Sudbury, Suffolk

The Busy Florista Blog
The Busy Florista Blog
Putting Pen to Paper...
Putting Pen to Paper...
How we React to Things...
How we React to Things...
I recently had a situation happen to me that comletely knocked me for six, floored me, upset me beyond belief and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Nothing.
My website provider switched my site builder from one day to the next, completely reformatting my website. The first I knew about it was when I clicked on my site and thought it didn't look right and definitely not how I left it last time.. Different fonts, mis-aligned text, different colours...
All the hours of SEO work that I'd learnt how to do had gone. Nothing there. Removed. Blank sheet. From 21st October 2020 this was, effectively, a new site on the net. Old stats gone. Tools I'd relied on since first building my site in 2008 gone. Just gone.
About two months ago I did receive an email about upgrading the site at some point. No date given and no communication whatsoever since. No heads up on the change over date - nothing. I had no chance to screen shot info or key words and there's no tutorial on how to use the new builder. Do you laugh because it's nuts or do you cry... I cried.
I felt like I'd lost a huge part of me - a bit silly maybe but there you go, that's how I felt. I liked to look back to see what visits I'd had from where and see how my site had done over the years. I was really proud of the 80% SEO mark I'd managed to get by tweaking a word here, adding a different phrase there, making some words plural and others not... all these little things make the difference and it was a fair bit of a learning curve for me - I've got none of them saved , of course..
So... Anyways... Deep breath...
I recently treated myself to a lovely book - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. A truly beautiful book.
On one of the pages it says " One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things ".
So very true..
Can I live without all that archived data? Yes, of course..
Can I learn how to use this new builder? Yes...
Will it take me hours to re-do the SEO work? Yes!!! :(
But can I do it? Oh yes...
Um... Is it easier to write this blog post in the new builder format...? Yes.
Does my website now have that lovely little secure padlock icon? Yes.
Might I learn to love this new builder? Oh probably...
There's a cherry in here somewhere - I just have to find it...
And find that pesky, invaluable SEO analyser... now where on earth has that gone???
Best get Coffee and Carry On
Happy Sunday Everyone
Catch You Next Time x
My Blog
Blog
Birmans, Bouquets and Days Off
Posted on 16 September, 2018 at 15:32 |
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And so another week has passed here in the blink of an eye! Whenever
did time get to move sooo swiftly? I’ve
had a Fab day today meeting, amongst others, a February wedding couple over at Hengrave
Hall, Bury St. Edmunds to discuss amazing flowers…and Trees… ooh, I Love those!
Soo
looking forward to this one – there’s Lots of creative collaboration going on
here! Can’t wait! xx xx So,
now, back to the present… Our
Lilly… well she’s a whole lot better Hooray! Back to the AHT tomorrow to see
the neurologists but… She’s
been jumping up onto the small sofa again all by herself – And… Enjoying
snuggles on the bed (alright…which she can’t quite jump up onto by herself but,
hey, can now get down from with no trouble bless..) And
Harls?? Well
he’s been REAL busy here this week… as you can see… #ChilledBirman # Workinghardintheoffice #Sundaymorningsnoozing I
think I might be in agreement with #WinstonChurchill here and decide to come
back as a cat ha! And
talking about cats… So sorry, I can’t get this pic to go the right way round! ... We have a local pussycat who’s just
lovin’ the studio vibes at the mo… And
is quite colour co-ordinated too ha! Lucky
for this little puss, our Big Blonde has never mastered the art of fence or
tree climbing… (Yep, I know, it’s an indoors-mainly- temple-cat-Birman-thing) So
if he snuggles up on the warm roof QUIETLY Harls never knows he’s there… Shhh… And
me? Well here’s what I’ve been up to on the Floristry side of things… Bouquets
and Buttonholes… Tackling
thorny, but Gorgeous, Vendela Roses…. And getting
very excited about creating new designs for Indian Wedding and Celebration Garlands… And
prepping for a Day Off!! HOORAY!! Tomorrow
I’ll be giving myself some new Henna Tattoos… When
you work all weekend, Mondays are off right? xx
Happy Monday Everyone xx |
Meows, Mandaps & Metatone...
Posted on 9 September, 2018 at 10:24 |
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Well
here we are – we are here!! We are the other side of the peak-time of an
incredibly busy Wedding Season and we have survived Hooray!! How
are you all? Hasn’t
the weather been Glorious? I’ve absolutely Loved it here being an
Oz-weather-loving kind of person – hot, sunny, hot-hot – ooh Yes Please… So
we’ve had two fans on the go in the studios and Loads of chilled water bottles
in the fridge and have basked in the gloriousness of the warmth of it all. Thank
you Lord for a fabulous Summer x And
the flowers have all been fine too, conditioned up to their necks in cold water
professional solution... There were several days I nearly put my feet in there
with them ha! The
only casualty we had was some Astilbe which, bless it, just evaporated every
drop of moisture into thin air and looked more like a dried flower than a fresh
one from one day to the next. So…
here’s a bit of a catch up on what’s been happening “at the ranch” (
PS. I’m a HUGE fan of The Pioneer Woman… ) Harley’s
had a great Summer – gone blonder than ever – and has perfected how to block
that rather annoying lamp light when he wants to settle down… Lilly’s
had a lovely Summer too and has been practising her Ninja moves. She carries
out frequent stealth-attacks, circum navigating Harley’s routine and scheduled
nap times and thereby claiming the Prime Position on the preferred bed for
herself… Go girl!!! And just look at
those fluffy paws… Gorgeous or what? #justloveher She’s
had a bit of a relapse lately but she’ll be okay – she’s off to the Animal
Health Trust with me tomorrow for some tests. She’s the one-in-several-million-cats
that has no immunity to Toxoplasmosis. A few years ago very nearly killed her. Thank
heavens for the AHT and their experts there. She
has relapses – especially after her annual jabs – and that’s what’s happened this
time. We have medication to hand but she’s not responded as quickly as usual so
it’s off to the Neurology Dept. we go… Bless
her, she’s such a little fighter xx Here
she is looking Gorgeous in Studio 1 amongst the Blossom Trees a few weeks ago… And
#thebusyflorista has been doing this and that… Starting
every day for ages with a bit of a boost ha! Conditioning,
prepping and looking after Thousands of stems of flowers over the Summer… Having
the-most-amazing August Bank Holiday weekend FULL of Weddings!! One
of which was a fabulous Indian Wedding – full of Vibrant Colours and a myriad
of Flowers... We
decorated the Mandap… And
created 25ft of Woodland-Style Ceiling Garlands… Which
required the going up and coming down, and going up and coming down and…well,
you get the idea…of ladders… Which
were at quite an acute angle I can tell you… Cable
tying 4-5ft sections of Beech to poles… Adding flower groups along the way…One
hand on the ladder, one holding the foliage… balance at the top…Position… Cable
tie… Don’t
let anyone ever tell you being a Florist isn’t a physical job, and that all
they do all day is play around indoors with pretty flowers… I
had my dear friend and long standing work colleague Jane with me and we soon
worked out that we both had to climb up the sides of the ‘A’ frame ladder
provided at the same time or it would
wobble terribly. There were a couple of “Whoop Whoops!!” from poor Jane when I
stepped off my side a few times without thinking bless - haha!! You need to be
Brave to do this job… and fit… After
setting up for this wedding all afternoon my feet were not the happiest bunnies
that’s for sure. Hot, red and glowing just doesn’t do them justice ha! I’m sure
Jane’s were just the same… #hotfeet #notaprettysight #ouchyouch Early
the following morning – Bank Holiday Monday – I was in the studio creating the
Wedding Garlands. I loved making these, they’re such a special part of the
ceremony. I’m about to promo them for
ordering via my website… And
my feet? Well they were given some major TLC and new tats and are feeling much
better! And
I treated myself to some well-earned indulgence at my long standing and totally
Favourite Hair Salon and had a wonderful experience with their new range of
colours from the States – and a cut and style too. So a BIG Thank You to Michelle at M Hair & Beauty in Long Melford –
you nailed it girl!! Made me feel like a million dollars Xoxoxo And
last but not least at the end of a busy day I have a hug and lots of purrs from
my Harls… Happy
Sunday Everyone xx |
Hot Days, Hot Feet, Hot Florista!
Posted on 16 July, 2018 at 14:25 |
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Hi Everybody! How are we all Enjoying this Fabulous weather? We're just lovin' it here in the House of Floristas.. It's been such a joy opening up the stable door early morning and looking out at the garden and the Studios and seeing Blue Skies and Sunshine! However... we have had some Hotty-Footy-Moments when a certain Florista wanted to pop her feet into the Buckets along with the Flowers... And then me and Harls had a bit of a long-hot-day-melt-down the other day... (It's a well known phrase amongst all the Birman-owning humans out there Ha! ...) Well, what can I say? #Lillycat'sgottafabtailpose #HarleyPussisrockin'agoodcurve... I've been doing a lot of this... Resulting in a lot of that... And a touch of this too... And... Poor old Mousie??? Well, our Lillycat's been lookin' after him nicely, thank you, in all this Heat... Ha! HAPPY SUMMER TIME!! PS. I'm Posting this Real Quick before the VP system 'loses' it ha! #thesnappyflorista xx |
T'is the Season....
Posted on 10 July, 2018 at 15:02 |
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Napoleon Bona-Cat and the Royal Wedding
Posted on 20 May, 2018 at 6:45 |
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Ninja Cat, Fluff & Divas...
Posted on 29 April, 2018 at 12:48 |
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So,
I was thinking to myself the other day why am I not getting any comments back on
my Blog? Maybe
nobody’s found it….. Hmm… Maybe
nobody likes it… Oh… Maybe…
But Hey, maybe I just need go have a search
through my website account and see if I can find them! YEAH!! And there they were, all tucked away in the
Messages SPAM box… So Hi! to you and Thank You for reading :) And
for waiting so long for the next post – what can I say – the Wedding Season is
upon us! I’m having to get super organised here and schedule in specific things on specific days so I keep on top of everything. Unfortunately
Housekeeping stuff is not included so if anyone visits please don’t look at the
carpet… And especially DON’T wear anything black ha! The
carpet is supposed to be ‘Walnut’ but right now it has a layer of the Big Blonde
Birman Cat fluff all over it (Birman-Spring-Moult-Time) so it looks more ‘Latte’
than anything else… Oh
Dear… Pitty whatty as my lovely xx Nan xx used to say… Here’s
the main culprit sunning himself in the garden last Sunday :) Now,
with our Lilly cat on the mend, I’d like to introduce you to Mousie.. Mousie
has had a quiet time of it while Lilly’s been poorly but I have to say that’s
all over now. He
gets a bit anxious most days, lookin’ here… Lookin’
there… Just
waiting for that next POUNCE that can see him In the Water… And
Out the Water… Until
the poor thing is just totally shattered… My
little Ninja Cat is once more Lilly-The-Inscrutable-Oriental-Woman-Cat not to
be messed in any way. This
is the Look she uses to deter weaker minded Humans… To
finish off on a Florista note, I had the most delicate of flowers to work with
for this week’s wedding. These were home grown Muscari (Grape Hyacinths)
provided by the bride and Dutch Lily of the Valley & Ranunculus. All soft
stemmed and total Divas ha! Wiring
these into Buttonholes and Wrist Corsages was fun (Read: Tricky ) It was delicate
work but they looked absolutely Gorgeous. I had my moments though, especially
with the Muscari but… Would
I do it again? x
HAPPY DAYS EVERYONE x PS. Having Technical problems again so the Font's all wrong but Hey Ho - at least I can get it Published...hopefully... x |
Sunday Morning Blogette...
Posted on 29 April, 2018 at 5:21 |
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Hi Everyone! HAPPY SUNDAY!! I’ve been so wanting to get a Blog
Post all finished and published but it’s been sooo busy these last few weeks.
My days don’t always have enough hours in them ha! And I’ve got Studio appointments here
today too ~ it’s going to be a Happy, Busy Year this one.. Anyways, so I thought I’d do a little
‘Blogette’ this morning and then get the longer one finished later… In a Nutshell… Lillycat’s doing great… Can’t say the same for poor Mousie
(more to follow on that one)… Weddings are going great… Washing pile’s doing great… Oh Oops...Round the wrong way again ~ Never mind eh... no time to sort it out now and it doesn't look so big from this angle Ha! The Garden’s coming on nicely at last…. And I LOVE Ranunculus… Look at this little lovely with a touch of Muscari made up for a Wrist Corsage.. Gotta Go! Busy, Busy!! See you all Later :) xx |
May The Sunshine Shine
Posted on 5 April, 2018 at 16:09 |
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Today I have been a Gardener HOORAY!!
Yes, I’ve got some serious office
work to catch up on after taking some time off over Easter… Yes, I haven’t hoovered in a couple
of days (read many, many, several, too many)… Yes, there are, well, Loads of things
I should do…but… Not Today eh? The Sun is shining and, for once, in absolute ages,
it’s warm out there! Here – see – Now how could I not go
out there and resurrect my garden when it looked like this… Every picture tells a tale…these are
the Strawberry plants wanting some long overdue attention…and the Geraniums
just getting above themselves…and handy those Floristry buckets when there’s a
bit of weeding to be done ha! The best thing was that our Lillycat
came out with me – She is oh such a very Happy Cat to be back home! We had a
bit of ‘Sunning’ in the studio doorway followed by a bijoux bit of ‘Baking’ on
the bench with me while I had a coffee break – well, coffee and biscuit break –
well OK – coffee and biscuits break… (so how can you eat only ONE Oreo?
Not possible!) Lil’s did make a point of mentioning,
in her own way, that she had a bit of a sore leg… See the l o n g stretch
of it towards me? My little chicken-leg-cat… a bit of
fresh Tuna helped no end… In the meantime the Big Blonde had
made himself comfy up on the bed… Hmm… Knew I shouldn’t have left that
particularly-prone-to-creasing cardi there but I was just in such a hurry to
change and get outside… Note To Self: Add ‘Washing to Do’ to
the list… Tomorrow’s a busy day too… There’s prep to do for the Wedding
Flowers Day Course I’m running at the West Suffolk College here in Sudbury on
Saturday. And at least 2-3 hours of office work
to get done. And I want to get over to the Beth
Chatto Garden in Elmstead Market for plants, herbs, inspiration, coffee,
ambience, bird song, plants, woodland plants, ideas, cake, photographs… Did I hide the cake bit enough? Ha!
They do REALLY lovely cakes over there… Just saying… And then I’ve got that washing to do
too… And the Drying… This already looks like the leaning
tower of Pisa… Oh Ha Ha!! Wish Me Luck!! xx HAVE A LOVELY WEEKEND EVERYONE ! MAY THE SUN SHINE SHINE :D |
Is Spring Sprung???
Posted on 3 April, 2018 at 17:03 |
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What a Difference a Day ( or two )
Makes! Is Spring Sprung at Last? Let’s Hope
So.. And more good news, our Lillycat’s
coming Home tomorrow - Hooray! Reason enough for some Joyous Pics I
think…. These are Flowers from my Garden this time Last Year – let the Springtime begin…please… Now I do have to tell you that, being
someone who REALLY needs to live in the Southern Hemisphere (Queensland
specifically please), I ordered a pair of Ugg Boots just before Easter because
I was fed up with being Cold… And they turned up this morning… Swiftly followed by the sunshine-ey-ist,
warmest day we’ve had here yet ha! ..Oh my… Talk about perfect timing… But I
still wore them.. And with the arrival of the First
sunny, dry day came the inevitable… The ‘Clearing of the Studios’… Oh, urgh, aah - lovely....Mixed up Boxes,
quite a few Spiders, Long-Lost vases that hadn’t made it back to their rightful
places at the end of last season, some Spiders, lots of Boxes, More Boxes…and did
I mention the SPIDERS!! Urgh… Hate them…Yukky yuk yuk YUK…. But… I have a secret weapon from Oz
to deal with these… MORTEIN!! May the Force be with You….and
against them…at all times…everywhere… PS. I don’t like spiders PPS. Not good when you work in Garden
Studios PPPS. Even worse when you like
Gardening Anyways – job done – well, almost ....getting there.... This is Studio 1 full of sunlight and Blossom Tees - still a bit disorganised but I do know where everything is now ha! So, onto another thing that needs doing... the ‘Drawing of the Straws’
between me and Iain for who gets to do the dreaded ‘ PILLING OF THE CAT’… Did you see those Teeth in the last
Blog?... Let me remind you… Lils might be small but she is definitely Feisty… The tablets have to be given MANually (get the hint there?) morning
and night…and they’re not small, little wee tablets I can tell you – oh no, they’re,
like, half sections of the big old fashioned Paracetamol tablets? Huge! Watch
this space for further developments… I’ve got a Video somewhere of me doing it in
the past and I’ll see if I can Blog a link to it somehow… totally hilarious… But for now, let’s look forward to some Gorgeous
warmer weather and Spring and Flowers and Summer and Sunshine... And,
oh, Weddings!!! WEDDINGS!!!!!! Oh Yeah! There’s LOTS of those to come this year…
Love it Love what I do |
A Day in the Office...
Posted on 5 March, 2018 at 5:36 |
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This morning I've got a lot of things to get done in the office. It's a lovely little office with a nice large window and an even larger radiator. As a direct result of having my desk next to said radiator, I often find I'm sharing it with either Harley (aka The Big Blonde) or Lilly (aka Cappuccino Cat) who work tirelessly to support me in my business and have been flat out here yesterday and today as you can see... I'm working on some floral designs this morning as well as ordering in some stock and flowers. A lot of my working time is spent in here which I didn't really expect when I started my business - I thought I'd spend all my days tinkering away in the studio being all arty and creative out there. Instead I do a lot of the arty and creative stuff in here! And then there's the 'Webmaster' stuff to do... Anyone out there running their own website like me? Doesn't it take a LOAD of time to keep up with the Updating and the SEO'ing and checking which sites your site's been added to and what info's been copied from your site and is it all correct... I mean, that's a full time business in itself isn't it... Sometimes I Google myself to see what's out there and give myself a bit of a shock ha! Anyways, here's the sort of thing I like to do - make gorgeous Vendela Rose Buttonholes, photograph them in the studio and then edit the photos. I then use these to help me make etchings and drawings and lino cuts x Have a Happy Day! |
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