Farewell for Now!
I am never sure why we know when we are done with something, but it just happens, and we have to trust it.
I woke up one morning this past September and knew that time had come again.
Montmartre 2018 when I started this blog!
My passion for Paris and France has not decreased, and I am not tired of sharing things French with you.
My mind and my body are just telling me they need a break, a break from being intensely focused on one or two big things.
(The other being my work in communications which has also been a full-time job until now as well.)
It is as if I need to lie fallow like a farmer’s field.
No crops for a season or two to replenish all the nutrients that the soil needs to grow again. For me to grow again.
Yes, it is just like that.
The last time I went through this was in 2017. I had just finished writing a memoir and it had been published that spring.
It’d taken me a while to complete and was very personal. Both cathartic and draining to write.
Thankfully it was very well received. (Click Here to find the Memoir)
But I was spent.
I ran on empty for a few months afterwards as I ploughed through book launches, book fairs, clubs and speeches
which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Then I ran out of gas and had to stop, and well, lie fallow for a while.
Even Paris cafes get a break!
Instinctively however after a good rest, the wheels of my creative and journalistic mind started turning again.
I could feel being drawn to a new project and voilà, I created the blog you are reading now, womanofacertainageinparis.com,
Over the next six years and multiple trips back and forth to France, I added a Book Club, a Store, a Travel Consulting Practice, the Paris Fan Club with an Annual Membership, and the Paris Fan Club Broadcast Series. Whew!
What a wonderful journey this has been. WONDERFUL!
I have been able to explore Paris and other parts of France since I started. I have discovered many places, museums, and things to do there. I have met and interviewed scores of fascinating women who love France as much as I do. I have also learned so much about technology and influencer marketing.
But most of all, I have connected with all of you. I don’t know how you all found me originally but I am so very grateful you did.
Thank you for being loyal to this space on those many Sundays that this blog has showed up in your Inbox! It will stay up on this site so that the more than 200 travel stories will still be available to you to go back and see them if you wish.
One door closes and another opens?
I started all of this because I was looking for inspiration.
Frankly, I was nervous about this chapter of my life as a woman of a certain age.
About feeling that the most exciting parts of my life were over and that I would feel invisible and irrelevant.
That did not happen.
Instead, I discovered that my passion for Paris has been the perfect vehicle to explore this time in our lives.
I have always said that like life, Paris is not just a place to visit but also a state of mind and way of being. Like us, Paris never really gets old. It matures and then finds new ways to still delight and surprise. And in more meaningful ways.
I don’t know how many new acts or chapters we get in life but I am hoping I still have one or two to go with a similar mindset.
I promise to use them wisely.
And who knows? I may transform this website into “Adventures of A Woman of a Certain Age,” as I know I will always have other stories to tell.
Love to hear from you
One last time.
Please share
Your comments below!
It would mean
So much to me.
Brought to you by Diana Bishop
womanofacertainageinparis.com
Diana Bishop the founder of The Success Story Program and A Woman of a Certain Age in Paris as well as a well-known correspondent with over 25 years working for CTV, CBC News, and NBC News. She loves travel, writing, and all things Parisienne.
Au revoir Diana !
I look forward to hearing about your next creative endeavour.
Chaleureusement,
Karole
Diana!
You’re an inspiration to a life well lived!
No doubt your next chapter will be one to share.
Look forward to the new journey.
Leslie
Oh Diana!
What fun I’ve had reading this blog!
I will miss it but I totally get that it’s time for something else for you.
May you find that “thing” and hopefully it will be something you can share with us.
Bon repost et surtout bonne santé. A bientôt j’espère 😍.
I wish you all the best as you begin the next chapter of your journey.
you are so wise – to listen – and to act. best wishes.
Dear Diane,
I am saddened that I won’t be hearing from you, but so happy that you will now be taking time just for you. May your future travels be wonderful and stress free, knowing that you have no deadline to meet. You are a delight and I have looked forward to hearing from you, brightening up my Sunday mornings.
Because of your recent blog, I and a friend will be taking cooking/baking classes at La Cuisine Paris on our trip in April. An added excitement to our adventure, as it is her first trip. So thank you for telling me about the school.
I wish you wonderful experiences, thank you for sharing so much of your life, and enjoy your new apartment. So wonderful to imagine.
Blessings to you for all the joy you have shared.
I’ll miss you!
Carol Vandergriff
Dear Diana,
Was shocked to read your post today but I know how you are feeling. I might be in the same boat as you but not by choice. The constant posting, searching for guests to travel with me and dealing with website issues is exhausting. But thoughts of NOT having these issues is so sad. Who knows what the future will bring.
Thank you for all your time and information. I’m sure we will see you again.
Kindly
Dee
Diana
All the best to you! I enjoyed reading your weekly comments.
Since we met a couple of years ago I’ve gone through some tuff times……a series of broken vertebra w/lots of pain and medicine….no more travel no driving nor going to places that don’t have easy access, etc etc!
I wish you a ‘bonne continuation’🌺 juanita
Diana
All the best to you and your new adventures. I have enjoyed your website and thoughts on Paris. It is good to move forward and grow as you are doing. Thank you for your stories.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and your take on France. You need to take care of yourself even if this means stopping this online publishing. You get to make this decision! I wish you the very best. Au Revoir, for now.
Salut Diana! It has been a wonderful journey. At last, some don’t stay the same, which is good too. Sorry to see you go, I have learned so much and will miss your stories.
Au revoir
Ilona
P.S. since I started reading your newsletter – I have started learning French, read your book suggestions, and met Martin in Paris!
Thank you…it’s been a wonderful trip sharing Paris and all things French with you.
Sending love across the ocean, and across Canada to you.
I hope your break reinvigorates you and you get the rest you need. I’ve enjoyed your column and suggestions about Paris. I look forward to seeing you in your new iteration, if there is one.
I love your site, thank you so much!
I wish you well in your new journey, and look forward to whatever comes next!
Thank you for all of your posts that I looked forward to reading each Sunday. You were also kind enough to gift me a book a while back which I truly enjoyed. I am still hoping to hear the story of how you developed a romantic relationship during Covid. Maybe the sequel to your first memoir? Blessings to you in whatever your future holds!
Merci beaucoup for all you have shared here. I go to Paris almost every year and you have opened new doors in yours and my favorite city. All good wishes for the fallow time and beyond.
What a pity. I will miss this. It always made me smile when i opened my emails.
Good luck Diana. All best wishes, Catherine
Dear Diana:: Indeed, renewal in one’s life is cathartic and you have to re-invent yourself over the years. Likewise, I continue to find new experiences as a senior, such as my volunteer 2 weeks at Chateau St. Germaine De Près in the Dordogne last March. Following up on that I was able to spend 3 weeks in Quebec last September visiting my French language exchange friends and family. Being in need of another challenge and an aching to be back in France, I am planning on joining a 3 week French immersion course in Lyon France next May.
So when your feet begin to itch and your batteries have been re-charged, follow your instincts and enjoy your choices in life.
Love this Rosemarie and don’t forget tennis and hiking in there too!
Diana,
I have so enjoyed my travels with you in Paris and outside. So happy to collaborate on a few ideas as well.
My good wishes go with you on your future fallow days and nights. When your batteries are recharged I look forward to connecting, sharing good books, coffee and wine. Bonne temps ma belle.
Notre voisin Pamela
Thank you, dear Diana!
Best wishes from Edith/Italy
Dear Diana,
It’s been an absolute joy getting to know you, reading your blogs AND participating in your series! Your enthusiasm is inspiring. Enjoy your re-nourishment stage and when your new idea blossoms, what a delight that will be! All the very best, Gayle Smith Padgett, Saint-Remy-de-Provence, FRANCE
You will be missed Diana! You have taught me so much about Paris, France, and traveling. Carpe Diem! I look forward to your next chapter wherever it takes you and look forward to what you share.
Enjoy the season! 🎄
Dear Diana,
Have enjoyed reading all your stories. You are a wonderful and insightful writer and human being.
Wish you all the best ….à la prochaine. 🙏💫 Renee Welling
Oh Diana,
Not the news I was expecting! But I thoroughly understand! These times of listening to our heart in sync with our mind and body can yield such renewal and good results.
It wasn’t that long ago that I had joined your group and was looking forward to more inspiring stories and articles but I wish you many blessings in this fallow time in your life journey.
My best…Beverly
Beverly, Thank you for reaching out and joining my blog recently. Fortunately, there are over 200 blogs on the website that you can
go back and read if so inclined. I wish you all the best, and thank you again, Diana
Ma chère amie Diana
What a journey this has been for you and all of your followers!
And I so appreciate being able to share the experience of Paris and France with you, especially our trip in September 2019. Everything from strolling though the many arrondissements, tasting wine in castles in the Loire valley, walking the labyrinth in Chartres (I still have trouble pronouncing that!) to that special view from our flat of the Eiffel tower lit up at night!
And after some well deserved rest and rejuvenation, I look forward to hearing about all your new adventures to come.
Peg, Thank YOU. You have been right by my side during this great adventure, encouraging me, and joining me in Parisi 2019. That was one
of my most memorable trips. Being able to see the Eiffel Tower from our apartment window was a thrill and just the beginning of my month there.
Remember our last night in Paris when you so kindly took me for dinner at Le Bon George in the 9th. We couldn’t get a table inside and the
terrace was only partially covered and then it started to rain and sleet. I don’t remember what we ate but I will never forget
how we laughed. You are the best, Diana
Have a lovely rest! Come back to us where you are ready.
Thank you so much for your ability to help keep my love affair with Paris alive and well. Absolutely take whatever you need, you deserve it!
Thank you Shari. I am so glad I was able to bring Paris into your heart regularly.
I am always pining to be there and go back there. That will never change. Best to you and thank you for reaching out, Diana
I’ve been “missing in action” since April 1. A fall the week before left me with a pinched nerve and thus nerve damage all the way down my left leg, horrible pain in my leg and the inability to walk so am in a wheelchair. Two of my brothers were wonderful and cleared out everything in my apartment. … I currently live temporarily in a retirement residence as I wait fo a space in a long term care home.
Your weekly newsletter kept me near Paris and things French.
I’ve not run out of steam as you but I’m looking for smtg to stimulate my mind. I have an idea that I’m acting on – an online network of women “of a certain age” to keep their experience useful and their brain active. No charge just bring your cup of tea or coffee and your years of experience, No planning required. Be present as we all discuss concepts like gratitude, fear, curiosity, connection etc!!!!!
Hope you’ll come as you figure out your next adventure🫶🏻🙏🏻
Trudy, I am so sorry to hear about your fall. You have always been so brave. I gather there is no stopping you even now. I love your idea so keep my posted. I would love to hear more about it when you get it going, YOU are an inspiration to me. Best, Diana
You are smart to take care of yourself now. Lie Fallow and wallow in the fallow!
Thank you so much for all the joie de France that you have brought to my inbox. Like you say, Paris is a state of mind, and it is a much appreciated mind set.
Good luck!!
Thank you!
Well, Diana, I can’t seem to blame you and I am glad you are taking time to Pause and Breathe – two of my favourite things!. Thanks for all you have done for me and pour tous ces belles excursions (par procuration!) en France1
Ruth Ann, thank you for being there to read my missives as they flew out on those many Sundays into cyberspace.
Nice to know they landed and were well received. It means a lot to me to hear from you, Diana
Diana, thank you for all the joy you have brought us over the years! Your tips have been helpful when I’ve been able to take them to France with me and your club has brought even more joy to me when I haven’t been able to be there in person! Have a good rest and I still hope to sit at a cafe table with you in our beloved country some day.
Let’s keep that thought in our hearts. Thank you Susan for being so faithful to this blog and the Paris Fan Club.
I have enjoyed every minute. The very best to you, Diana
I can totally understand your need to rest and recharge, especially as I reflect on all that you have done since beginning this blog! OMG, woman ! How did you last this long at the pace you set for yourself!
I don’t quite remember how I came to find you, but you are an inspiration and have added much to the world of women of a certain age, thank you. I’ll be in the lookout for your next online reincarnation!
Juliette, Your note above really touched my heart. Thank you. And yes, I have been keeping up quite a pace for a long time.
It will feel unnatural to do otherwise but it also feels right and that is what I am trusting.
It has been a joy knowing you and thank you for being their right at the beginning, and for all of your comments over the years and for being part of the Paris Fan Club!
Best to you from the bottom of my heart. Diana
What a lovely farewell. Although not a paying member I have enjoyed your posts and perused your website. Enjoy your next adventure, wherever it may take you.
Cheers Helen
Helen,
Thank you. You are kind to reach out and let me know that I have not been writing into the void.
I wish you all the best as well, Diana
Fantastic blog Diana. I am not surprised you are taking the road less travelled. There is a saying I keep having pop up in this little ‘nog gem ’ of mine and it’s “because I can”.
So do and as always you will do your best. Feet up! Relax and enjoy the lovely sunshine in your new life.
Love you and thank you for all the bouncy fun stuff about Paris and beyond.
Xxoo twink
Hi dear cousin. You have always inspired me with your own creativity in your art to follow my path and do the things that I love.
I hope to have more time now to spend time with you! Love you, Diana
Enjoy your time fallowing, I will look forward to any new endeavor you make public.
I “found” you while expanding my husband’s family tree. (You and he share great great grandparents etc through Avery Bishop). Your memoir showed me how difficult it can be to live in the shadow of a legend. I think you have done a wonderful job creating the world you have. Your trips to Paris showed me a world I’d love to have visited. Take care, be safe, enjoy life.
Hello cousin! How wonderful to hear from you. I have to look at our family tree to reacquaint myself with our connection.
Thank you for reading my blog so faithfully and for also reading my memoir. So kind of you. All the very best, Diana
You’re wise to listen to your inner self and take a break. II always found you to be informative and refreshing! Take good care of yourself!!
Thank you soooo much Diane. I wish you all the best! Diana
I’ve very much enjoyed your blog and special events and especially your “woman of a certain age” focus. It’s been a lot of fun and very insightful. I also have a connection to Paris and France after spending a summer studying at a university there back in the 70s. Subsequently, when I worked in the airline industry for a decade, I travelled to Paris dozens of times and never ceased to be in awe of the art, cuisine and culture of France. Fast forward a few decades, and I attended a friend’s wedding in Bretagne where I did a reading during the ceremony.
As my French degree is getting very rusty, I took inspiration from the couple you interviewed at a zoom event (Sara & Stephen) who own the chateau in the Dordogne region — I’m going for an immersive week of language, cuisine and culture in May at their chateau!
Perhaps I’ll bump into you again at some local events since we live in the same area.
I hope you enjoy your break and experience a peaceful renewal of mind and body. Bonne chance!
Linda, so great to hear from you. You and I have so much in common as we both found Paris and France
with our French degree and time there in the ’70s. It was a different place back then but was always
enchanting.
I would love to join you all at Stephen and Sara’s chateau. Their immersion week will be wonderful I am sure.
Enjoy and keep in touch. Diana
Wishing you all the best Diane. Thank you for your very sincere exploration of all things French, not just about Paris. I’ve enjoyed your blog since the beginning and I’m sure that this pause will inspire you to new endeavours. May you be happy and well. Bonne Chance et Bons Baisers
Diane, Thank you. It is heartwarming to know that you found me in the early days of this endeavour.
I am so thankful for your patronage. All the best to you too, Diana
Thank you, Diana. I’ve enjoyed your blog and the people you have interviewed. Looking forward to reading about your next adventure, whatever and wherever it may be.
Thank you Susan, you have been so loyal to me and my Paris endeavours and I am grateful.
All the best to you, Diana
I have to laugh as I just discovered you and this blog today, Dec 2 !!
The first time I heard, “of a certain age” was from a bus driver in The Mumbles, Wales. I thought it a kind way of asking if I wanted the senior citizen discount ticket. 😄
I have subscribed for whatever comes next and will read a few past entries. Thanks!
Best Wishes!
Sunset
Sunset — haha. Well, thank you for discovering me recently. It makes me think that I am jumping ship too soon.
You are so kind for reaching out and hope you get to go to Paris in your near future. Best Diana
Diana, well done you! As they say…
It was fun to reconnect after so many years. Your mom and dad would be proud. You’ll rise again somewhere when you least expect it. Thank you for sharing your Parisian world!
Happy trails,
Vicki (James) Pullen
Vicki — Hi again! So great to hear from you. Thank you for reaching out and I hope life is treating you well as you deserve.
Best, Diana
Thank you, Diana, for bringing is much joy into so many lives through your blog. Yours has been my favourite blog for years as you have given a powerful voice to women of a certain age, and especially to Canadian women. You used the phrase ‘invisible and irrelevant’ and I feel that is how much of society perceives us. You have challenged that stereotype and shown that we are so much more! I will miss your blog tremendously. Enjoy laying fallow as it’s vital for us to replenish our beautiful spirits, and savour the anticipation of looking at the many doors before you wondering which one you will choose to open when the time is right. Thank you again for all you have given your readers, Amicalemant, Anne xoxo