Day 358 - Picnic

 PICNIC

Prompt - Picnic : Write about going on a picnic

"an occasion when a packed meal is eaten outdoors, especially during an outing to the countryside"

I am not a fan of picnics.  Perhaps due to childhood memories.  If I try hard I can recall some enjoyable picnics, most of which were at Stow.  But my overriding memories of eating outdoors is the intervention of sand in the food, if at the beach, or the interfering persistence of ants and other insects in the country.  Picnics get a better press than they deserve.

So the picnic is not a staple of the Crawford household.  But was one last year, and a sort-of one this year, both of which have provided happy recollections.  Last year, during the summer of lockdowns, we took a couple of folding chairs, and a couple of insulated bags, and made our way across the road to Pilrig Park.  Spot in the sun selected, chairs erected, cups placed in cup holders, drinks poured food unpacked, we sat and ate and talked and had a lovely couple of hours on the grass, surrounded by trees and the sights and sounds of others having fun - kicking a ball about, making their dogs chase, throwing frisbees, sat cross legged sharing drinks, reading books, lying back to soak up a dose of vitamin D.  That was a good afternoon.

That one probably met the definition I opened this essay with, albeit an urban park isn't really 'the countryside'.  But this year's experience is even more tenuous, if that opening line is the guide.  Once a gain the scene was a public park.  But this time I'm not sure if it could be described as a 'packed meal'  I suppose it came in cardboard boxes and paper bags, but the only edible I'd actually packed for the outing was a flask of tap water.

But whether or not it meets the strict definition of picnic is not really the important thing.  What matters most is knowing that we had a good time, and it's an experience we want to repeat next year.  We had got ourselves on a bus to Bruntsfield, on a sunny day.  While being conveyed to our destination I used my phone to place an order with Meltmongers, the toastie shop in said location.  This was a place we'd been meaning to try for years.  But the stools inside the shop never look very comfortable, so it would have to be a nice day when we could comfortably sit on a bench on Bruntsfield Links.  It proved worth the wait.

While Barbara got herself a coffee from one of the old police box kiosks, I went in to collect our order.  A toastie apiece, and a box of sweet potato fries to share.  Then we made out way to a bench, remote from others, and consumed our bread based feast.  Delicious.  To be repeated.  I had jalapenos in my filling, and their bite went so well with the sweetness of the chips.  Great bread they use too.  And, a bit like that day at Pilrig, but on a lesser scale, we could indulge in people watching while we sat and ate.  A large family playing games around a bench.  A couple laughing hysterically at their own flawed efforts with a frisbee.  People walking dogs, people simply walking.  And us, hungrily devouring our simple but tasty repast.  That sounds like the spirit of picnicness.