One of the things that makes our area so great is the wonderful people who live here!
We’ve searched high and low to bring you the bee’s knees when it comes to bloggers – whether it’s people who know the unique points of an area through to those who’ve had to negotiate trickier situations like the French healthcare system, we’ve got some invaluable information for you. Meet the bloggers below – then see what they have to say!
SUE JONES’S HEALTH BLOGS
What happens when you go to hospital? How do you get a blood test? What will the specialist want to see when I get there? These are just some of the questions that we face when we move here.
I moved to France 15 years ago with my husband, two children and aged parents. Poor health hit us fairly quickly with broken and sprained bits, cancer in various forms and even replacement parts. It reads like a medical dictionary but my experiences have been sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad but always surprising.
I believe that the French Health system is the best in the world and, through my blogs, I hope you can see why. I also hope that they help you to find your way around a health system that can sometimes appear confusing but which, actually works very well, and to our advantage.
Health blogs by Sue:
JULIE WACKRILL’S HEALTH & BEAUTY BLOGS
That Soap! (you know the one… that one) is a small artisan business dedicated to crafting high quality, healthy and effective skin and hair care products that will nourish your skin and be kind to our planet. I also create hand-poured soy wax candles scented with premium fragrance and essential oils.
That Soap! is on a mission to make our customers healthier and our Earth a little greener. We are committed to healthy skin, healthy people and a healthy planet. My recipes are created using knowledge from research and ingredients inspired by the nature surrounding me.
I use clays, mineral oxides, vegetables and fruits, sustainable oils and butters and pure essential oils to create products that will nourish your skin and be kind to our planet. I hand blend all my own products in small batches to ensure freshness, consistency, and perfection. Think of it as pure nutrition for your skin and hair! See our website for more information.
Health & beauty blogs by That Soap!:
KATIE GARDNER’S LIFESTYLE BLOGS
Katie Gardner is a fully-qualified CBT Counsellor and 10-year expat based on the border of 47/24. Her website can be found at www.kgcounselling.com
Lifestyle blogs by Katie:
MIMI BECK KNUDSEN’S PLACES & FACES BLOG
Mimi Beck Knudsen moved to France in 2012 after a media career including radio, TV, newspapers and magazines. She and her husband enjoy living in their very old house in a very small village in the Lot-et-Garonne. When not exploring and writing about her travels, Mimi likes to bike, jog, read, knit, work on her French skills, and binge on Netflix. In addition to writing the Places & Faces blog for The Local Buzz, she shares stories about her travels on Away to Live.
Places & Faces blogs by Mimi Beck Knudsen:
- Stroll among Abby ruins in the Entre-Deux-Mers
- All hail the prune harvest
- Medieval or Renaissance
- Grottes to love about Brantôme
- Discover Cahuzac’s hidden frescoes
- Flower Markets are in Bloom
- D-Day – Mouleydier in Dordogne remembers June 1944
- Saint Emilion – The Quiz
- A Visit to Périgueux
- Prehistoric La Roque Saint Christophe
- The Quiet Appeal of Moissac
- Charming Lauzerte
JENNIFER DEWAR’S DISCOVERING LA FRANCE PROFONDE BLOG
Dreaming of the bucolic life, Jennifer Dewar moved to the Gers in the heart of rural Gascony, eight years ago with her husband Andrew. Her blog looks at the unexpected and humorous realities of rural living, covering topics such as clueless animal husbandry, obligatory calendar purchases at Christmas, and baffling local superstitions.
Jennifer is a copywriter, PR guru and runs a converted wine barn turned gite, which can be seen at www.chaigascon.com
Discovering La France Profonde blogs by Jennifer Dewar:
REBECCA SHIELDS, THE PESKY TARIAN
Hi, I’ve been living in France for a year now and have been a non meat eater for over half my life. Moving bang slap into the heart of the fois gras producing region in France was not perhaps the smartest move, but I am determined to make it work.
I am happy to share recipe ideas, food reviews and generally my experiences with you! I adore eating, writing about, making food and I relish the challenge of trying to find all the ingredients I am used to, or if I can’t, learn to adapt. I am loving my new life here: it is a bit of a leap from living in the heart of busy Bath, to living in the middle of a field, but each sunset makes my day a bit sweeter.
Pesky Tarian blogs by Rebecca Shields:
CATHERINE FINCH, A SENSE OF PLACE
Catherine has always taken inspiration from her surroundings and now has two books published, the second featuring her new life in Tarn et Garonne. A third novel is currently underway. Writing is a relatively solitary activity. The written word is only that, unless it finds an audience, and authors need critical feedback. She found this in a most surprising place – a neighbouring French village.
A Sense of Place blogs by Catherine Finch:
ROSEMARY DROXLER – OUT AND ABOUT IN GERS
Rosemary is an American-Brit transplant living near Nogaro. She runs a year round hospitality business as well as being involved in keeping her pen to paper, cooking and entertaining for family and friends. She is also an avid cook! Her blogs combine local knowledge with recipes using local ingredients.
Out and About in Gers by Rosemary Droxler:
COLLEEN SIMS IS A REGULAR CAMINO WALKER
Colleen shares her stories from her walks to Santiago de Compostela. Heartbreaking, awe-inspiring and courageous, she highlights what makes the experience so very, very special.
Camino Walker blogs by Colleen Sims:
KATE WEBBER TELLS HER INSPIRATIONAL STORY – NEVER GIVE UP
Sometimes we find ourselves in an inconvenient position we hadn’t planned or. When control of your life has been taken out of your hands it is at best inconvenient and at worse can result in you becoming very depressed at the new position you find yourself in.
Never Give Up
DHARNA ASHAR AND YOGA
Having recently moved to Dordogne, yoga teacher Dharna Ashar holds classes in Montpon Menesterol as well as Eymet. As you can see from the pics in her first blog, she is pretty flexible and has strong opinions about how yoga is portrayed and promoted.
She has a Facebook page called Rocket Yoga Dordogne.
SUE ADAMS – Le Jardin Paysan
Loving all things to do with property means that Sue also has a passion for gardens and gardening and throughout her life she has created or restored numerous gardens, large and small and written about gardening and smallholding for various British magazines. Her current French garden was a small field five years ago and gradually she and her husband, Richard, are turning it into a productive fruit, vegetable and ornamental garden. They also keep chickens, which play an important part in the scheme of things.
Sue is the founder of French Properties Direct, the property marketing website and shares, month by month, the tasks and pleasures of working in a productive French country garden – or a Jardin Paysan.
SUNITA MCDONALD MOVES TO FRANCE
Sunita McDonald moved to France in March 2020 after purchasing a rundown château a few months earlier. She grew up in South Africa and moved to the UK in 2004 where she graduated from university and kicked off her career in business. She worked across Europe, Middle East and Africa but opted for a simpler life with less travel after the arrival of her firstborn. Nowadays she manages multiple social media accounts as château renovator and decorator and writes on a regular basis for magazines as well as online publications. When she is not writing or renovating, she loves to explore quaint French villages and the countryside with her young family and Belle the dog. You can see more of their daily fun and struggles at ‘The Chronicles of Château de Capelle’ on Facebook.
