Pastries and Proscuitto: the First Picnic of the Year

When the weather turns nice and you shed your jackets, when you start to see a glimmer of green in the grass, when the sky is a glorious blue with just enough white clouds to make the blue really pop, there is really only one thing to do.

A picnic.

We riffled through our drawers finding some summery wear, made sure the stroller was in the van and headed off to our local Italian supermarket. It is the most delightful store and really, the only place to go when suiting up a picnic. I was in charge of choosing the meats and cheeses. Jared and the girls picked out some bread and pastries. 

We fit everything in the basket under the stroller and headed out. Where we were going, we weren't exactly sure. The afternoon was fresh, our spirits were high and we had nothing to do except enjoy. We've explored the trails in Edmonton's River Valley over the year that we've lived here, marking places to come back to in the summer and picnic. It was to one of those locations that we headed towards but a missed turn left us on the wrong side of the river and so we found a new site.

We laid out our goodies - aged Cheddar and  Prima Donna, cheeses from England and the Netherlands. Prosciutto and white turkey breast, sundried tomato ciabatta bread, garlic stuffed olives, and sparkling apple juice.

And it was good. 

Kilmeny ran back and forth between the playground and the picnic table, laughing at the sheer delight of being able to do so. Khaira laughed at her sister's antics and the general happiness.

And we, we were happy too. Sharing good food, and conversation. Reading bits of a book aloud and dreaming a little. 

We ate pastries and just swept the crumbs onto the ground. We took time to eat, and to read. To nourish our bodies and our souls. 

And it was very good.  

 

What are your essentials for a good picnic?