Where will the road take us?
This week was our 20th wedding anniversary, and it’s funny such a simple thing can set the mind thinking about the most random subjects! I suppose it was looking back and wondering about the past twenty years that led me to thinking about blogging; 20 years ago no one wrote blogs, and according to official data, in 1999 there were just 23 blogs registered on the internet. A lot has happened in 20 years.
Even before I was married I visited France often. I had an iconic French car, a Citreon 2CV. I bought it for a song and sold it for even less. It was a faithful old car I called Nellie; she took me from Paris to Nice and back again, and if only I had known then that she would now be a collectors item worth twenty times what I sold her for.
In that time we have had five children, lived in five countries and visited another fifteen. We have gone from writing letters to sending emails and from phoning people for a chat to instant messaging. We have iPhones, Androids, iPads and iPods. Video tapes and tape-recorders are no longer in our home; we’ve gone through the CD and DVD era, and now we just download our music online and watch instant movies; and as for the TV – it used to be as fat as it was wide, but now it’s a streamlined flatscreen!
And how did we live without social media; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat? The list goes on.
Cameras have gone digital, and our albums which we carefully organized after a holiday are now on computers and hard drives. Remember when we took a roll of film into the pharmacy or photo-booth to be developed?
Petrol is unleaded and we have hybrid cars. Concorde is a thing of the past and the 800-seater Airbus has become a reality. We have successfully sent a robot to Mars and the space-shuttle has flown its last flight.
Dictionaries and reference books are rarely in use on a daily basis, instead we have search engines and Wikipedia to win the dinner table arguments.
Remember sitting in the travel-agency, drooling over glossy holiday brochures and coming home with real aeroplane tickets? Now we get an online reference number, and 24 hours before our flight we check in online from the comfort of our sofa, download our boarding pass to our phones and scan it at the airport.
And who remembers answer-phones? Turning it on before you left the house and coming back to the red, blinking light and several messages, sometimes fervently hoping the right person had called. How did we manage before we were on call, available 24/7, whether we’re in a restaurant, in the car, on a walk, playing sport – our mobile phones are there just in case!
We must not forget Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and all the free video-calling around the world, face-to-face in real time.
However, walking down any street here in the local villages it would seem little has changed in the past 20 years; of course it has though, and no doubt it will continue to change and evolve, but that brings me back to my original question; is there a future in blogging?
Much has been written on the internet to the tune of “blogging is dead” or “the written word is dead” and it seems sometimes that people only want what they can read scrolling down on their phones in the time it takes to get a coffee whilst standing in line at Starbucks. Perhaps vlogging will take its place; for we can see in a 5 minute video what would take us 30 minutes to read.
Personally I believe the written word will always survive as long as it has something worthwhile to say. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it has been estimated that more than 80% of the activities we do online are text-based. However, it appears we don’t do very well with large amounts of text; we tend to read the first 20% and then scan through the remainder; reading is time consuming and can easily overwhelm us. Many of us read as a form of escapism, so do we prefer to escape with words or do we just want eye-candy; perfect pictures and no text required?
I think blogging certainly does have a future and maybe the human brain can have what it wants – 20% text and 80% photos.
There are millions of blogs online; if we don’t like one we move onto the next, and we can share our lives in a way we never have before. At the same time we can dream of a lifestyle we have never experienced and yet think we know it intimately. We are friends with people we have never met and are unlikely ever to do so. I can’t see us giving this up and so I believe blogging will continue, as long as there is an audience there will always be blogs, and so long as the content is interesting there will always be an audience.
As you can tell I have been doing a lot of thinking this week and I really really want to know what you think.
Do you like long blog posts that you settle down to read with lots of text and lots of photos once a week or do you prefer shorter, punchier posts more frequently, ones that you can scan quickly whilst on the run, with less words and more photos? Or could you be converted to watching vlogs rather than reading blogs?
Don’t be shy, I want to know, and if you have time please tell us, what do you read the blog on? Your cellphone, a tablet, or a computer?
Our French Oasis 
Ironically, I have been thinking along the same lines. The changes in our culture, worldwide, have been significant in one year. In twenty years, unbelievable. Some blogs, like yours, I read every word. Others are scanners. For those of us who read I don’t think that anything will change. Be it online, books, newspapers, whatever…readers are readers. I do focus on topics that are in my high interest profile and mostly avoid the rest, I don’t have the time and there is so much information out there! That said, I hope you do not change your format. Eloquent words applied to lovely photo’s and thoughts are like food for the soul.
Thank you so much Lucy, it helps so much to hear what people think. I don’t actually want to change anything but I am also acutely aware of how little time we all seem to have nowadays, we seem to lead half of our lives on the run from here to there! It really is quite amazing how much has changed since the 1990’s. Have a lovely weekend and thank you again for taking the time to comment, it is always so much appreciated x
I think the words say so much more than a Photo or Picture, your few words about your 2CV and its history demonstrate that. Some of your previous blogs regarding visits to local places are far more enlightening with your descriptions of the history or activities taking place in or around them, rather than a just Photo which is so two dimensional.
I can imagine reading a long blog on a Phone could be tiresome, but isn’t that why we have Tablets or PC’s.
Hi Robert, I totally agree, I couldn’t read anything long on my phone, but as you say that’s why we have tablets and PC’s so that we can choose what we read where! So glad you enjoy the blog and thank you for taking the time to comment, Susan
Ahhh yes, the death of blogs. But the funny thing is that while I only read a handful of blogs, I do so regularly. Personally I love the long posts, I love to settle in with a cup of coffee in the morning, or a nice hot mug of tea in the afternoon and be transported from the Southwest desert of the US to far flung places around the globe.
Hi Jill, thank you for taking the time to comment, and I think we are in agreement, there is something nice about settling down to read something we really want to read, we are just so fortunate nowadays to have so many different ways of reading things. Have a lovely weekend Susan
Hi Susan
Please don’t let the written word ever die!! But I’m from a generation (I’m 64) who didn’t have computers when they were young, who had to learn to read, write and spell and in whom the love of a good book was instilled whilst at school. But we have had to grow into the technological age and learn to use computers; we’ve seen the changes and we are in the enviable position of being able to compare pre-technology with now. Our children are a different generation with different experiences. But the overriding need for us all is to communicate. That will never end. Even our young teenagers are communicating more than we ever did with their friends; it’s just that it’s more instant, with less depth, and everything is done at a fast pace. They are at the mercy of this sometimes shallow and greedy world and have to keep up in order to survive. But I do think that as they get older, they too will realise the benefit of taking time to ‘stand and stare’, that sharing time and words with one’s friends and family is a joy and a pleasure that needs cherishing. My son, in his late 30’s, does web design, works all day with technology, but his sense of family is still strong – he keeps regularly in touch with his friends, yes, through FB, email, Instagram etc etc, but as they are now spread further afield, technology has enabled them to maintain their friendships, visit each other – I wonder how many of our schoolday freindships fell by the wayside because we couldn’t easily communicate with each other if we moved away?
I think blogging is here to stay (I certainly hope so as I’ve yet to start mine!!) – women in particular are great at sharing thoughts and ideas and also have a great thirst for knowledge and new experiences, so I can’t see US letting blogging die, can you?!
Your blog is just right. This post is probably as much text as I like to read in one go, given time constraints, and beautiful photos are a vital part of any blog post. I know that if a blog has tiny tiny print and has lots and lots of text, small photos and lots of adverts, I just can’t be bothered with it! But I really enjoy reading about your time in France, as I also do Sharon Santoni’s. Sadly, I haven’t visited France enough in my life, hardly atall, and your blogs allow me to see life over there in so many different ways. Having said that, we are visiting Giverny and Monet’s Garden this summer and I can’t wait!! One tick off the bucket list!
Well, that went on a bit, didn’t it? after me saying about too much text!! Sorry! But you see? women just need to talk – either face to face or via the written word!
Let’s hear it for Blogging!!
Hi Marian, never apologise for writing too much, I love hearing bits about everyone’s lives and their opinions. Our children are indeed growing up in a different world, but our 19 year old who is a real bookworm hates reading on an electronic device, she still loves real books. Our 15 year old will read on anything so long as she can read, she too is a bookworm! It’s interesting you mention old school friendships. So many did fall by the wayside, but I find so many have been revived again thanks to Facebook, I am now friends again with people all over the world who I last saw when I was 18 and we will always have that bond of years and years of school together, there are many positive things about social media and I think if we blend it with some of the simple things in life then we have the perfect mix. Have a lovely weekend. Susan
Blogs have connected me with ideas, people, images & creations from around this gorgeous globe. It’s the deep variety & deliverability that makes blogging so dynamic. I don’t think this medium is about length. I’ve been inspired by posts featuring only a picture.
But, I’m also here to glorify the long-form: books, articles… the depth that comes from a long-term bath in a text is one of life’s sheerest pleasures.
I’m excited to read, write & live im a space that supports all forms on information & story delivery. Curiosity + creation!
When I started writing for publication a decade ago, they said “Don’t write anything a person can’t finish while smoking a cigarette”… times have changed in more ways than one and someone switched advice, “Keep it short enough to fit on a phone screen.” Still writing novels and 7,000 word stories, but also gobbling up the interaction offered by tidbit work.
It’s all fun!!
Hi Jill, very interesting, people do want instant short stories but I do believe, as you do, that there is still a market for longer articles and books. Thanks for taking the time to comment, I love reading all comments and I learn so much from them. Have a great weekend Susan
Regarding YOUR blog…..more and more please! Especially the gorgeous photos! Its an emotional escape for me. Can’t get enough, and am always sorry when I reach the end of every blog you send. Your blog allows me the one time in my day to dream, drool, imagine and wonder…Please don’t stop. Your blog is my escape and nourishment to the soul.
Hi and thank you, I am so glad you enjoy the blog and the photos, it is immensely rewarding and even more so to hear comments like this, don’t worry I have no intention of stopping! Susan
I read blogs on my tablet first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee. Love both pictures and text but don’t think I would like photos only.
Hi Debra, first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee sounds like a pretty good time to me! Thanks for taking the time to comment and have a lovely weekend, Susan
As we prepare for a major move after nearly 46 years of married life in four countries but all on the same continent, my thoughts have been going along the same lines! Life has changed some things for the better, others not, but the internet and what it enables is a very big positive. Don’t change your blog – it is interesting, your text enhances your beautiful photos and I’ve enjoyed everyone. They have also made me look forward to our next move and a new lifestyle.
As you get older, the phone screen is too small, tablets are better but a laptop is my choice.
Hi Gill, so now you have peeked my interest, where are you moving to? Still on the same continent or moving further afield? If you have the time do let me know and very best of luck. Susan
Definitely not on the same continent but relatively close to you on the borders of the Dordogne and Charente.
How exciting, when is the big move planned? I hope it all goes according to plan, I am sure you are going to have a wonderful life here 🙂
Hi
Yours is one of my favorite blogs, because it is longer and more detailed. When I see that you have written and I don’t have time to savor your thoughts, I save it for later. But I alwasy read it. I say do some of both. Some can be shorter with pictures if needed and others longer. I will cherish them all. I visit Paris yearly, but have never been to your part of France. Yet I feel I am a part of the village life, through you. Please keep doing the blog just as you have been. We are all out here reading every word
Hi Bonnie, thank you. I am so glad you feel you are sharing village life with us, that is just what I hoped to convey. If you visit Paris again do try and find the time to head West and visit the Charente Maritime, it is a beautiful, warm and friendly area. Susan
See MY RESPONSE to BLOGGING HERE!
http://thevintagecontessa.net/2015/12/18/the-end-2015/
The computer is how I look at BLOG POSTS……the phone is to small and NOT THE SAME!
SHORT blogs with photos……….
NO MUSIC PLEASE as it takes forever to LOAD and has commercials usually!!!
VIdeos………..NO I willNOT Be there for that.Maybe when that happens I will get back to cleaning the house and doing WHAT I AM SUPPOSE TO BE DOING instead of sitting here READING for three hours each morning!
AND BY ALL means use your own photos…………….as YOU DO!
XX
Ah, yes the housework, how much time I have spent doing anything other than the housework! As you know it is one of the features of my blog I only use my own photos, it has to be life as I see it through my own eyes and occasionally through the eyes of one of the children or my husband, but always our family photos only! When are you next in France? Xx
I am hoping this YEAR!I would LOVE To meet up or come for a visit!
You are doing a BEAUTIFUL JOB HERE!DOn’t change one thing!
Thanks, would love to meet too, just let me know when you will be here 🙂
I would have to say that your blog posts have the right blend of photos and text. In a world that appears to want to reduce too much into a 140 character post, I find myself searching out more in-depth articles such as those found in the New Yorker or The Economist. I like a little meat on the bones of my reading. And, I am not registered on any social media (even my adult children have to send me photos of grandchildren they have posted on FB in text messages to my phone).
Blogs provide a different, fresher viewpoint of life elsewhere, whether it is someone like you in France or others I follow who live in the Arctic circle, Australia, the UK, Japan, etc. etc.The internet allows me access to international newspapers (live in US) which I tend to read first thing in the morning and later in the evening…they also tend to have more in-depth articles, unlike some US newspapers, too many of which seem to focus more on celebrity news (ugh) or depressing political garbage (DT) than events of human value. I probably read 3 or more books a week, so clearly I like the written word.
As far a mode of reading blogs…mostly done on laptop or tablet, not my smartphone.
I enjoy your longer-form blog with lots of photos, both of which help communicate the stories you tell. I read your blog to learn about life for an expat family in your village, and to learn more about France when you write about your travels. On more than one occasion I’ve booked a vacation rental in a European town specifically because a blogger I follow lives there, and I felt like I “knew” the town from reading the blog.
Brief posts usually annoy me due to lack of detail. It’s probably my age (73); I’m used to magazine and newspaper-length communications, and I almost never view a video online — also perhaps to my interest in the printed word as an English major in college aeons ago and to starting my career in editorial work. I read your blog both on my computer and phone, but don’t do well at typing with my thumbs, so prefer the keyboard for email.
So keep on as you’re doing. It might motivate me to visit your region of France some year.
Hi Larry, I am so glad you are enjoying reading the blog and I hope it does inspire you to travel to this part of France. It is a relatively unknown (to the outsider) part of France and is beautiful, warm and very friendly, you would be assured of a great welcome everywhere!
Hi Mary, you clearly love the written word and I am right with you there, I still love to buy a newspaper and actually read the news. I am going to google blogs in the Arctic circle as I would imagine anything well written from there would be fascinating, thanks for mentioning that! Have a lovely weekend
Try http://lenealve.blogspot.com/ – a woman who lives near the Arctic circle and writes about her life, including wool/knitting – ‘dances with wool’ being the name of her blog. She writes well and has lovely photos. Recently talked about going for a weekend visit to their summer (unheated) cabin just after Christmas–it is even farther north than her home. No water, sleeping bags and an outhouse were involved. Imagine that in a place where sunlight is only shows up for an hour or two a day this time of year and temps can go to -30C or lower. In my case, we are awaiting the imminent arrival of a two day blizzard event expected to dump 2-3 feet of snow along with potential 65mph gusts of wind (I live by the Chesapeake Bay near Washington). Expecting power outages and since I live in the country no power means no water (we have a well). Bathtub has been filled to bucket water in case flushing is required :), food prepped, etc. Fortunately, we have a wood stove, so would still have heat (and a cooking source). Not quite as much roughing it as Lene’s cabin, thankfully.
Hi Mary, thanks for the blogs, I shall certainly go and have a look, sounds quite fascinating and what a brave lady. I have been reading about the snow and storm due to hit the East coast, stay warm and stay safe and I hope you don’t lose electricity for too long. I shall be thinking of you all. Susan
Bonnie sums up how I feel about your blog. I read around 15 blogs on a regular basis. Probably another 15 I scan over. Yours is one I savor and I adore the stories about the pups and love the stories you write. I dont care for videos, too much noise for me. Please keep up the great work! Thank you for making my days better.
Hi Vicki, I am so glad you are enjoying the blog and enjoying the stories, but you are not the only one who gets pleasure, trust me I really love writing them and sharing our lifestyle, so thank you for taking the time to comment and read. Have a lovely weekend Susan
Hello! I discovered you through Cat In France’s Instagram account and now follow you on Instagram (I am europaphotogenica). I read your blogs with great delight and interest. They are well written and I can absolutely imagine everything happening as you describe it. I read your blogs on my iphone while riding on my stationary bike, which I do for an hour every morning. Long pieces of writing do not bother me if they are as interesting and entertaining as yours. I have travelled to France a lot in the past 25 years for my business and lived there for eight years in the 1970s. I am particularly interested in your blog because my American husband and I once planned to move to the Charente Maritime when our kids were young but each time we found a property and put a bid in, the sale fell through for one reason or another. I really love the Ile de Re and have taken several groups there for photo tours. Next time I am in the Charente Maritime I will visit l’Ile d’Oleron. Keep writing.. it helps me get over the constant homesickness I have felt both for France and England (where I am from) for the past 30 plus years living in California.
Hi Barbara, how fascinating that you nearly bought a house here, I wonder where? It sounds as if you have a very busy, very fulfilling lifestyle with lots of trips to France! I too love the Ile de Ré, it is one of my favourite places for a day out, but the more time I spend on the Ile d’Oleron, the more I am coming to really love it. Our girls are playing a lot of tennis there and so I visit twice a week at the moment! Do let me know when you are next coming to the Charente Maritime. Have a lovely weekend, Susan
I love to read quality blogs like yours. Your pictures and texts are so comforting in this busy world. I’m am an avid reader with a large library, but is so special to be transported to France with a click on my IPad.
Hi Sally, thank you and I am really glad you are enjoying the blog and it is some light relief in this, as you say, very busy world. Have a lovely “relaxing” weekend! Susan
I read your blog on my computer. I should say that I am retired now, but I always took the time to read your full blog even before retirement because it is always so heartfelt and interesting.
I, for one, love to read. Much brain research is being done on our young people as they grow up “reading” only on screen and usually have many pictures to accompany the text. One wonders about their powers of visualization and imagination being developed; only time will tell. I also believe that reading longer pieces develops concentration; again, time will tell. Those of use who grew up with more traditional education truly cannot judge the impact of all of this because we developed the above-mentioned skills BEFORE we had the plethora of media available to us today. We have the background to use it wisely, and see its benefits for many purposes but we probably haven’t abandoned older methods that work for us.
All that being said, I love your “developed” blog posts and wouldn’t be interested in just short snippets. You always seem to have a POINT which needs to be developed, and I appreciate that. I love the pictures you provide because they are always in context.
Thank you for sharing your recent ruminations about your blog, and I look forward to many more years of reading.
Hi Pat, thanks for your comments and I totally agree with all you write. We have made sure our children read, and as a result our two eldest, 19 and 15 are total bookworms, both preferring a good book to any form of electronic device and it is wonderful to see because, as you so rightly say, it develops the imagination in our own unique way. I have found all these comments very uplifting and all so interesting, it seems we are all on the same wavelength. I can assure you I hope to be blogging for many years to come!
I say, keep your blog the way you want to do it. It’s your blog, your voice, and if you try to match yourself to others’ preferences it’ll show. I like your combination of words and pictures — informative, funny or chatty as the topic needs, always interesting.
I have a dumb phone and a very old laptop, so I read this on a desktop machine, on which I also work at home. So the fewer videos the better. I also read books, a lot of them, and long ago gave up TV as pretty much a waste of time.
Hi Emm, thank you for your comments, I can assure you I have decided to keep the blog just as it is, this has all been really encouraging. I hope you have a lovely weekend, Susan
Please do not stop blogging! I am not one to usually reply being the shy type but I so look forward to your posts!! I am one of the oldies that does not do Facebook ,etc. but I love my blogs! I only look at maybe 10 or so blogs and love France very much having been there many times but live in Virginia..USA . I live there thru yours and others so keep on blogging please!
Hi Dyanne, thank you for commenting, even if you don’t normally like to. I can assure you I will not be stopping! Have a lovely weekend in Virginia, a beautiful State. Susan
I use a smart phone. I like ur blog just the way it is. I can leave it for when I have time to enjoy it and also love your posts to Instagram.
Hi Alanna, thank you, I shall be keeping things just as they are. I too love Instagram, there are so many fantastic photos out there and so many inspiring people. Have a lovely weekend. Susan
Please do not change your style of blogging. You have a certain Voice that transports us to your area of France. I love to read and your posts are like short stories that I look forward to. I talk about you and your family to my husband as if you are a friend in town.
I read a few other French blogs…not many ……but you all are part of my day.
I do not read blogs on a phone….use my iPad….
Hi Ali, don’t worry, this has convinced me not to change a thing, which I am rather happy about! Hopefully you will become a friend in town if you make it up to the Charente Maritime when you visit this Autumn/winter!
When one really thinks about it (you put “pen to paper”) it is amazing that so much has changed in conversations. Maybe similar to all the folks who lived through the early 1900’s and the inventions that came along. Not sure both are on the same level but change is constant as we all know.
I read blogs, I skim FB. If I follow a blog, as yours and others, I set time aside to read the blog. If may not be the same day but I do read it to enjoy it. If I see your FB posting, I know that I will enjoy your blog later.
P.S. always wanted a 2CV. Basic car lust.
Hi, I wish I had never sold my 2CV! I still kick myself today, there wasn’t even anything wrong with it and I practically gave it away, now of course I want another one but anything roadworthy is really really expensive, so like you I have 2CV lust!!!
I read all of your blogs and I must say I have enjoyed everyone. I have loved reading about your family and of course I can remember when the terrorist attack different venues in Paris, I worried about your family. I do read my blogs, not so interested in Facebook but I do skim through it.
Hi Fran, thank you so much for taking the time to comment and I am so glad you have enjoyed all the posts, I love writing them and sharing our lifestyle here and it’s so good to hear that people want me to continue just as I am. Have a lovely weekend Susan
I agree with Emm above that you should do whatever you want with your blog. I read and savor every one of your posts and very much enjoy the way you combine text and photographs. That you write about topics that interest you and write in your unique way, from your unique perspective, is what is important. Your posts certainly have never struck me as “too long;” quite the opposite. I read your posts on my laptop, sitting at my desk in the quiet of the evening. Thanks for asking!
Hi Leslie, thank you so much, you were one of the first people to ever comment on my blog and I always remember you telling me to kayak in the Marais so that we could be silent and see so much more. I love reading and hearing people’s comments, there is so much to learn from them. Have a lovely weekend Susan
Hello. A very interesting blog. Blogs are just an extension of what we have done for ever, communicate. But effective communication is simply about selling, ie creating a need- here is information, ideas, opinions that you may want to read, think about, respond to and in so doing buy in to why I am trying to do with my blog.
I think you have a lovely blend of interesting writing style, but a context ie the family in a French village. Which is both endearing and probably touches on the emotions of some who say, gosh I wish we had done that. And you post great pics, which together with your writing bring this together and allow is the readers to share not just your information and opinions, great though they may be, but also the atmosphere and even sense of your village in France.
Happy anniversary
Hi Peter, Thank you and I am so glad you are enjoying the blog and I seem to have communicated in the way I hoped to, sharing our family French lifestyle. It is, as you say, a form of communication, it’s like writing a weekly letter home to a group of friends from boarding school!
Happy Anniversary!
Keep blogging and they will come read.
I read mostly on my phone and write my blogs from a desktop.
Hi Nadia, thank you! If ever you are up this way do let me know, would love to meet up. Susan
I love your well written blogs. I find most videos to be too wordy and would much rather read about something. I read mostly on my I pad and look forward to each of your blogs. Happy anniversary. We just recently celebrated our 48th.
Hi Pam, congratulations on 48 years, we have a lot of catching up to do! Have a lovely weekend, Susan
You know, I’m beginning to lose interest in the “same ole, same ole” of blog posts. I really to not have time for inane and pointless posts and photos. Seriously, I just do not know how I can read another post on setting a table (unless it’s so fine & creative we’ve never seen it before), or photos of flowerpots. I also dislike the blogs who’ve jumped on the band wagon of “selling anything/everything.” I write fashion posts of all varieties and if I find something special I point it out, but not every single day. I’ve been MIA lately from blogland just because I don’t have time like I used to. Today I believe blogs should fill a need, whether it’s whimsical, beautiful, unusual, newsworthy. I too have made so many friends around the world and for this I’m very happy. Let’s hope we can find a new footing as we go forward in blogland, and try to focus on unusual things, travel insights, lovely experiences, and forward-thinking themes. I know I’m going to try. Very thought provoking post.
Hi Marsha, and a very thought provoking answer, thank you. I think we are in agreement, blogs certainly have a future but they need to be original and as I said if something is well written and worthwhile it will have an audience. Here’s to the future! And have a great weekend 🙂
I really enjoy your stories, and the photos that go along with the story enhance the experience for me. I’m a voracious reader, so when one writes as well as you do, the more words the better. The photos you share help me visualize the life you live to an American who is utterly fascinated with the quintessential French lifestyle.
Thank you so much and thanks for taking the time to comment. It’s actually a pleasure for me to share our lifestyle and I really enjoy giving everyone a glimpse of our little corner of France. Have a lovely weekend 🙂
I think your blog is just right. It has an excellent balance between text and pictures. You generally have a theme to the individual posts but the overall interest of your family’s discovering a new life in France is the compelling and charming motif. I enjoy the stories and for me they are half of the pleasure. Paired with the accompanying pictures the reader has the satisfying sense of being there.
Thank you Linda, that is exactly what I love sharing most, all of our adventures and everything about this amazing country, there is just so much to write about! Glad you are enjoying it and have a lovely weekend
Your blog ranks high on the list of blogs I follow! I love the stories you write and your thoughts about my country 😉 ! I’m reading it on my cmputer and usually take the time to read it entirely. Some of the bloggers I follow just post pictures and a few lines describing their thoughts, The advantage of it is that it is indeed read quickly, but I also like to take my time and read longer posts that describe life experience! Go on with your blog 🙂 !
Hi, I love your country! And to be able to share so many fun insights is a real pleasure for me, each day I discover new things and new places! Have a lovely weekend
I use a tablet to read my blogs. Feedly puts them in magazine form ready for me to read with my tea and biscuits. I loved your Christmas story and enjoyed the longer read very much. I suppose it depends on the content.
Hi Gabriele, thank you for taking the time to comment. The Christmas story was very long and I did worry that it was too long, but hard though I tried, I couldn’t edit it any more than I did! Have a lovely weekend and enjoy your reading! Susan
I so enjoy your posts! Whatever you find time to write about, I will find the time to read it. Thank you!
Hi Susan, thank you so much, I have great fun writing the posts and so I am so happy you enjoy reading them. Have a lovely weekend Susan
I love blogs, no really a fan of Twitter or Facebook and I love Instagram. But I will always read blogs, or at least as long as someone is writing. I agree with Marsha above, I do not want to read blogs that are really just posts everyday for the persons store and a place for them to “hawk” their wares. Don”t get me wrong, I am excited for people that have parleyed their blog into a business, but then have a business page.
Have a great weekend!
Hi, welcome to the blog and thank you for taking time to comment and so glad to hear that so long as someone is writing you are reading! I too love Instagram, so many fantastic photos and so inspiring. Have a great weekend too, Susan 🙂
Keep the words flowing Susan, the pictures are lovely but your writing is what makes the blog.
Oh I wanted a 2CV but could not find one and bought a Renault 4 instead, Heather refused to drive anything that had a “stupid gearstick coming out of the dashboard!” It was a rather odd car in many ways, none of the electrical system worked at the same time. I was stopped by the police for having a light out on several occasions, this was often fixed with a wiggle of the bulb or a thump on the side, nice policemen rolled their eyes as if to say why would anyone buy such a car and let me go on my way.
Thanks Roger, I loved my old 2CV, and yes that gearstick out of the dashboard took some getting used to! Roddy learnt to drive in a Renault 4 and when he sees one today still looks at them nostalgically, unfortunately he says the boot was too small for most of the fish he caught!
My husband and I had a Renault 4, which we loved! It carried us, and our first baby, all over the mountains, forest, deserts and beaches of Oregon (in the U.S.) and was such a great car that when we had our second child, we bought another Renault (this one a small station wagon). I will not own a car that does not have a manual transmission–so much more fun to drive than an automatic! (And yes, I too would have purchased a 2CV if they had been available in the U.S.!!)
Hi Leslie, totally agree with you about manual cars vs automatics, automatics take the fun out of driving in my opinion! Roddy also had a Renault 4, he learnt to drive in one and when he see ones it fills him with a certain nostalgia. We don’t see that many on the roads here now which is sad. X
I like a beautiful image as much as anyone else, but I will always be more attracted to the words. I am gradually letting go of blogs that are more about the photos than the words. Give me text, short or long, as long as it grabs me – makes sense – makes me smile or cry or just makes me think for a moment.
Hi, thank you for taking the time to comment, it has been so interesting hearing everyone’s viewpoints and so heartening to know that the written word is far from dead, it seems it is thriving! And I so agree with you, so long as it grabs our attention it doesn’t matter if it is long or short, happy or sad. Have a lovely weekend Susan
I a passionate francophile and keep an eye on 16 blogs. I love your blog because is just about what you do and discover about France. [You are not American/nor pretend to write for the American market.] The font size is easy to read. Have to say I don’t like blogs that are all photos either
Hi Hilary, firstly thank you for commenting, I love hearing from people and I value everyone’s opinion. I write from the heart, as I see it, or as we see it as a family, I stick to my English spellings and English vocabulary, it is who I am! But most of all I write about what I am passionate about and I hope that is what comes across. We spent several years in New Zealand and visited Australia several times, I love your country too, and right now I am envious of our summer weather! Have a lovely week. Susan x
I can’t get to grips with blogging at all. I don’t know whether it’s because I like a little distance between myself and the author, or more space to just take everything in at my own pace – dwelling on some areas, skimming over others – but I’m definatley all for blogs. At the end of the day it may be an electronic medium, but our being fascinated by other people’s diaries is an age old pursuit. Think of all those Victorian ladies diaries; fascinating.
Hi Andrea, I never thought to that, but you are so right. I have, all of my grandparents diaries and Roddy has his mother’s diaries, she wrote in them every day – and blogging, or rather my type of blogging is really just that a diary of sorts.
Hello Susan, Am Juli. I love your topic of Blogging. I imagined our future of blogging is to print copies into a book and keep it for the future of our young generations. We many never if all are going to change. As for Cassettes, Records, Albums, they all have changed like you said. the future of them are downloading them songs straight to our mobile. I wish we could have the answers to the future of blogging!
It is a great topic!
Hi Juli, it’s certainly a very interesting subject and the more research I do it seems the more in depth it becomes. For now I am content to say as long as people enjoy reading then the blogging world will continue!
Hi Susan, am juli. It was nice to hear from you via face book. I so much love the topic about blogging. I would imagine that to keep our blog for the future is to print them into books and keep them. We many never know what the future holds. I love your blog and is very interesting!
Hi Julie, thank you, I will email you in the next couple of days. Susan
Thanks Susan. Looking forward to reading from you
I prefer fewer posts that may be longer but pique my interest & have photos that are pleasing to the the eye. I find I begin to skip, never read, then delete and eventually unsubscribe to blogs that have too frequent posts. I feel bombarded and annoyed. I can’t sit and read it all every day and eventually, I just feel compelled to stop making myself feel guilty for not reading every post I get note of… Anyway, that’s my opinion on the subject. Thanks for your sweet blog, I do love it!
Hi Christi, thank you for taking the time to comment and you have voiced exactly what concerned me – feeling bombarded by too many posts. I know just what you mean and slowly you skip one and then another and from then on it’s a downward spiral until you give up. I can tell you the hardest part is getting the balance just right; so I shall be listening to every person who has commented and continuing the way I am! Have a lovely week Susan x