Picnics

Sunshine makes me think of picnics.
When I was a child a picnic was such a treat and usually took place on a beach somewhere. Grandma would make up a bag of sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, fruit cake and apples, and my mum and I would get on our bicycles and take off for St Mawes.
Sitting in the sand, toes in the water, nibbling at a simple lunch, nothing could have been more perfect.
The sand, of course, permeated most of the food but we didnt seem to mind!

The picnic above is a very different occasion, and maybe is the forerunner of the so called 'posh picnics' which are so popular today.
A hamper from Fortnums? Champagne?
Crystal glasses? Smoked salmon and strawberries?
All very lovely but it's never been our style.

My children, when little, used to love a makeshift tent in the garden where they could take their tea and pretend that they were in another world.
A picnic doesn't have to be slapdash. A pretty tablecloth and flowers on the garden table, colourful paper plates and beautifully arranged sandwiches, scones and fruit is just as inviting as the more expensive options.

The excerpt below sums up our very British Enid Blyton-y approach to a simple picnic!
I'm sure there was Ginger beer as well.

Soon they were all sitting on the rocky ledge, which was still warm, watching the sun go down into the lake. It was the most beautiful evening, with the lake as blue as a cornflower and the sky flecked with rosy clouds. They held their hard-boiled eggs in one hand and a piece of bread and butter in the other, munching happily. There was a dish of salt for everyone to dip their eggs into. ‘I don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors,’ said George.

Enid Blyton