Today we are up early to visit a brocante. This is a type of 'car-boot' sale, or flea market, where in a local village everyone sets up a stall and tries to sell their rubbish and convince you it's a treasure you need to take home.

I love visiting these and seeing everything on show. The array of goods, antiques, clothes and tools varies widely but some items are always guaranteed. Here in Northern France you will always find some shells, a variety of small animals (whether to be pets or be eaten), old wooden beds, lonely wardrobe doors, bad taxidermy and what I find saddest of all: lots of embroidery and stitching that someone once spend a long time creating and which now sits on a roadside waiting to be sold for a few euros.

I love looking but very, very rarely buy anything (though I'm sure if my French and haggling skills were better, this would certainly not be the case and my house would be filled with thousands of unloved tapestries that I couldn't bear to leave behind).

But todays event is a fruitful one as I come across someone selling some medals. I am immediately struck by the industrial elegance of the 'L'Electricite' and the 'Philips' ones. It is apparent both of these have been awarded to an employee for long service.

Next I spot the incredible "50th anniversary of the return" piece which commemerates the return, in 1945, of prisoners of war. Unfortunately I have no change with me but kindly my dad offers to loan me the money. As I worry about the expense, and try to justify it to him, I begin to rave about the war piece so much I mistakenly convince him to buy it for himself!

Sulking, I console myself with the Chamber of Commerce piece and at just 5 Euros each I am delighted with my purchases. I am even more pleased when the man selling them tells me they were awarded to his father and grand-father and I see their names on the backs.

Amazed at buying three things in one day, I wander on and inspect broken plates, rabbits in cages, and any English-language book I can find as I am always convinced I will find a treasure.

Soon I spot something which fulfils all my loves of clothes, 50s style, colourful and spotty- this amazing dress. I can't try it on but eagerly purchase it, even optimistic.

Wandering on I come across lots of old jewellery and the piece which catches my eye is this small sewing machine brooch. I nab it and worn out from shopping and spending other people's money (a grand total of 21 Euros) we head off home.

I immediately try the dress on, and it fits, and I spend my time before we have to leave parading in the dress, wearing my brooch and investigating the medals online.

Soon it is time to go home and sad of heart we all head off. Unfortunately travel chaos turns our four-hour journey into an eight-hour plus hour one but with the sheer amount of fun, laughter and happiness experienced, that pales into insignificance.