Merci!

I arrived in Paris in June when December seemed like a million miles away- but, alas! It is just around the corner. This week is positively zooming along and things are really beginning to crank up in the classroom.  On the 18th of December, just moments before I fly back to Australia for a month of sunshine, friends, family and most of all FUN, I will sit three monumental exams which I can feel creeping up on me- very, very quickly.

These days, I seem to be drowning in a mountain of verb conjugations and frustrating négations, leaving me with very little time for celebrations!

(Or even nice walks along les rues).

As respite from the books, I look forward to providing stories on this site so that you can continue to share my life in Paris with me- I cannot even begin to express how much your comments, encouragement and wonderful feedback actually means.

Since I launched pinningmywords earlier this year as a little baby project with no real idea of the outcome, 4,800 people have paid a visit (with most drop ins since June) which has seen 10,600 views to my posts. Subscriptions are steadily growing and I am loving writing more than ever. I mean, REALLY loving it, and your input makes it all the more enjoyable.  You inspire me to keep going and I am finding it easier with each post to craft a message to you all with the knowledge that you are enjoying reading each word, as much as I am enjoying writing them.

From this week until the end of December (I really need to pass those exams!) I will be producing one big blog post per week, which you will find published each Sunday at Parisian lunchtime (approximately 9pm AEST), right here on pinnningmywords.com.

I will also continue to provide little Instagram and Facebook snippets throughout the week which will form content for the theme of each Sunday.  If you don’t already follow me on the socials, I’d love you to!

Instagram: @pinningmywords or, you can join me on Facebook: Pin Affleck

Now for the hairy bit!

I really, really want this project to work.  As I mentioned earlier in this post, I started this blog with no real idea of where it would go, or if anyone would even read it- I didn’t even know if we’d survive.  It’s heartening to know that it does get read, and each time I post, you continue to come back.  Since January, we’ve gone from Paris to India, back to Melbourne, up to Sydney to the consulate, back to Paris, over to London then to Italy and now I’m happily and firmly ensconced in Paris.

I have big plans for 2018, where I will return to Paris in February after a month with my family in Melbourne.  I have two new newphews to meet (my sisters just won’t stop having babies) and two to rekindle an old friendship with.  I couldn’t be more excited for what is ahead.

Now, this is the bit I don’t want to write!  If you could take a moment to tell your neighbour, bore a colleague, force your Mum or even share my work on social media, I would be eternally grateful.  The more people I have subscribing and reading, the more likely this is to work.  I loath to ask for your help, because the fact that you are even reading this should be enough.  And, it is, but every little bit counts and the more eyes I get across my words, the more likely they are to continue to spill across the page.

And finally, thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to read my pinnings.  You are the hero’s in this story, and one day I will buy you all a drink!

I promise to keep the (now) weekly blog posts fun, light hearted, optimistic and as amusing as possible, as I continue to trip over my feet in Paris.

It’s a crazy old world out there and I hope this brings a little bit of light to your day.

All my love and a mountain of merci beaucoups from Paris,

Pin xx

PS- see you on Sunday!

Pictured: when I’m not tearing my hair out practicing French verbs, or tearing down the street madly taking photos, or torturing the maître d’ at the local, I find myself nurturing another of my true loves, sketching.