The Flower Bubble has Burst

........and just like that, it's back to business! Until my flower order arrives that is!

As you can tell, we've regained control of the socials but the page remains restricted for at least a year! That means zero growth! So I need to find some time today, to complain bitterly to an actual human at META , because so far it's been restricted by bots. No human has had a say!

The alleged offence was apparently on Instagram but all our pages are completely harmless! So we can only assume it was onerously reported by someone rather unhappy about something (the oldest trick in the book) or we were hacked when I changed my SIM! The two seem connected somehow? I guess we will never know!

For now, we will keep the new pages along side the old, just in cases!

What a faff!

Honestly, I just kept calm and carried on faffing with beautiful blooms, as I had only just started my floral design course, when it all went tits up! Sigh....I just refused to be affected by it all. If it was meant to be figured out, we'd sort it and thankfully Di put in an appeal for us and won.

We've had worse, I know and as I'm always telling you all, don't ever be afraid to start from scratch! If your followers are loyal to you then they will find you again and if not, well, you can try to build something new that makes more sense! A fresh start? I've done it before and I can do it again but I'm more bothered about the others in the team! It's not fair on them.

Saying that, I have started my new florals instagram 'Fleur & Bloom Atelier' page from first principals, because I'm not mixing business with pleasure ever again! I also don't want to have to sensor myself on the main page! It's important to keep it real with social media, as you can still be hacked or reported and loose everything you've built overnight! Social media can be a fickle friend and a dreadful foe! Protect your work the best you can folks but don't make it your everything!

Business and opinions don't go together!

A fitting mantra eh!

Anyway, I know many of you are both surprised and concerned about our imminent return to France? I get it. Firstly, let me tell you that we have throughly re-evaluated our move here to the Uk. We had to return to the uk as P was finding it hard to get any clients willing to pay through France! It was more of a needs must move than a dream thats for sure.

We also never expected to have issues with this particular rental. Then when it became apparent that legacy maintenance issues weren't going to resolve easily, we truly thought we could just rent somewhere more appropriate. It was a surprise to find that self employment would put paid to that idea! I think renting going forward is getting as hard as securing finance for a property! 3 years certified accounts? When we are at that stage we will just buy!

So in essence our decision to return to France, is a well thought out and confident one. The UK doesn't have a lot to offer us as it stands. I don't think we were ever meant to live here permanently, we never really have.

Obviously, there are no guarantee's it will work out any better in France the next time round, but we are willing to give it one more go!

I'm no fool my loves and I've not forgotten the issues we've had there, or the impact it had on us but we have moved on and past it all. We are both much stronger and now know how to deal with legal issues there, should any arise. We were certainly given some bum steers by folk with personal agendas and let's face it, we should have been wiser! Can't really blame them for taking advantage, it was so easy!

Doing business in France can be super simple or very complicated thats for sure! Hind sight is a wonder gift, that really doesn't help anyone to avoid the pit falls at first! There's no point us crying over split milk, we just have to use what we've learnt since to our advantage, keep calm and carry the fudge on!

My near neighbour didn't run us out of town with that lorry debacle, but she sure didn't help us feel welcome or valued as members of the community. It's a shame that it became a circus! I don't think it would have if I'd not been a very accessable public facing person. I only ever started that particular blog to chart what I thought would be an interesting French adventure, for my family back home. I could never have known that it would become quite the opposite and more of a well documented farce!

It could have been handled better by all involved, including us, there's no doubt about that!

If it happens again, we won't deal with it locally or personally, we will just employ legal help, as our access is protected in law and the law is for everyone. Had we not been steered to legal help that was less legal and more of a hinderance, we may have nipped some of the issues in the bud earlier eh! Wolves in sheep's clothing.....there's been a few!

The same goes for anyone that crosses our threshold and rips us off. We will report them, it's that simple, or they can come back and do the good job they were paid for!

I'm able to laugh at it all now, as I don't think it was all personal in the end, just people trying to earn a crust anyway they could.

We have learnt a lot but also we know who our trusted people are and that is pure gold. You my friends will never know about any future issues because they will be handled privately going forward.

Best way eh!

Time between us and the issues has worked it's magic, but we must be very careful about the company we keep going forward, that much is very clear. Distance heals and we've been able to look at everything without added emotion or angst. Still, we must also remember it's our home, our life, others opinions are just that and everyone is entitled to an opinion. Opinions are not facts.

I can hear my Mother telling me to 'Rise above it Donna'. I will Mum, I so will.

The fact I have a voice on here shouldn't make me a target, but I do realise I'm not the only one that struggled with life and gossip in France in the spotlight. It's really about surrounding ourselves with good people that have our backs going forward. Sometimes we just have to move on and drown out the back ground noise eh?

We are honestly looking forward to our return, mostly because of the blood sweat and tears we poured into the house, never mind the money spent! I do miss parts of the house and area, not all, but thats no different to here really. I don't hate France in the same way I don't hate the UK. That said I'm a wise old bean now and I know nothing is perfect, it's just as perfect as we wish to make it.

Maison Maurice is decorated for me, in my style and theres still bits to finish. She really is unfinished business is the former French Wreck! It would be easy for us to reduce the price another 50k and get rid but that would be utterly foolish! It's time we got to enjoy the work and effort isn't it?

We always knew that houses in France can take an average of 4 years to sell! We will have given it a year. Yes the housing market in France is struggling in many departments, so it's better not to engage and wait it out I feel. No rash moves! With world politics being so fractuous, renting here isn't a bargain and it feels like money wasted. We just need to get back and buckle down, get on with it, make the best of it! One day those awful moments of turmoil will be a distant memory. We must make it count and turn that frown upside down. I absolutely know we have it in us!

We made the foundation, now we have to build on it!

Love, Flowers and Gumption

D x