Keeping up with your favourite blogs

How do you go to your favourite blogs each week or each day?  Do you simply surf from one to the next according to what catches your eye on the sidebar, or do you have your regular subscriptions drop into your email box each morning - delivered to your door!

If so you will probably be aware that Google Reader is no more - as from today!  Those of you who have been using the tool will  find yourselves bereft of your favourite blog updates.

Help is at hand!

You can follow most of your favourite blogs by email, or you may like to use the tried and tested site Bloglovin'

With Bloglovin' you can keep up with all your favourites in one - or two - easy steps!  Just sign up here using your email address or your facebook account.

And  when you sign up to Bloglovin', you are given the option of bringing your Google Reader subscriptions with you!

I have used it for a while, the layout is clean-cut and friendly, and the new posts updated very rapidly.

To follow My French Country Home by email click in the box at

 the top right hand corner of this page

To follow My French Country Home by Bloglovin' click here

Let me know how you get on!



PS .  There are several good articles available explaining how bloglovin' works, you may like to look here or here.  The second link walks you through the sign up process.

If you have been using Google Reader to keep up with your favorite blogs, you received noticed a LONG time ago that it was going away. You probably thought, “Oh, I have plenty of time.”

Not anymore! On Monday (in 2 days!), Google Reader will be no more. If you’ve been using it to read my blog posts, start following me by email or Bloglovin’. Don’t know what Bloglovin’ is? I’ve got you covered!

Bloglovin’ is a fun, new way to keep up with your favorite blogs. Here’s what you need to know about switching:
1. It’s easy, I swear!
The process to set up your account is quick and simple. Check out my detailed instructions below to guide you through the process step-by-step!
2. You can import your blogs from Google Reader with the click of a button. 
Yup, no manual adding blogs for you! Bloglovin’ will take care of it for you, easy peasy. See my guide below for more info.
3. There’s an app for that. 
Prefer to read blogs on your mobile device? No problem – Bloglovin’ has you covered! Download the free app for access to your favorite blogs when you’re on the go.
4. Organize your blogs. 
I’ve divided up my blogs into a couple different categories: cookie blogs, baking blogs, general cooking blogs, home improvement blogs, funny blogs, etc. You can create your own categories, so the possibilities are endless!
5. If you’re a blogger – claim your blog easily AND get more pageviews!
You can claim your blog by adding in a verifying link to the top of a post. From there, customize your profile and more! PLUS, and this is a biggie, if a reader decides to read your entire post (rather than just an excerpt), they click over to your blog – resulting in additional pageviews!

Setting up an account with Bloglovin’ (detailed, step-by-step, no fail instructions!)

Go to www.bloglovin.com. Your screen will look like this:

- See more at: http://notyourmommascookie.com/2013/06/switching-from-google-reader-to-bloglovin-what-you-need-to-know/#sthash.YT3wzkAY.dpuf

If you have been using Google Reader to keep up with your favorite blogs, you received noticed a LONG time ago that it was going away. You probably thought, “Oh, I have plenty of time.”

Not anymore! On Monday (in 2 days!), Google Reader will be no more. If you’ve been using it to read my blog posts, start following me by email or Bloglovin’. Don’t know what Bloglovin’ is? I’ve got you covered!

Bloglovin’ is a fun, new way to keep up with your favorite blogs. Here’s what you need to know about switching:
1. It’s easy, I swear!
The process to set up your account is quick and simple. Check out my detailed instructions below to guide you through the process step-by-step!
2. You can import your blogs from Google Reader with the click of a button. 
Yup, no manual adding blogs for you! Bloglovin’ will take care of it for you, easy peasy. See my guide below for more info.
3. There’s an app for that. 
Prefer to read blogs on your mobile device? No problem – Bloglovin’ has you covered! Download the free app for access to your favorite blogs when you’re on the go.
4. Organize your blogs. 
I’ve divided up my blogs into a couple different categories: cookie blogs, baking blogs, general cooking blogs, home improvement blogs, funny blogs, etc. You can create your own categories, so the possibilities are endless!
5. If you’re a blogger – claim your blog easily AND get more pageviews!
You can claim your blog by adding in a verifying link to the top of a post. From there, customize your profile and more! PLUS, and this is a biggie, if a reader decides to read your entire post (rather than just an excerpt), they click over to your blog – resulting in additional pageviews!

Setting up an account with Bloglovin’ (detailed, step-by-step, no fail instructions!)

Go to www.bloglovin.com. Your screen will look like this:

- See more at: http://notyourmommascookie.com/2013/06/switching-from-google-reader-to-bloglovin-what-you-need-to-know/#sthash.YT3wzkAY.dpuf

an amazing surprise

I have to tell you that something amazing happened here today.  All because of the blog.

My day did not augur well.  I got out of bed with difficulty, lacking energy, already thinking about everything that had to be done today, and the grey weather... and the cold ... and generally ... well you know how it goes sometimes, not really in a bad mood but just UGH!  so much to do ......

To remedy the ongoing wintry conditions, I even cheated and jumped a few weeks on the blog header.  Yes, the picture with the daffodils etc was not taken this morning but rather about eleven months ago - sorry.  I just thought that if it looked more spring like on my blog then maybe I'd be able to pick up a little speed

I digress ....

The morning was moving along slowly but steadily when the postman knocked at the back door.  (the dogs went ballistic of course; someone's told them that's how dogs should react to postmen) .... I signed for a parcel!

Hmmm... I hadn't ordered anything .....

I laid to one side the bills and the newspaper - since when have they been more interesting than a mystery box?!

Postage from America, the intrigue heightened!

Once finally unwrapped, I discovered the sweetest painting, accompanied by a short note.

Dear Sharon,  hope you like the landscape

 painting, warmest regards, Carolina Elizabeth

 

This darling oil painting is inspired by a photo I took in the light snow here.  Carolina saw the picture on my facebook page and asked permission to paint the scene, of course I said yes, not thinking for a moment that it would be for me!

Now really, how amazing is this?!  How amazing is our blogosphere, and how wonderful in today's harsh and competitive world to see such generosity!

So thank you again Carolina, I love the painting.  For the moment it is propped up against my favourite oil on board landscapes that I found in fairs last year, but I shall find a little frame for it and a new position in the house.

If you would like to see more of Carolina's work then you can check out her blog here.  I understand that she paints to commission, so maybe you have a favourite scene you'd like to have as a painting too!

our virtual lives

When do we decide that our virtual lives have gone too far?  How many hours can we reasonably spend sitting in front of a screen, rather than out there with people we can touch?!

Today is my birthday, and it came as a shock when I turned on my computer to see that Google had remembered the day  (although I don't think I ever typed my date of birth onto any of their pages!)

I love to blog, that's not a state secret!   Writing a blog necessitates a lot of sitting down and typing, but this year I have resolved to be more efficient with my time.  To write my blog, answer my mails and then shut the computer down for the day and be sure to do other things.   In fact my blog has turned the tables on itself, and given me excellent reasons to get out and about for interviews and pictures.

I often talk with my children about the importance of being careful on social networks, not revealing too much, being cautious etc, but sometimes they raise an eyebrow, as if to say "you're applying the same rules to yourself, right?!"

I am glad to say that we all see a lot of people here.   Country life is very sociable.  The children are active and sporty, and there is a continual trail of kids through our door.   I also make sure that I get outside in the elements each day.  Sometimes it's only as far as the field to feed the horses, but whenever possible I'll take the dogs, and join a girlfriend to walk around the forest.

And sometimes I get special treats like the lunch I enjoyed in Paris yesterday, with the gorgeous and most amusing Tish Jett, of A Femme d'un Certain Age.  It is so good to sit and chat and laugh without having to keep an eye on the clock!

So I am taking the Google birthday message as a wake-up call.  My own computer being quicker off the mark than family and friends?!!! ....  a step too far in my books.

So today I'll check my mails once or twice but mostly I am off to walk the dogs, finish upholstering those beds, picking up some flowers, spending time with a girlfriend who is working on her first book, and  finally enjoying a special dinner with friends and family.

So tell me, what are you doing today to balance out your computing time?

my third birthday!!

Who would have known I'd have so much to say?!!

Exactly three years ago I published my first post on this little blog.  I knew nothing about blogging and I had no reason to think that anyone would ever read me ... it just looked sort of fun!

Here I am nine hundred and something posts  and  millions of  page views later, and I'm still not an expert but I've certainly had a good time!

All I can say is thank you!

Thank you for the kind and spontaneous emails I receive, for the wonderful comments you leave here; for the way you have welcomed me into your homes and stopped by to see what's going on here in mine.

Thank you to all those very talented bloggers and photographers and stylists out there, who inspire me every day; you enrich my life.

Thank you to those of you who I've met, for opening yourselves up and sharing so readily.  Blogging is indeed an amazing world!

I don't know how long I'll be blogging for, but while I'm here I

 promise I'll do my best to entertain you!

a winter bouquet and a bad blogger mood!

 I have to tell you that - despite my new year's 'wish' to laugh more and moan less - today I have to moan about two things in particular.

 But first I'll show you a winter bouquet ....  

at this time of year, there isn't enough happening in the garden here to make beautiful bouquets from scratch, but there's plenty to use as 'padding' for a few bought flowers.

 Yesterday at my local florist  I found a small bunch of tiny white rose stems and another small bunch of fantastic old fashioned double roses.  Alone they would have looked a little glum, but I knew that in the garden the ivy was covered with its black winter berries, and I have a huge winter verbena in fragrant bloom

I arranged the whole lot in a dark metal container filled with florists foam and placed it in the light of a lamp on top of the piano.  I know that the roses won't last for many days, but the ensemble  brightens my dining room this winter weekend.

 And now to my moan ......

 My little blog is being unreasonably targeted  besieged by spam mail and it is beginning to annoy me way too much.  Most days Blogger detects about 150 spam mails, left as comments on the blog, with links to all sorts of strange sites and of course signed anonymous. sigh ....

Despite the Blogger protection, some of this spam still gets through, and all the anon comments drop into my spam mail box then have to be cleared out ....

life is just too short for this sort of rubbish ...

so today I beg your patience, as I activate the word verification on my comment box.  This will allow real people to leave comments, even under 'anonymous' or 'unknown', but should stop the spam.

I plan to leave this in place for a while then take it out again and see if they've gone away .... hmmm...

And finally, my second moan of the day is directed at the person who is copy/pasting my blog content onto their blog.   A word of explanation for my regular readers : complete blog posts from MFCH are being stolen and reposted on another blog, including pictures, giveaways, news on our cottage etc!!

"I'm not revealing your blog name here, I don't see why I should give you any free publicity, but my  message to you is clear :  Neither Blogger, nor myself, nor any of the other four blogs you are scraping are happy with what you are doing!

You have been reported to Blogger so I guess your days are counted, but really?!   What you are doing can't even be fun.  Your blog would be way more successful with its own original content"

I found out about this plagiarism because another affected blogger kindly got in touch with me.   If you want to understand more about how this works and what you can do to fight back, then I recommend you read this excellent article over at Between Naps on the Porch.

And on that irate note my friends, I leave you with pictures of my bouquet 

and my best wishes for this January weekend.

blogging and sharing - a fine line to tread

During the month of September, to my surprise, a couple of readers wrote me asking why I don't show more pictures of the inside of my house ...  hmmm....

Of course maybe I don't show more of my house because it's not as picture perfect as I'd like it to be, or because the children  leave their odd socks all over their bedroom floor, or because the dogs have chewed the corners of the stairs. .......  Or it could be because there is a fine line to tread.

I replied (politely and kindly I hope) that although this is a blog called MFCH, and although the header is a picture of our home, it's actually a place where people come to dream and imagine, and create their own ideal and image of living in France.

 Added to that, I pointed out that this is  above all our family home, and that the more I divulge of our daily living, the more it would feel like an invasion to my husband and children.

Then of course it got me thinking about how the net, and social networks in particular, have blurred the boundaries between privacy and publicity.

My entrance hall, the camera rarely goes further than this!

A generation ago, before facebook existed, who would ever have thought that anybody was interested in what you're eating today, or where, or with whom?!  social media has changed all of that.

I was once told that if I wanted the blog to be successful, then I had to "bare all"!! " The more you show, the more you get"!!  And there are certainly some very successful blogs out there, who prove that true.

There is a big element of voyeurism to blogging, I know that.  I do it too.   But I also enjoy the blogs that make me laugh with their witty writing, or make me dream with tales of where they live, or please my eye with their perfect taste and  clever styling of small vignettes .

Strangely enough, I don't really mind if a blogger is telling the truth or fabricating ... I just want to be entertained.   Each blogger has to decide how far they want to go.     I'm not comfortable  showing pictures of myself, or of my family (apart from the dogs!), but I know that not everyone feels that way. 

So what do you think?  Am I making a fuss about nothing?

tell me please, I'd love to know.

I wish you a lovely weekend, 

thank you for reading me.

!! merci !!

Well it feels like it should be a milestone, although I'm not totally sure what it means....


I have never asked anyone to click on my page,
and unfortunately I don't have that much time to visit other pages but...

yesterday I reached 10,000 likes on my facebook page for the blog!

  

      .   .  T .  H .  A .  N .  K  .  .  . Y . O . U  .   .

 My facebook page is where I get to share the bits and bobs of everyday life here.

Hundreds of images I snap during my day, fleeting moments;

pictures I've seen elsewhere and loved and wanted to share.

If you are one of those who have clicked me a 'like', then thank you so much;
without your encouragement none of this would have ever seen the light of day.

And to thank facebook for their savoir-faire, I intended to add a little share button here,

 but hey!

 I simply didn't manage that one - further proof that we can enjoy technology
without understanding the first thing about it!

So my friends, from this fb-illiterate but grateful blogger

merci!

or did I already say that?!

lunch with new friends

Had fun preparing lunch for Trinidad and Johan from Atelier de Cmpagne to arrive today, these boys have been on the road for a little while now, so I thought they needed some home cooking and vitamins.

I'm so glad the sun has come out too!

I'll let you know how it goes

OK  So here's the update,: it's official -  Trinidad and Johann are totally charming, and it was a delight to meet them and spend a couple of hours over lunch together.

What you are not going to believe is that I forgot to take any pictures of them here - no really!!!  I was so caught up chatting, questions flying back and forth, "and have you seen ...?";   "and do you know ...?"; and "don't you love it when ...?"  

Such a shame they couldn't stay for longer

Next time they come I shall definitely take pics, I promise!

a letter to 'anonymous' readers - the good, the bad and the downright ugly!!

 Dear Anonymous,

I love to receive comments on my blog.  If I had no comments I probably would have packed the whole blog thing in way back.  Sometimes I reply by mail, sometimes I leave a reply below the comment box, but often I'm sorry to say  I don't have the time.

But today I write my post especially for all you readers who leave comments as 'anon'.  Of course you have every right to, but still  I'd like to encourage you to put a name to your lines.  :)

 Why?  Well the reason depends on which camp you are in:

 ... the good, the bad or the downright ugly .......

First   the good.........

Let us be clear!!  I am NOT trying to discourage people from leaving me comments under anon!  I know that the registering procedure can be pesky, and that some are just plain shy about leaving a name - and that is fine!  Thank you for reading me at all,  and taking the time to comment, even as 'anon'.  Of course you are welcome to leave comments under 'anon'!!   

 The only downside to the anon comments from the 'good' readers, is that I cannot reply directly to your lovely comments!  So if you'd like to receive replies from me or from other blogs you visit: how about creating an email address under a pseudonym that is kept separate from your regular email and used  just for surfing blogs?

 This way bloggers like myself could write to thank you for your lovely comment without ever invading your personal space. :)  ♥♥♥♥

now to   the bad.......

we have all seen nasty or mean comments left on blogs.  Not very often in this blogosphere, thank goodness, but still they pop up occasionally.   You know the sort of  thing: the comments that snipe, that criticise, that dish out unwanted opinions.

  OK, everyone has a right to their opinion, but in my book, if you're not brave enough to put a name to what you think, you'd be better  keeping quiet!  If you don't like what is written on a blog, then either put your case politely and SIGN the message, or keep your opinion to yourself and move right along. 

and finally the downright ugly

these are the ones who are plaguing me at the moment, leaving spam mail all over the blog, possibly carrying viruses.  To these people I have two words to say

 GO AWAY!!!!  Your comments never make it onto the  blog, you are deleted from my mail box without being read, you are wasting your time here!!

Voila mes amis!  I feel a whole load better for having said it.

So please  tell me, I'd love to know, was I right to say it all out loud?!

all photos thanks to google images

NZ House and Garden!

A big thank you to the kind folks at the NZ House and Garden who have listed me in their dotcom column in this month's edition of the magazine.  And a special word of thanks to Gillian who told me, and was kind enough to post an issue!

I'm especially touched because I find myself alongside two of my favourite bloggers:  Christina from Greige and Greet from Belgian Pearls !

Besides this little column, House and Garden have brought out a great issue this month with special themes for mother's day.

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend!

Thank you for reading me

what did we do before blogging?!!

This week I introduced a girlfriend to the world of blogging.   Just like me a couple of years ago, she had never visited a blog ...  she didn't understand what they were about.... or why she would read one ......

It didn't take long for her to be hooked!

I set up some links on her computer, explained to her the basics, introduced her to my favourites and then left her to it.  The real fun, after all, is finding your own way around.

I bumped into her again at the end of the week and could hardly get a word in; she had so much to say "do you know this one?  did you see what that girl did in Australia?   I love that German lady's pictures...."

I smiled and nodded wisely,  enjoying her pleasure, and then she threw it at me ... "these people are so talented, but what were they doing before blogging?!!"   

"Um,, euh ... duh ...." .....  I couldn't answer!

We take it for granted today that we can run our own little blogs.  Our place to share, to shout our joys, to whisper our pleasures,  and sometimes our fears.

Some are good with a camera, others work magic with words, some show us their homes, others their take on fashion.  It feels like each blogger is running their own magazine where they are the editor, photographer, journalist, marketing manager and chief coffee maker.

The readers who stop by make it all worth while.  Those that leave comments  are taking an active role, and those who just read silently also contribute their share of statistics and 'hits'; so gratifying to every blogger.

So what did we do before the dawn of blogs?   We worked of course, we cared for our families, we enjoyed and embellished our homes, but how did we share all that? Or didn't we need to?


 What has blogging replaced?  Where did this need to show and tell come from?  How much of the enjoyment is pure voyeurism?  To someone like myself, who lives quietly in a small village, blogging has totally changed my horizon.  From this computer in the middle of nowhere, I have the privilege of reaching thousands of people.

When I take pictures of the valley, I procure real pleasure because I love the countryside here, and  everyday beauty thrills me.  That pleasure is heightened through sharing.  It isn't showing off, simply increasing enjoyment by letting others enjoy the same stuff.

A new thing is happening too with e-magazines.  Many bloggers feel confident enough to create monthly or two-monthly magazines, filled with fantastic pictures and great information.  Would they have ever done that without the trampoline of a blog?

Not long from now, and probably already, sociologists will be teaching classes on 'the dawn of blogging and how it changed (the role of women in) society' .......

 I don't really have the answers here, but I'd love to know what you think.   Whether you have your own blog, or whether you read other blogs, or both, you are probably spending some time in front of a screen.  Where have you taken this time from?   How has the growth of the blogging community changed your everyday life?

A lot of questions for a Sunday - forgive me!

Here the sun is bright, the day is shorter since we went on to summer time

 during the night, so I must get busy!  :)

Thank you for reading me, and thank you for your wonderful comments 

which inspire me to continue blogging

PS.  Thank you to Bob (one of my very favourite commenters!) , in the comment below, and to whom I cannot reply because his email address doesn't show.   A big thank you to my men readers, I am lucky to have you stop by!   Sorry if I sound like I am talking to women only.  I'm not, but it is true today that most of the blogs I read are written by women.  Here however is a shout out for my favourite 'masculine' blogs and sites

All Things Ruffnerian
David Terry Fine Art 
David McGrievey Illustration
The Sartorialist

blogging vs. pinterest or the importance of instant gratification

People keep telling me that blogs are on their way out, swept aside by the allure of pinterest and tumblr; an instant fix of happiness through pictures only......

Hmmm....

We all know that blogging is fun, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here typing these words, and you wouldn't have come over to check me out.  But are we getting lazy?  Do we have shorter and shorter attention spans?



There are some amazing tumblr blogs, where the author collects fantastic pictures and simply posts them: no text, no opportunity to comment, no interaction.  It seems to me that Tumblr is about a quick fix of instant beauty, while Blogger gives more entertainment and a real chance to interact.   Pinterest seems close to Tumblr, although the board system is very revealing about the author, and of course the source of the pictures is out in public, providing a useful tool to blogs trying to drive new traffic in.

Personally, I love to blog and to interact with my readers.  I love to visit blogs that are well written, they make me think, they make me laugh,  and sometimes they make me cry;  the quality of blogs in our blogosphere is truly impressive.

I pin a little ... because I feel I should.  I don't like everything about Pinterest, and mostly I prefer to file pictures on my computer rather than showing the world what interests me.

I use the facebook page for the blog to give a daily, or thrice daily shot of beauty.  I show pictures with extra appeal, that compliment the blog.

I can only say what I do personally,.....but how are you adapting to the new choices and offers that seem to evolve daily?

 One thing is for sure, in a years time there'll be something new and we'll all be scurrying to adapt.   At least it keeps us on our toes!

Bon weekend mes amis!

PS  Thank you for all the input and great comments, also for the emails.  Something that not everybody seems to realise that is kind of fun:  if you have a blog you can find the page that shows exactly what is being pinned from your blog, very interesting to see how readers interact with each post and which are their favourite pics!  :)

To find your page just enter http://pinterest.com/source/YOUR BLOG ADDRESS/

Have fun!  :)

a blogging helpline

In our blogging world it is easy to get caught up in paint colours and beautiful interiors but one of the amazing things about blogging is the privileged communication with readers.  Besides the comments left at the end of a post, I am fortunate to receive  emails from all over the world; people sharing their everyday life, their joys; their fears.

Here in Europe the news we receive via the mainstream media has a short concentration span.  Something big happens on the other side of the world, we'll hear about it for the first couple of days but then it fades away.

A big thing that we're not hearing about any more is the effect of the earthquake in New Zealand.  It first struck last September and we all saw the pictures, watched the videos on youtube, read the statistics then ..... then nothing!  I assumed it was all over, cleared up, rebuilt, done and dusted.

May I share with you a couple of extracts from notes I have received from readers.  They weren't asking for anything, they weren't whining or griping.  They all just explained why  blogging had become so important to them, moments of normality amidst their life that has become anything but normal.

Christchurch New Zealand has passed 10,000 earthquakes and aftershocks since 4.35am September 3rd September 2010, that makes  just over 500 days:

 "Life has been very frightening and pleasures of daily life have been curtailed     showers now take 1 min in case another aftershock occurs – same with toilet time   no one wishes to be on toilet or undressed  and we all have our emergency routines  - thank God for cellphones/bottled water/chemical toilets/strong torches/barbeques and the like."     

 "Most of us have lost treasures  have traumatised children/pets and the list could go on."

"My house has sustained even more damage not much more can break now but we are still all alive "

"the place was going to be all set for an amazing day now the tree has smashed twice in the lat 24 hours so reluctant to put it  back again the liquefaction surrounds the house so its gumboots in  summertime - the house has split more glasses and good Christmas china smashed and the cupboards have emptied their contents over the kitchen floor yet again"

I don't think I need to say more.  You are sensitive understanding people.  Today I simply wanted to invite you to think about this situation as I have done.  If you feel moved to help a little or a lot, this is the best place I have found.   Thank you.

Merci! for the past two years

This  Monday it was two years ago that I published my very first blog post.  

If you write a blog you'll  remember that emotion, finger hovering above the publish button, then finally you hit it and ... then you wonder what the fuss was all about because nobody knows your blog exists anyway so it really didn't matter if it was a well written post or not!

I digress...

Two years on Monday, and by a happy coincidence, you, my wonderful readers, gave me the best anniversary gift, because  Monday I received an all time record number of visits for my little blog.

So today I have to say

THANK YOU MERCI BEAUCOUP THANK YOU MERCI BEAUCOUP THANK YOU MERCI BEAUCOUP THANK YOU MERCI BEAUCOUP 

thank you for reading me, for showing interest in what I have to say, for encouraging me to continue writing and showing you pictures from my corner of Normandy.  Writing a blog is a life changing experience that connects you with people all over the world in the most unexpected manner.  Which is where I also have to thank my husband and children for their encouragement and patient acceptance of my intrusive camera!

You have made me laugh, you have even made me cry!  I love reading your mails that share such big moments in your lives;  I love reading your comments even if I don't have time to reply to all; I love the unexpected 'secondary effects' of a blog:  the new friendships;  the new awareness of a worldwide community.

And to every single person who stopped by on my 2nd anniversary, a very special thank you for making the day so amazing.  For as long as people are kind enough to come by to see me, I shall be inspired to share more beautiful French houses, favourite French recipes, to chat about my brocante finds and to indulge in some girly and family talk too.

Talking of which ....

 don't forget to check out MFCH tomorrow, I have a fantastic giveaway for you!

 Bonne journée mes amis!

all pictures taken in the valley, the first at Bords de Scene