Things That Make Me Happy #16

I am a huge fan of picnics! I think I’d rather have a picnic than eat in just about any restaurant. Even the simple sandwich-and-a-bag-of-chips is elevated way beyond its station by being involved in a picnic. I love setting out the tablecloth, unpacking the goodies from the cooler, and then just relaxing into the moment. When Sam and I visited my mother in Connecticut, we went on a picnic every single day. It was a way to enjoy the outdoors without coming into close proximity with other people.

Shall I tell you about my favorite picnic of all time?

In the summer of 2013 I traveled to London with Chris. Chris was working the entire week we were there, so I arranged to meet up with different friends each day and have adventures. One day my friend Sue and I climbed to the top of the O2 dome. Another day Sally and I had tea at Harrods. One early evening my friend Chris gave me a tour of London on his motorcycle (the first and only time I’ve ever been on a motorcycle – it was thrilling).

One day I arranged to meet my friend Dave at Borough Market. If you’ve never been to Borough Market, it’s an open air market with vendor stalls ranging from baked goods, meats, cheeses, candies…pretty much name something yummy and you can find it there. Dave and I wandered through Borough Market and bought items for a picnic – fresh bread, salami, cheese, organic apple/beet juice, brownies, and a meringue the size of my head (not actually the size of my head, but I love that phrase). We walked over to the lawn in front of the Tate Modern museum, I laid out my denim jacket as an improvised tablecloth, and we proceeded to eat our way through much of what we bought. Our eyes had been bigger than our stomachs, so we decided to eat only the savory items we bought and share the sweets with Dave’s wife Sarah when we met up with her later in the day (yay, two picnics in one day!).

If I had known I’d be sharing the photos with you these seven years later, I would have taken more and better quality photos, but you get the gist. It was a lovely, memorable day and I will cherish the memory forever.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, friends! Maybe a picnic will now be in your plans?

Love,

Michelle xoxo