Postcard from Sydney - back to school

Last weekend was a big fat special treat. I went to Sydney with two lovely friends and did lots of lovely things, including/mostly, a return to Megan Morton's The School.

The original idea for this weekend was for the three of us to head to the city and have a big brainstorming session for a collaborative project we hope to launch in Autumn 2014 (with me on food, Prue Hufton of Olive and Clover looking after fashion and style and Addy Nuthall of Pink Jam Trading in charge of interiors and design). So just to get extra inspired we started our weekend at the home of all things beautiful and exciting in Sydney - Rosebery's Dunning Road, where under one big roof sits Koskela, Kitchen by Mike and The School.

Prue (below left) and Addy (below right) were a bit excited by the goodness in Koskela's homewares section while I drooled over the kitchen area, in particular the copper pans that I can't imagine ever being able to afford.

Next we baggsed a table next door at Kitchen by Mike for a late breakfast. The food at this place is simple, generous and jumping with flavour and we weren't the only ones who thought so. There was a constant (but fairly fast-moving) queue and a great buzz to the space.

Next door again is The School where we'd signed up for Marsha Golemac's paper banners and rosettes class and it was loads of fun. As always seems to happen at this space, we also met some great, creative people and were fed incredibly well all afternoon (my highlight were the watermelon and mint Pure Pops, pictured very top).

It was the perfect way for us country folk to spend a city afternoon.

Sharing a studio space with our workshop was a group of women doing an all day craft-athon with Mexican flair and that looked pretty fun too. Upstairs they were making tassles.

The next day we stopped in at The Grounds before leaving Sydney and were blown away by the size/vibe/cleverness of this place. There was music, market stalls, fresh flowers, hot donuts, sprawling gardens, great coffee and of course the cafe menu that pulls those queues. All of this in the middle of the city. Such a great, creative concept.