centre for meeting people and chatting than a place of business. Elisabeth spent a great deal of time talking to old friends and making new ones. Lots of teachers came to see what was on sale and, among them, Elisabeth found a woman she was at school with. Various friends came to gossip and several American people came to speak English. I also discovered that there are quite a lot of French people in this neck of the woods who speak excellent English, despite being assured that the older generation only learnt German at school.
The only problem was in the form of a rather lonely old man who was a linguist. He was quite interesting on Tuesday, a bit of a bore on Thursday and a downright pain in the neck today. He kind of 'moved in' by coming round to the back of the stall and putting his coat and bag down, then he started butting in on our conversations and interfering with the customers. When he started interrupting I deliberately ignored him and he went off to 'have lunch'. Elisabeth told me she had been warned about him and that he plagued other stall holders and often pinched things but, apart from being rude it was very difficult to get rid of him. I taught her to say 'bugger off' but neither of us dared say it to him.
Eventually, after he had been back for a second 'innings', Elisabeth handed him his coat and bag and said the security guards wouldn't allow us to have his things there and would he keep to the other side please. He moved out but stayed in front of the counter, coughing over our samples and engaging in conversation with any unsuspecting customer who approached. When I left at five o'clock he was still there.
At this stage I wonder how Elisabeth is going manage her new venture. For one thing, she will need to get a till of some sort as, at the moment she keeps her change in a small handbag round her neck. That makes it difficult enough to find the right coins, but when there is no small change it is pretty chaotic, and when she wanders off and leaves me at the stall with no means of giving change at all it can be very inconvenient.
She is very generous in giving all the children sweets and there have been cases of stealing. I'm almost sure I saw a teenager pocket a chocolate biscuit, but in view of my eyesight I couldn't be a hundred per cent certain enough to challenge him. She has noticed various things that have gone missing such as a packet of mince pies here and a syrup cake there and the small packets of sweets are extremely accessible.
It's amazing how many people have asked where her shop in town is, and there have been requests for porridge, Marmite, mint sauce, loose tea and Cadbury's chocolate. When she goes to England next week to stock up she'll need to hire a van.
