Mum's Gone To BritMums Live

Clockwise from top left: some of the winners of the Brilliance in Blogging awards with presenter Katy Hill; cushions at The Hoxton Hotel; the girls in All Bar One; part of my prize, new Crocs sandals; the Daddy Bloggers Tim and Tom; the main stage for BritMums Live.

My first blogging conference and what a blast! Two days of excitement, the chance to meet my online friends, interesting sessions, good food, drink and, to top it all, I won my category in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards. 

There's so much I could say but, for now, here are my initial thoughts.

• My blogging friend, Very Bored in Catalunya, did turn out to be warm and wonderful Wendy, not, as I'd feared, a big hairy bloke from Barcelona called Miguel.
• Sarah Brown is a very down-to-earth inspirational speaker
• I love chocolate brownies and Badger Beer, preferably together.
• Winning a pair of Crocs sandals after I'd developed a huge blister from silly shoes the day before, was a godsend. Having matching nail varnish was an unexpected bonus.
• I will carry a rucksack next time for all the swag or bring a bigger case.
• Bloggers are a very friendly, approachable bunch.
• Conferences are useful for telling you stuff you don't know, reminding you of stuff you did know but had forgotten and for reinforcing why you do this in the first place. 
• The BritMums Live organisers, Jen and Susanna, know how to run a seamless, slick operation over two days.
• Prepare a speech if you are a finalist for an award to avoid rambling if you win.

A big thank you to everyone who made BritMums Live a success. Can I also thank everyone who voted for me to reach the final of the travel category and to Steve Keenan, professional travel journalist, for choosing me as the winner. Indulge me for a moment if, for posterity, I can quote his comments on my blog on why he picked me. It will probably never happen again so I need to remember them.

“What I really liked about this blog was the balance struck when writing about her kids and herself. She writes in an intelligent way, rather than slavishly reporting the foibles and funny remarks of her offspring.Take the most recent post on Whistler’s mother: she talks art but draws her son in and works the angle of how art can work with kids. Other travel blogs are equally well written, but she doesn’t shout or show off, and each post has something to say. Really enjoyed the post about music and guitars – and so, clearly, did the readers. It really struck a chord…. boom boom!”