If day one of our Away Days was all big questions and strategy, day two was about exhaling a bit – and enjoying being in the same place for once.
ApiaryLife is a global, entirely remote team. We work in the “messy, human space where life and work collide” – illness, caring, bereavement, separation, big transitions. Coming together in person wasn’t just about literally meeting face-to-face; it was about getting to know each other beyond our work, because we know how much that shapes everything else.
MORNING RIVER PLUNGE
Some of us started the day with an extremely brisk dip in the local river. The photos suggest serenity; the audio would suggest otherwise. There was a lot of shrieking, some very quick swimming and a rapid return to dry land, hot coffee and breakfast.
WINE TASTING
Next up was a fascinating tour of the local vineyard, which taught us as much about the power of patience and perseverance as it did about identifying flavours in wine.
What began as thirty acres of Hampshire land and four siblings with zero wine‑making experience has become a sustainable, family ‑run business that has brought new life to the soft, chalky landscape where they’re based. Much like our own Apiary hive – full of talented experts from a range of fields – each person brought their own skills which, when applied together, turned into something great.
We learned about grape varieties, terroir and how long it actually takes before a vine produces anything drinkable – and we may have pretended to be much better at identifying flavours than we really were. Notes of… apple? Toast? “Nice cold white on a sunny afternoon” was probably the most honest answer.
THE BITS IN-BETWEEM
The rest of the day flowed between lighter sessions and plenty of conversation. People disappeared off for walks in twos and threes, swapped travel stories, got lost in the gardens, and discovered who is secretly very competitive when it comes to board games.
It was the kind of day where you notice the small things you never see on Zoom: who always travels with emergency snacks, who’s a secret bookworm, who’s run over fifty marathons...
HEADING HOME
By the time we packed up to head home, we were tired in that good, full‑day‑outside way – bags a bit heavier with bottles of wine and slightly damp swimsuits, heads a bit lighter.
Day one gave us focus; day two gave us shared memories and a few new in‑jokes. We’re back behind our screens now, but it’s nice to know exactly who’s on the other side.
MORNING RIVER PLUNGE
Some of us started the day with an extremely brisk dip in the local river. The photos suggest serenity; the audio would suggest otherwise. There was a lot of shrieking, some very quick swimming and a rapid return to dry land, hot coffee and breakfast.
WINE TASTING
Next up was a fascinating tour of the local vineyard, which taught us as much about the power of patience and perseverance as it did about identifying flavours in wine.
What began as thirty acres of Hampshire land and four siblings with zero wine‑making experience has become a sustainable, family ‑run business that has brought new life to the soft, chalky landscape where they’re based. Much like our own Apiary hive – full of talented experts from a range of fields – each person brought their own skills which, when applied together, turned into something great.
We learned about grape varieties, terroir and how long it actually takes before a vine produces anything drinkable – and we may have pretended to be much better at identifying flavours than we really were. Notes of… apple? Toast? “Nice cold white on a sunny afternoon” was probably the most honest answer.
THE BITS IN-BETWEEM
The rest of the day flowed between lighter sessions and plenty of conversation. People disappeared off for walks in twos and threes, swapped travel stories, got lost in the gardens, and discovered who is secretly very competitive when it comes to board games.
It was the kind of day where you notice the small things you never see on Zoom: who always travels with emergency snacks, who’s a secret bookworm, who’s run over fifty marathons...
HEADING HOME
By the time we packed up to head home, we were tired in that good, full‑day‑outside way – bags a bit heavier with bottles of wine and slightly damp swimsuits, heads a bit lighter.
Day one gave us focus; day two gave us shared memories and a few new in‑jokes. We’re back behind our screens now, but it’s nice to know exactly who’s on the other side.
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