Thank you all so much for so many lovely emails and the fabulously positive response to our first newsletter, it's been so encouraging. Our next monthly newsletter will be out next Saturday the 9th, delayed by a week due to a rather stressful time with our youngest Jack Russell, Pixel. We've been fighting with the vet to save his sight in both eyes and have spent over a week going back and forth to La Rochelle and the veterinarian there who is an eye specialist, a referral from our usual vet. But at the moment things are looking a little better and more hopeful and I will keep you posted, we don't know the cause yet and neither does the vet.

Most of all what I want you to understand even more is the reason for the change from the blog to the newsletter. There was one comment that made me feel as if perhaps I had not explained well enough and I felt as if I was letting you all down, which I really don't want to do. I fully understand that one of the things you will miss from the blog is the comments and the interaction, but I felt I had to change things.  The reason being mostly that I was starting to feel so hideously guilty for reading everyone's comments and not having the time to reply, that to me felt so rude when someone had taken the time to write and I didn't answer. I worried about it constantly and felt so bad. If I do something I have to do it properly or not at all.

The truth is a blog post takes way longer to put together than people realise, it takes hours and hours. Going out taking photos, then making sure the photos are good, sorting through them, writing, putting it all together, not to mention the driving to where I want to write about and the research. I got nothing out of it financially, just pure pleasure and loved every second of it. But now I work full time with the property business and we have the gite as well which we are expanding into occasional breakfast baskets and luxury weekend retreats and the brocante shop and also a family and a home and I don't have the time, I'm already working most nights until 1am as it is. So I felt the newsletter was a much better way forward, so that I didn't let anyone down.

In addition to the blog I also get hundreds of emails and private messages each week and I always answer every single one. It all takes a lot of time, it's the admin behind the scenes that no one thinks about.

I shall try and keep everyone informed of everything on a monthly basis as well as I can, the next newsletter is coming together well and I'm rather excited about it. Having a month to prepare, to work through things is a big breakthrough and I know it's the way forward. Of course I shall bring you more news of Pixel next Saturday when I hope we will have some more answers. Until then I hope this helps you to understand a little more and have a wonderful weekend.

Susan xx