It’s fair to say there is usually an interesting, if slightly surreal array of goods on sale at the monthly Marché Aux Puces in Nyon. Last Sunday was no exception. At one end of the lake there was an enormous model of a gorilla placed next to a statue of Laurel and Hardy. Alongside it was a table crammed full of fishing lines. Nearby a pretty painted bread bin was stuck in a trough of flowers. Meanwhile one stallholder had laid a table complete with cloth, antique plates, knives, forks and a candleholder to display the goods to their best advantage.
Amongst all the carefully curated items, there are also tables that have stuff randomly piled on top of each other. You have to be a serious brocanter to find the jewels amongst the junk. I have a friend who is just that. She has a keen eye, and can...