After two flights and a solo drive in the dark last Sunday, my husband greeted me at the door with a home cooked dinner and a glass of wine.  After a wonderful weekend away I cannot remember ever feeling so happy to be home.  Home in every sense of the word.

A few days away at the My Open Kitchen Gathering  made me think about many things.  Here are some of my thoughts, in no particular order, with lots of links and photos.

The kindness of strangers should never be underestimated and meeting long time blog and Instagram friends in real life is always exciting.

Listening to some of my favourite podcast presenters speak in real life felt just like listening to a podcast.  Except it was better because I was sitting in the glorious Old Convent , surrounded by rusty foliage, new friends and trays of expertly made piccolo lattes.

When styling a table, remember to think about different heights and angles and keep those candles straight in photos, thank you Sarah.

When taking photos of anything, remember to step back, take a deep breath and use your body like a sturdy tripod.  Thank you Sophie.

A goodie bag filled with tea leaves , hot chocolate , a handmade bowl and a piece of pink linen is surely the best goodie bag ever.

I absorbed so many things in relation to the use of social media and to be honest, I am still digesting a lot of it.  Perhaps the main take home message was to keep social media posts authentic and work on finding your own voice.

Motivation is contagious when surrounded by a motivated group of creative women, thank you Pip.

For me personally, I cannot think of a more unnatural, sterile environment than big city airports.

On the other hand, the autumn leaves in Orange are spectacular and earthy.  I found myself picking up the large ones and carrying them around with me, like a prize!

A glass of wine in the sunshine, accompanied by a gourmet picnic lunch and easy chatter about sourdough is good for the soul. Not to mention the wine bicycle .

If I lived in Orange this bakery would be my go-to.  Everything about this tiny, tucked away space was perfect in the moment when I needed warmth, coffee, food and piles of pastries to admire.

For me, this trip was as much about connecting with my fellow attendees and enjoying new surroundings as it was about listening to the impressive line up of speakers.  It was the little moments sharing taxis and meeting up so we could walk as a group in the dark that I will remember the most.  I felt as if I was among old friends even though we had only just met.  Such is the power of social media to connect like minded people.  Then, it takes someone special like Sophie to actually bring it all together in real life and execute it so well.  Thank you to all involved.

How are you?

Have you experienced something really wonderful this week?

Are there autumn leaves or sunshine at your place?

Or a warm, cosy bakery?

Happy Sunday, friends x