Five Years And Another Fab Bloggers Bash 2019

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Sherri Matthews

London called and I heeded. Why else but for the Annual (and fifth!) Bloggers Bash? Hubby and I travelled by train the day before on Friday, making a short getaway of it.

As an aside, it never fails to amaze me the things some people might stuff down a toilet – and on a South Western train that often runs late, who can blame them? – but hopes and dreams? Surely not…

(And no, I don’t make a habit of creeping into public toilets to sneak photos of toilet seats…but for a blog post, so be it.)

Moving swiftly on…as we did by taxi from Waterloo Station (pun not intended) to our hotel.

Houses of Parliament & the London Eye whizzing by

A warm and sunny afternoon of the sort that invites you for an evening stroll around a park beckoned. But first, we enjoyed a delicous meal of chicken tacos, guacomole and refried beans at nearby Loco Mexicano, a place we scoped out two years ago at the 2017 Blogger’s Bash. California, I miss Mexican food!

View of Vincent’s Square Park from our room

So at last to the Bash! On Saturday morning, hubby headed off for his day out in London and I to the Grange Wellington Hotel , though with butterflies! Why, I don’t know. I’ve been to all the BBs, but with all the lovely welcoming hugs as soon as I arrived, they scattered.

Sacha opened up the event with a stirring welcome encouraging us to look back on the five years since the first Bloggers Bash in 2015, to take stock of our achievements and look ahead to our next goals. I was moved by her heartfelt speech, thinking of all that’s happened personally in that time. And five years goes fast, I know that…

The BB is a fantastic opportunity to meet up and catch up with old friends and make new, really wonderful people all, and this year was no exception. But there is one problem, which is I forget to take photos when I get chatting.

Here are some, as promised, but do check out the Bloggers Bash & ABBA Award public Facebook Group for links to some great blog posts and photos of the day, and don’t forget to check out Hugh’s blog soon when he will be posting his video…oh yes, the video…

Lovely seeing Mary, Marje, Esther,  Ritu & Hugh again.

Lovely Willow and Marje
(Just caught Graeme in the background, who did an excellent job as compère for the day)

Managed to catch Shelley for this lovely pic with Adam

The BB committee organised two great speakers:

Award-winning blogger Laura Creaven, creator of food blog Full to the Brum, shared her experiences, tips and advice together with her fab sense of humour.

Author Gemma Todd (G X Todd) shared her incredibly inspiring journey to a traditional publishing contract for four books with Headline Publishing.

Esther, Shelley and Laura headed up an interesting and helpful Q&A panel and of course, inbetween the presentations, the committee members took turns handing out all the awards.

Congratulations award winners! The full list is posted at
The Annual Bloggers Bash website.

Suzie and Sacha presented a Flay Lay workshop which I really enjoyed.  I didn’t know what it was, never mind how to do one, but I came away inspired with a host of new ideas.  Essentially, it’s a simple but highly effective way of creating a professional visual to showcase a story for anything you want (latest books and promotions for instance). I don’t have an Instagram account, but they’re great for blog posts and any social media.

Suzie came armed with supplies and challenged us to make our own Flat Lay. Yikes…what to do? Then I thought…Gemma inspired me so much with her publishing story, that I went with my dream (book launch – not lunch, I did check, though that would be great too –  in New York, anyone?)…

My first ever Flat Lay!

 Thank you, lovelies!

Suzie and Sacha

All in all, a really fantastic day.  We talked, laughed, had a drink or two, ate cake (thank you, Ritu, delicious!), listened and learned and then it was all over in a blink. Hubby and I couldn’t stay too long afterwards unfortunately, as we had a train to catch back to Somerset. We got home around 11pm, tired but happy.

Thank you so much Sacha, Geoff, Hugh,  Suzie, Helen, Graeme and Adam, the first rate committee who work so hard all year long to make this wonderful annual event possible. As always, I enjoyed every minute. Now all I’m wondering is, when’s the next one?

 

 

 

 

About Sherri Matthews

Sherri is a British writer working on her second memoir while seeking publication of her first. Her work has appeared in magazines, anthologies and online as well as long/shortlisted and special mentioned in contests. Once upon a time and for twenty years, she lived in California. Today, she lives in England with her human family, owned by two black cats.
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58 Responses to Five Years And Another Fab Bloggers Bash 2019

  1. Ritu says:
    June 18, 2019 at 2:04 pm

    Lovely write up Sherri! So good to see you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. willowdot21 says:
    June 18, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    Lovely post and photos. It’s always pleasure to meet up with you Sherri roll on next bash 💜 looking forward to seeing you again 💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Sue says:
    June 18, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    Glad you enjoyed your bash, Sherri. Apropos train loos, I have come across a couple out of service recently, so presumably people flushing the wrong things….argh

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Mary Smith says:
    June 18, 2019 at 5:52 pm

    Great post, Sherri. I’ve finally taken my photos of my camera – not many of them and quite a few of those unusable! I’ll try to do a wee post tomorrow. It was lovely to catch up with you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. dgkaye says:
    June 18, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    Thanks for the tidbits of updates Sher. You look marvelous darling! And I had to laugh at your love for Mexican food. Am I the only one who winters in Mexico and doesn’t like Mexican food? LOLOL ❤ xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. watchingthedaisies says:
    June 19, 2019 at 10:30 am

    Thank you for sharing the Bloggers Bash. I love seeing photographs of my lovely blog friends.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Sherri Matthews says:
    June 19, 2019 at 11:31 am

    So glad you enjoyed it, thank you, Brigid! I was relieved to have these pics after my camera malfunction, and of course, there are some great ones on all the other BB posts doing the rounds 🙂 ❤

    Like

    Reply
  8. Lance Greenfield says:
    June 19, 2019 at 12:31 pm

    What a great review of the day and your journey to and from. It was the best day of my 2019 so far. If only it could be stretched like a piece of elastic. There is never enough time for all of the conversations that we’d wish to have with so many interesting bloggers and writers.

    Perhaps I was on the same train going home but I got off at Andover. As always and as you point out, Ritu’s cakes were a highlight. I was inspired by Gemma’s story of her love of books and her successful quest to get published.

    I am also looking forward to viewing Hugh’s videos.

    We all had fun!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sherri Matthews says:
      June 22, 2019 at 11:54 am

      Hi Lance! I know exactly what you mean, it all went way too fast and I wish we could have chatted some more. Next year for sure! Ha…yes, you could well have been on the same train home. Yes, Gemma’s story was truly inspirational, especially as I’m seeking traditional publication of my debut memoir. To be as successful as her in her quest would be a dream come true! Thanks so much for reading my write up…here’s to the next BB!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Marje @ Kyrosmagica says:
    June 19, 2019 at 1:14 pm

    Hi Sherri, somehow we didn’t get so much time to chat this time which is a shame. Great write up of the day. It all went by so fast as did the year in general! Lots of exciting things ahead… Marje xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Pingback: The Bloggers Bash 2019 – Highlights and Photos #bloggersbash @BloggersBash | M J Mallon YA/Paranormal Author

  11. justmuddlingthroughlife says:
    June 19, 2019 at 8:12 pm

    Your photo in the train toilet made me smile,. I struggled with the South eastern train toilet.. The electronic doors with D and L. It was as I was doing my business I read that L means lock.. oops i hadn’t pushed it. It then occurred to me what happens if you lock the door and then the electrics don’t work and you are stuck? Short story there somewhere.
    It was lovely to meet you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. says:
    June 20, 2019 at 6:47 am

    Glad you had an amazing day Sherri and thanks for the lovely photos of the day and on the train.. who knew they had a sense of humour… great break for you and your husband too.. hugs ♥♥

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sherri Matthews says:
      June 22, 2019 at 11:36 am

      Thanks so much, Sally, honoured to report back and hopefully you will be able to come again next year! Haha…I couldn’t resist that photo, who knew, indeed?! Yes, a lovely short but sweet break and it was an amazing day. Hugs! ❤ xxx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. Hugh's Views and News says:
    June 20, 2019 at 9:16 am

    A lovely writeup of yet another fabulous day, Sherri. Time is never on our side when we’re having fun, but I’m glad we had a chance to sit down, chat and catch up. It’s hard to believe that this was the fifth bash. They’ve all been brilliant in their own ways, with none of them seeming the same as the others. All the hard work the committee does certainly always pays off.
    xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sherri Matthews says:
      June 22, 2019 at 11:41 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, Hugh, thanks so much, and again for everything you and the wonderful committee did/do for such a fab event. It’s so true, time really does fly when you’re having fun. I’m so glad too we had a chance to sit and chat albeit for a short while. Next time hubby and I will stay over an extra night, it’s the only way to get those proper chats in afterwards with so much else going on through the day! I’m honoured to have attended all five bashes, each unique and wonderful, but what always remains is the great friends we’ve all made. Fantastic! 🙂 ❤ xxx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  14. anotherday2paradise says:
    June 20, 2019 at 3:40 pm

    What a lovely occasion, Sherri. You all look so happy. Like one big happy family. 😘

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. purpleslob says:
    June 22, 2019 at 11:39 pm

    Your flat lay was inspiring!! How neat to learn new things! and see old friends!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Graeme Cumming says:
    June 23, 2019 at 10:35 am

    There’s never enough time to catch up with everyone. But I think they all had a good day anyway.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  17. writerchristophfischer says:
    June 24, 2019 at 12:27 pm

    What a fantastic write up and lovely images.
    See you all next year!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Jim Borden says:
    July 21, 2019 at 12:17 pm

    came across your blog from your interview with Norah about your school days. this bash sounds like a lot of fun; I’ll have to look into similar events near me, but I certainly wouldn’t mind a return trip to London – one of my favorite places.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sherri Matthews says:
      July 22, 2019 at 12:52 pm

      Hi Jim, great to meet you, and thanks so much for your great comment over at Norah’s, I’ll be over shortly to reply. If you’re ever in London, the Bash is held every June with lots of information going out well ahead of time. I hope you get to return!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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