Lost in notation blog

Day 114 – Nature and us

April 26, 2010 at 9:43 pm (Uncategorized)

The boy and I love the lazy life.  Though I love the idea of us taking bike rides and walking over hill sides we tend to be much happier lying in the grass than we are traipsing through it.

This weekend though we decided to give the great outdoors a chance, and try our hand at a picnic.  In previous occasions these nature attempts have resulted in one or both of us having too much sparkly wine and sun and falling asleep, I am hoping however that armed with car keys and free of booze our picnic will be somewhat less lazy.

We do not start well.  Our plans to create a home-made picnic worthy of Lawson and Oliver are thwarted when we realise there is nothing in the cupboard other than a stale French stick and a couple of carrots which I’m pretty sure not even Jamie would have been able to make a meal out of.  When my mother chases me away from borrowing her pink checker wicker picnic basket from Joules we decide to seek solace at Sainsburys.  Unfortunately the only thing we can find there to  take our fancy is carrot sticks and homos.  It is times like today when I miss Marks and Spencer and its endless supply of things one doesn’t know one wants until one sees them.  The sticks and dip are good however and are set upon before we leave the car park.  It all gets a bit messy but is very yummy and totally worth the slightly strange smell in the car which lingers long after the homos is gone.

By the time we arrive at the reservoir we are bad tempered and in need of sustenance.  Unfortunately we have foolishly chosen the wrong car park which has nothing on offer but a 14 mile walk.  I try to summon some enthusiasm I really do but I am wearing flip flops and and all I want to do is kick back.  We grab our blanket and the remains of the carrot sticks and make our way towards the rivers edge.  I briefly consider going in for a dip but there are an awful lot of angry looking swans and I am sure I remember someone telling me a story about their tendency to snap off toes when wrongly approached.

We lie back in the grass and gaze up at the skies and I am starting to feel at one with nature when I suddenly hear the buzz of the flies.   I used body scrub this morning from soap and glory and the sweet smell is clearly making me a magnet for the winged maggots.  I try to hide behind the boy but he is far too skinny and as they gain in numbers I gather the blanket round me for protection.  We leave soon after with the flies following me all the way to the car.  It is quite horrid and we decide to spend the rest of the day on the law instead.  We visit Emerson and West where we we buy Mediterranean vegetable tartlets, sticks of kabanossa and a freshly made cream éclair and share everything.  Unfortunately by the time we find our perfect spot the sun starts to hide behind the clouds and I have to wrap myself again in the blanket.  I do like nature, I just wish it took more kindly to me.  

• Today’s dress is on loan from Sinead Kenny.  It is very pretty albeit  a little bit busty.  I love Summer dresses like this but I have to save these for the weekend as their a little too dressy for work.  The flip flops are old friends which were well worn during my trip across America.  Though they are not exactly walking shoes I love the freedom of being able to slip them off and go bare feet along the grass.  I wore them when we walked into the Grand Canyon and they are still stained with the great park’s dust.