Skip to content
The French Countryside Guide
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Administration
  • Culture
  • Travel
    • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
    • Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
    • Bretagne
    • Centre-Val de Loire
    • Corse
    • Grand Est
    • Hauts-de-France
    • Île-de-France
    • Normandie
    • Nouvelle-Aquitaine
    • Occitanie
    • Pays de la Loire
    • Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
  • Contact
Menu

An Update

Posted on January 16, 2023June 19, 2025 by Rose Joly

Hello everyone,

I am writing to let you all know that I am still here! Yes, I have been a bit lax and have let FCG go over the last year; however, it was for good reason, I swear!

What could be more important than FCG and you, I hear you asking?!

Firstly, my health. At this moment, I have an undiagnosed illness which is causing me chronic fatigue. Every day, I have to take a nap or I simply cannot function, and by nap I mean two hours of sleep, or I am down for the count. If I don’t get the nap in, it will mess up my schedule for the following days. I will talk about this more later in a dedicated blog post about healthcare in France.

Second, I started a business! In October of 2021, I officially created a business here in France. As you may recall, I have a Masters in stained-glass conservation and heritage management and that my husband is also trained in stained-glass (this is how we met!).

Ever since we met and began planning our lives together, we have dreamed of creating our own stained-glass studio. I am happy to say, after nearly four years of talks and dreams, I made it a reality! Welcome Joly Vitrail to the scene! Our little pepite has grown considerably over the last year and I am so joyful, we joined an association located in Dreux called Terre d’Artistes where we offer weekend stained-glass courses.

New for Twenty Twenty-Three?

Happy New Year!

I am not going to lie, I am not sure what the year holds for FCG, BUT I will say that I do have some posts in the works and I really would like to get more content out there. As well, I would like to take some time to work on Instagram and creating more TikToks (yep, we’re on there too @French_Countryside_Guide!). Of course, this must be juggled with the business and my health problems, but I am going to try my darndest to do my best!

So sorry for the prolonged absence.

Bisous,
Rose

Little snapshot of why I’ve been gone the last year:

@jolyvitrail

Enfin, mon projet perso termine! 🪴 Panneaux pour les portes d’un meuble de cuisine dans des tons de vert et rose. 😍 #vitral #stainedglass #vitraux #madeinfrance #handmade #faitmain #artisan #timelapse #artisanat #meuble #decoration #meubledeco #GradeUpWithGrammarly

♬ Summer day – TimTaj

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

Related

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Salut! I’m Rose.
I’m an American married to a Frenchman living in the countryside of France. I’m here to fill you in on life here, from administrative paperwork to weird customs to underrated places to visit.

Support This Blog

I recently renewed my 10-Year U.S. passport in Fra I recently renewed my 10-Year U.S. passport in France & this was possibly the easiest administrative thing I have done in my six years living here. Not only was it simple, it was actually much faster than I expected. Even with a small photo issue, I had my passport back in a little over a month. The application is done via the U.S....

https://frenchcountrysideguide.com/u-s-passport-renewal/
The pond after the snowfall. Untouched. #winter # The pond after the snowfall. Untouched.

#winter #snow #travelblog #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #Francetravel #frenchvillage #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #cultureblogger #expatinfrance #frenchcountryliving #expatlife #frenchblog #americanexpat #blog #pond #snowyweather
Well, I did not hear any noises of hunters coming Well, I did not hear any noises of hunters coming from the woods after this snowfall. 

#winter #snow #travelblog #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #Francetravel #frenchvillage #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #cultureblogger #expatinfrance #frenchcountryliving #expatlife #frenchblog #americanexpat #blog #woods #snowywoods
"...don't forget what happened to the man who sudd "...don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted... he lived happily ever after." - Willy Wonka

Our new house has what we call a "mare" (a small pond) on the property. I did tell my husband I wanted a mare when discussing our future home purchase, knowing full well that they are hard to come by and would likely accompany a property out of our price range. 

For some reason, the end of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory comes to mind. Somehow I feel this applies here. Purchasing a home feels like an absolute state of reverie sometimes.

#winter #snow #travelblog #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #Francetravel #frenchvillage #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #expatinfrance #cultureblogger #expatlife #frenchcountryliving #frenchblog #americanexpat
Didn't even realise we had this lone rose bush on Didn't even realise we had this lone rose bush on our property... 

 #snow #winter #travelblog #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #frenchvillage #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #liveinfrance #cultureblogger #expatinfrance #frenchcountryliving #expatlife #frenchblog #americanexpat #blog #rosebush #roses #redroses #nature #naturephotography
Afternoon walk with my #cat in the #frenchcountrys Afternoon walk with my #cat in the #frenchcountryside. The sun was so agreeable and warm today!

#frenchcountrysideguide #frenchcountrysideliving #france #countryside #expatsinfrance #americaninfrance
Our neighbor's gate is so quaint. I love the pop o Our neighbor's gate is so quaint. I love the pop of blue against the white of the newly-fallen snow. 

 #winter #snow #travelblog #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #frenchvillage #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #cultureblogger #expatinfrance #liveinfrance #travelinfrance #frenchcountryliving #expatlife #frenchblog #americanexpat #blog
It's the little things. 😍 I realised we had thi It's the little things. 😍 I realised we had this charming stone wall on our property. Hidden by some bushes and a bunch of other greenery, I was so excited to stumble upon it. I love old stone walls, particularly their texture and the little mosses that develop in their crevasses. 
Our home dates to 1900 and was likely a barn or storage space on the property (we have a second building which we believe was a pig sty). I wonder when this wall was constructed, perhaps as a barrier to keep the animals on this side when it was still a farm? I hope to research a bit about my new home's history and hope to share it with you. (I am such an excited new homeowner!)
Either way, with a little bit of snow and the pop of green, it was a perfect photo to share with you all.

 #winter #snow #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #travelblog #frenchvillage #Frencharchitecture #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchhistory #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #liveinfrance #cultureblogger #expatinfrance #frenchcountryliving #expatlife #historicalplace #frenchblog #history #americanexpat #blog #architecture
I am so obsessed with the little pond across the s I am so obsessed with the little pond across the street from our new home. 😍

#snow #winter #travelblog #expatblog #frenchvillagelife #Francetravel #frenchvillage #france #countryside #frenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideguide #lifeinfrance #americaninfrance #expatinfrance #frenchcountryliving #expatlife
Follow for Updates

Recent Posts

  • Renewing an Adult 10-Year U.S. Passport in France by Mail
  • I Went to a Traditional French Catholic Wedding!
  • The OFII In France and the Integration Process: La Formation Civique
  • Sens & Villenueve-sur-Yonne, A Day Out Exploring in Bourgogne
  • “Chandeleur,” The Day of Crêpes… and Candles?

Archives

  • June 2025
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • January 2022
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
Banner supporting blood donation

Legal

  • About
  • Contact
  • Cookie Policy
  • Intellectual Property
  • Privacy Policy

Search

© 2025 The French Countryside Guide | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme