Les Marchés au Puces - { The Market of the Fleas }

Once upon a time a wee boy set off on a backyard adventure to grasp all that he possibly could of the glorious day and put it to good use. Without a sibling to aid (or hinder) in his merry making and his faithful canine friend Patchy panting excitedly behind his heels, he joyfully began his fossick through the ubiquitous garden shed.

The trusty old Victor mower proved a worthy ladder to hoist this little man up onto the laden workbench. Tin upon tin of nails, bolts and screws of every dimension. A veritable Charlie and the Chocolate factory assortment of handyman lollies!

He delved and dived into each shiny container, his beam growing wider with each discovery until....... a scream so loud and so blood curdling rang through the air. The boy's battle weary Mother (he had already taken the top off his finger in a door and knocked himself out riding a rocking horse a little too "high -ho Silver and away-ish!" in his short life) scaled the stairs in seconds and descended upon the shed to find....

Not blood, nor tears...but hundreds of dollars gripped tightly in the little man's chubby fingers. "Mummy, I found a treasure!" he joyously exclaimed. This little boy's Daddy liked to, and still does, hide money around the house for a rainy day. When the relieved (yet rather peeved....she was a budgeting marvel) Mummy tried to set things right....that's when the tears came. The end.

These vintage Willow tins were a gorgeous bargain I picked up while out fossicking myself last week and I can't wait to come up with treasures to hide in them. Money? I spend it way too fast for that!! I wonder what thrifty fun I'll unearth over here.

Post script: The lovely little boy soon after had a real life treasure in the form of a black haired sister named Stephanie..... who he spent the next 18 or so years of his life teasing mercilessly.