Last year I participated in the biggest blog hop I’ve ever come across with over 400 participants and it was such a success that I’m doing it again. It’s called Grow Your Blog and it’s open to all genres of blog, from all over the world, simply to get to know each other, support and follow each other’s blogs. Regular readers of my blog, you too may find some interesting new blogs to follow.

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If you are visiting for the first time, hello and welcome. Here’s a little bit about me to start you off. I live in the south of France with my husband JF and our two boys, where I run a vacation rental called “Lou Messugo” (hence the blog’s name). My name is Phoebe (not Lou!) and I’m a British and Australian passport holder though I don’t really « come » from anywhere in particular. I’ve been an expat since birth and have lived all around the world. JF is French and our children are tri-cultural and bilingual. This muticulturalism is an important and vital part of our family and naturally influences my interests and choices in life. If you’d like to know more about me click through to my About Me section here…

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In this blog I write about my passions – I write mainly about France, particularly the region I live in, the food and French culture in general. You’ll find posts on language, holiday traditions, education and family as well as expat issues. But anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that my over-riding passion in life is travel and over the last year I have broadened out to include more writings on travel further afield in France and Europe too.

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My posts are usually photo-led as this is another of my interests/hobbies. I strive to take good photos though I’m very much an amateur and always still learning. I hope I inspire you with the beauty that is around me. The photos here, selected to offer an example of the different catagories I write about, are all taken from previous posts I’ve written – by double clicking on them you can go through to the original.

hot pot in Iceland

Why did I start writing a blog ? There are two reasons. Firstly I saw it as a way of providing my gîte guests information about the area they were holidaying in. I didn’t really think anyone else would read it. And secondly I have always thought I should write a travel book about my adventures but somehow I’ve never even tried. Blogging, writing short snippets, rather than the pressure of one big book has come more naturally and over the nearly 3 years I’ve been writing I’ve found I just love the whole bloggersphere-thing. I love the contact with other bloggers and the friendships I’ve made with readers and writers, some of whom I’ve now met in the flesh. There’s no greater reward than someone contacting me out of the blue to thank me for a certain piece of information that they found through my blog or being nominated for an award by a fellow blogger.

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As for the future, I hope to continue growing this blog to an even wider readership and build on the relationships I’ve already made. I hope to keep finding interesting and inspiring things to write about, to entertain my readers and improve my writing skills along the way. So if any of this has piqued your interest I’d love you to subscribe, that way you won’t miss out on any of my posts. (You’ll find the subscription button at the top of the page). But there’s no compulsion, don’t worry if you don’t want to, just pop by from time to time to see what’s up or follow me on another form of social media (links to all of which can be found in the About Me section and by clicking on the buttons at the top of the page). I hope to hear from many new readers and absolutely love comments which I endeavour to reply to each time.

Christmas decorations Galeries Lafayette Paris

Over to you…what do you think ?

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