About

My name is Lynne Turner. I’m an English journalist living in Poitou Charentes, France. During my career I have worked for newspapers in the South West of England and edited a monthly county lifestyle magazine.

My partner and I spent several years planning our eventual escape from the UK. We initially looked for a property to restore in Brittany, but the warm weather, sunflowers and red-tiled roofs of Poitou Charentes drew us south-eastwards.

The pretty stone barn we found tucked among the trees of a gentle hamlet soon became the joy - and sometimes bane - of our lives. Its transformation into a new home has been gradually taking shape, but took on extra urgency when we had the chance to move here permanently.

Adjusting to life in rural France after years of long days and deadlines has not been easy; learning to relax and take things at the same pace as my French neighbours has been a hard lesson - but one I need to learn.

StoryWriter is a collection of reflections - from the people I meet to the places I visit; it’s just a way of making sense of my new home.