Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne France

We’ve been nominated!

One of the principle pleasures of writing this blog is meeting readers and other bloggers all around the world who share a passion for the culture, history, and remarkable destinations of France.  I've heard from people in England, Australia, the U.S., and diverse regions of Europe, and even though these "meetings" are all virtual, I've come to have a real appreciation for the great writing and rich ideas so many people contribute to the global conversation about what for many of is is a "second home" in France.

Of all these, I've been especially grateful to hear from Alison.  Her blog, View from the Teapot - Life in a Small French Village , regularly captures the spirit of everything I find interesting about life in the deep heart of France.  If you haven't already read her work, please do check it out! (She lives in St. Etienne, an old coal-mining town with a history that stretches back to the Middle Ages, about 90 miles east of Clermont-Ferrand.)

Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne France

Alison's blog has recently been nominated for several (well-deserved!) awards, and I'm very happy to say that she has in turn nominated DeepHeartOfFrance.com for the Friendship Blogger Award sponsored by Novus Lectio!

Chateau Alleuze - Deep Heart of France

Puy de Dome Volcano Auvergne

The award is "for those we cherish in [WordPress] and to show them affection and to offer them our friendship," so I'm especially glad to be nominated by another blogger whose work I respect. 

With the nomination comes a responsibility, which I'm only too happy to fulfill.  Nominees are asked to follow these rules:

RULES:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you in your blog post and link back to their blog.  (Thank you, Alison!)
  • Mention the creator of the Award (Novus Lectio) and its purpose.
  • Nominate other bloggers to receive the awards.
  • List the rules and display the Friendship blogger award logo in your post on your blog.

Here, then, are my personal nominees for some of the best blogs I've seen about France and the French:

  • The #AllAboutFrance link-up at the Lou Messugo blog.  Phoebe, an Australian/British expat who runs the Lou Messego vacation-rental gite, has hosted this monthly site since 2015, and it regularly brings together some of the best articles about every aspect of life and travel in France.  I have put it on my calendar every month to make sure I get there to see what's new, and I particularly appreciate Phoebe's own contributions to the dialogue at the top of every link-up!
  • OuiInFrance.com is a lifestyle blog run by Diane, an American married to a French man and living in the Loire Valley.  She's interested in the ups and downs of every aspect of the expat life in her adopted country, and lately the blog has been branching out into other areas. 
  • Annette, another Australian who lives part of the year in France, writes about other aspects of expat life at AFrenchCollection.   In addition to travel ideas, you'll find recipes, reviews of art and books, and notes on vintage French antiques she sells through her Etsy store.  She writes gracefully, and the site is always beautiful -- lots of brilliant images to illustrate her experiences and thoughts about life in France.
  • LifeInLimousin is a kind of ongoing diary written by a couple of British expats about their experience in renovating an old farmhouse in the Haute-Correze area of the Limousin in the deep heart of France.  It's a fairly new blog (they only took possession of the place at Christmastime 2017), but with beautiful photos and interesting insights about the process of "eco-renovation".
  • LostInLyon covers life in Lyon, my favorite larger city in France (and one of the world's great culinary capitals!)  Emily writes about her "many moments of cultural perplexity" since she relocated to Lyon from England, and her extended essays about moments in here family life are wry, funny, and always interesting!

Please take a moment to check out some of these other great sources and alternative visions about life in France.  I've really been grateful to hear from so many of you since I started this blog 2 years ago, and I always welcome your suggestions for improvement and ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future.  And thanks again to Alison for her generous nomination for the "Friendship Blogger" award!

 

2 thoughts on “We’ve been nominated!

  1. I’m glad you joined in. I don’t know how I’ve missed the Lou Messugo blog. I may well try to join the Link up, but I’ll certainly explore the other blogs.
    Thank you too for the lovely things you said about my blog but can I just correct you on one point – I actually live closer to C Fd than St Etienne. We live in a small village just before the “border” between Auvergne & Rhones-Alpes (although, of course, it’s now one big “super region”!) and between Loire (42) and Puy de Dome (63)
    I’m not a great fan of St Etienne, to be honest, and much prefer either Lyon, or Clermont.
    Thank you again for joining in!

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