Wave Summer Goodbye With a Style

For as long as I remember myself, every year the autumn would come I had this idea - to organize a picnic with my friends or family, or just Mr. M.

There was only one requirement - the picnic should be picture perfect. With everything organized: pretty basket, yummy snacks and ..bicycles.
You know, like in the movies.
I did say being a perfectionist comes with a price to pay.

My biggest struggle was always the packing bit. You know when you are planning the picnic, you have decided on your theme, your location, looked up on the map how far you have to drive or cycle in my case.
But the most important and not to lie, the most exciting bit of every picnic is what?
Take a wild guess.
Of course, it is food!

You must remember the times when you were young, went for picnics with your family and as soon as the blanket is set up and everyone is comfortably sat down, having seemingly casual conversations - you were waiting what is going to come out of that hamper basket your mum has prepared.

I love picnics, I love food and wicker hamper baskets filled with little packets of joy. But I do not like packing the food. It has never worked for me. Reasons being the tediousness of it and having to make sure that I do cater for a different taste amongst friends attending the event.

If I remember to pack bread and cucumbers, I will forget eggs and tomatoes.

If I take chocolates and cheese, I will definitely forget cutlery or the bottle of lovely red wine for those friends of mine who do drink it.

This year, a few weeks ago, when the opportunity for the picnic has presented itself, I made sure I grabbed it by the ears. And finally organized this picnic I have always wanted.

We set off very early in the morning, to get the best out of the day ahead. He chose the location and I grabbed the hamper basket full of food. Which I ordered just the day before and it came with the next day delivery.

I also made sure to take the pumpkin out for a stroll and as a decoration to set the mood.

After a few circles around the Frimley Lodge Park on our bicycles we have chosen the perfect spot, away from too many eyes and cars, and yet not in a complete solitude.

I sat down and unloaded the basket. Mine had all different sorts of food and all, however, I have seen on their website they have a special dietary requirement hampers as well.

"Come here and put some music on, let the feast begin!"

 I started with my ever favorite - garlic stuffed huge olives and then proceeded with that strawberry-champagne preserve.

 Andrew got ahold of the sun-dried tomato and balsamic chutney jar with the Perthshire oatcakes with pepper. Stuffing the gruyere cheese biscuits on top of that.

 A pack of crisp, salty popcorn and few conversations later we got to the tea and the dessert - biscuits, chocolates with the Turkish delight center and my favorite, Monty Bojangles truffles.

As we enjoyed our time, we would have an occasional burst of light wind and the birch leaves would fall off the tree on our heads like a snow. It was a magical touch one can never plan for but enjoys when he suddenly gets it.

When we had enough, and Andrew went to explore the nearby tennis court, I took my book and proceeded reading, polishing off the meal with the piece of chocolate.

The day started to decline and before we knew it, it was almost time to head home.

"Would you like any more tea before we start packing up, Andrew?"

As the sun started to turn way over the midday curve, closer towards the evening, we packed everything up and cycled on to make one more stop before we head home...

...I went and exchanged some of the books I had with me against the new ones in the local outdoor library booth. To make sure I always have a good reading material.

Christmas and giving season is approaching and very fast. The Thanksgiving, the Harvest festival and my friends with birthdays coming up to Christmas. I am always for giving practical gifts, especially when people have a lot of opportunities to buy what they want during the year. So hamper baskets are always first on my list.

I got my hamper basket for the picnic here:
https://www.prestigehampers.co.uk/christmas-hampers
If you want, go and get yours too.

Do I have to mention that now I have amazing family photos to put up in the frames in our living room. To remember this summer and autumn for a long time to come and know that I have finally got that perfect picnic together and the wicker hamper basket too. And I am bracing the need of searching for printing services now... :)

Thank you for stopping by!

A Day in the Life of Ghent - April, 2016

   On one early Sunday morning, we woke up around 6am and decided we would go and spend a day in Belgium. Since my boyfriend says we visit Brugge more often than we visit London, we decided this time it will be Ghent.

   We were greeted by the border patrol in the Channel Tunnel terminal.

Friday Evening with Byron

   We both had a rather dragging week, especially weeks after Christmas break are always going slowly, until you are fully back into the saddle.
   Seeing how I was, my boyfriend took me out to one of my favourite places, Byron Hamburger.
This is one of the few which are call a warm, satisfying cozy place.
Byron's Interior is very stylish and almost unique, with a note of industrial feel, for each restaurant we have been to so far.
   Despite this restaurant chain being relatively new to the consumer market, the very first Byron was ever opened in 2007, on Kensington High Street, they are doing a rather good job.

   Both myself and my boyfriend and vegetarians and a place which serves a good hamburger to a vegetarian is always high on my list.

Morning Wander in Grenoble

We arrived to Grenoble just after midnight, so on Monday morning.
Neither of us was able enough or interested in doing anything else as soon we reached the hotel room and saw the fresh, crispy white bed. There is no bed I like more than the hotel bed. Or the one in parents house. My mum is always the best in making those beds super comfortable, cool and warm enough at the same time and crispy, as if she is putting freshly bought linen every time I come to see them.

We woke up early, despite being very tired from the entire day of driving and visiting few cities in Spain, and first thing I saw in the window, as I put my head up, was this:

Something you don't get to see very often. I have always loved mountains and clouds.
We jumped in the shower, made few calls to my network provider, as my phone would work in any other country, but refuse to work in France, and after this was sorted, we checked out of the hotel and went to get some brunch.

Going through the streets of Grenoble, we spotted a friendly cafe/pub with locals having their food outside. It is always a good sign and so we went in.

Tiny tiny herb filled ravioli parcels in a cheese sauce

Despite I went for simple ravioli, those were the best ones I had in a very long time, almost as good as the ones at Ginos, Spain.

Meal was so good and satisfying, I was feeling the taste in my mouth looong time after we left the cafe and went for a wander in the town. It was lunch time, so many locals were out eating and running their errands.
After a while, it was time to escape to that mountain we kept eyeing since the last night.
We went up by car and the incline was so steep, that my legs started to shake..

The view from above was well worth it, when we reached the top.

Hidden, there layed the fort as well, with the funicular going back to town. A long way down.

The funicular, which we didnt go on...

Definitely coming back soon.

After we spent sometime on the top of the highest mountain there and enjoying the amazing view, it was time to head to Hamburg.

More about our journey to Germany in the next post.