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I have just finished three days at a writing retreat. My job was to set a timetable each day, talk a bit about writing and facilitate goal-setting and debriefing. But I didn\u2019t organise quite a lot of important retreat business. Other colleagues did the work of finding and booking the venue and the choosing the various places we had lunch and dinner. And these matter.<\/p>\n
The location was really important. One of us, thanks Anna, had scoured a range of potential locations, deciding on short-term holiday rental houses in a seaside location. The houses were in unobtrusively landscaped grounds with stands of tall gum trees and smaller native bushes. The trees and bushes supported a variety of bird-life and we were continually surrounded by melodious magpie song and the sight of colourful plains parrots in the trees. On more than one occasion, a cheeky young magpie flew right into the house looking for food.<\/p>\n
A yellowing paddock \u2013 in England called a field \u2013 was right next to the house where we gathered each day. As well as sheep, the paddock was home to a herd of kangaroos who variously grazed, hopped and slept their way through the day. A boardwalk threaded through sand dunes to a pristine beach, the ideal site for the afternoon paired walk and talk.<\/p>\n