My Experience of Flea Retreat 2019

It isn’t usually the ‘done thing’ for me to spend my birthday away from my family however, when I found out that this year’s Flea Retreat was being held that weekend, I had to make an exception to my rule.

Having attended last year’s Retreat, I knew I could take the ‘r’ and the ‘e’ off the front of this word and I wouldn’t go far wrong!

The Venue

 

I was a little sceptical about the journey to Tynrhyd in Devil’s Bridge, Aberyswyth at nearly 4 hours from Somerset! Partly because I was a bit spoilt at it being around an hour away last time. I have to admit that it was totally worth it though. A beautiful location, it really was in the middle of nowhere.

Tynrhyd is well laid out, with the main house being the hub of activity and then a quiet farmhouse just across the way accommodating all the single bedroom occupants. This was where I was based. I do have a little of the FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome but I needn’t have worried! I got all the peace I needed and then was happy to step right back into the throng of activity in the main areas.

The main house held all the meeting rooms, the lounge and the dining area where there were sofas to sit for a natter, coffee on tap, cakes aplenty and lots of delicious meals.

The Outings

 

No sooner had I arrived at The Retreat, settled in and performed the ice breaker, than we were then off for our first trip out with Adventure Beyond.

I had chosen to do the Night time Photography on the water as it was a little out of my comfort zone and something a bit different for me. We all piled into the mini bus and set off for a big stretch of water with the canoes.

Canoeing is something I have never done. I am a bit concerned about going into the water without meaning to! I needn’t have worried though. Katy and I were in the same boat – literally and metaphorically – and faced our fear together!

It was serene and beautiful and, I am pleased to say, the rain held off. There was even mulled wine and Welsh cakes courtesy of Jet and his team.

On the Sunday morning I chose to go on the Waterfall Photography walk with Naomi Campbell. She was great to talk to and share photography ideas and stories with. I made sure to take my tripod with me as I wanted to try some long exposure, HDR shots of the waterfall. I was really pleased with my result.

The walk back to the mini bus meant an uphill trek. The scenery was all worth it though and it was a welcome attempt to walk off all the cake!

The Workshops

This year I found it far easier to book the sessions I wanted. The meeting app that Tots uses is really handy and this time around they didn’t release the sessions until much nearer the weekend. This meant meaning there was not too much swapping around and it was an easier system for choosing what you wanted to do. 

I revisited the product photography session with Derek Lomas to brush up on my skills, closely followed by Home and Interiors photography, again with Derek. It was great to be able to play around with settings and light to find the best set-ups for presenting your photography without the pressure of getting it done for a blog post!

In the afternoon I attended the Filming in a Home Kitchen session hosted by Tony Hindhaugh. It was really helpful to be able to draw a plan of our kitchen and have Tony advise us on best where to place our lighting and camera, how to present and what equipment to use. We all then got the chance to present to camera by making scrambled eggs – and then we watched each others back and gave constructive criticism and praise where it was due. 

As the afternoon session was pretty long, I chose not to attend the low light photography and, as it was my birthday, the wonderful Jaime, a fellow blogger and nail technician with BioSculpture (she is based in Nottingham and you can see her treatment page here) did my nails for me. I have never had gels done before so this was a real treat and I was thrilled with them. We were also kindly given some of the new GEMINI nail varnish range to take away with us. 

The following day was a far more relaxed affair. After returning from the Waterfall photography (see above), I got some lovely head shots done under helpful instruction from Derek and Tom Arber – and thanks to Holly – and then attended the children and family photography workshop again with Naomi. Sally’s daughter, Flea, kindly put herself forward as our subject.

Naomi also provided me with a new head shot for my photography business and I am very pleased to be putting it to good use!

The Food

I have to say that I much preferred the food this year to last! Sally and her team did a fantastic job of making sure that no one went hungry. There was fruit and croissants for breakfast and cake at every conceivable break – and non- time 

The first evening we had a choice of chicken and chorizo with rice or lasagne. By the time we got back from canoeing there was mainly chicken left but that suited me!

The following evening was a big sit-down meal. We had this last year but I much preferred it this year. There was chicken in mustard sauce with rice and a glass of Prosecco for all. I had a couple of rhubarb and ginger gins and then we had cheesecake for dessert.

The following morning most people had sausage sandwiches. I opted to stick with fruit. Our final meal was a salad and quiche lunch. The perfect end!

The Birthday

I have never celebrated my birthday away from my family and, I have to admit, I did really miss them. It was great to do something different though – and not have a toddler pulling at my leg all day!

Anne and Jaime kindly gave me cards and, as I said above, I had my nails done and I was presented with a bottle of elderflower and gin from Kirsty and a balloon and cake from everyone. I rounded it off by winning 4 games of pool in a row. Unheard of by me! It was a thoroughly lovely day.

The People

The people are really what make this for me. Last year I enjoyed the opportunity to sit down and really catch up with bloggers I have a fleeting relationship with online and I was able to repeat that this year. I also had the chance to make some new friends and find a few new blogs to follow. I consider myself a bit of an old hat now in this thing we call blogging and I enjoy sitting back and watching others come through with new ideas and a fresh approach.

Being able to speak in person without interruption means that you can have a proper conversation. If I start naming one person, then I know that I will have to name everyone else! It was great to see all the familiar faces that have been around since I started blogging and then meet some new ones too.

I do have to say thank you though to Sally, Sarah and the helpers; Afra, Jen and Jess, for all they did that weekend.

The Summary

All in all I had a fabulous time. I learnt more, I experienced new things, I had the chance to relax, the opportunity to chat, the time to have some peace and quiet and visit an area of stunning landscapes and beautiful scenery.

If you have never been to a Flea Retreat before then there is another in November. I am not sure whether I can make that one but, if you are a blogger who has never been then you certainly should experience it for yourself.

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