We went out as pioneers and opened the summer season earlier this month! It’s great to see Finland catching up with the rest of Europe and warming up considerably in comparison with the previous month. This definitely calls for a celebration!
Finns as they are, LOVE summer. In fact, we love it so much so that even a 1 degree change calls for shorts, t-shirts, sandals and being outside. That’s how most of April went, didn’t it? Everyone was so excited about summer that they chose to ignore the fact that there was still SNOW on the ground. We were so jealous of our southern European comrades that we bluntly refused to admit we were cold and we pushed through the slush believing it was actually spring.
The worst is over. Summer is surely knocking on our doors and man, are we ready for it or what?
So! We know plenty of you are going to exploit every single drop of sunshine this year and we wanted to create something useful for you. How to have the greatest picnic with minimal effort.
The first thing we need to remember is that we don’t need much more than good company and a snack to have an amazing time. None of the items we are about to list are necessary and can definitely be replaced with others of your choosing if you have a different budget, taste or preference. When we went shopping with a “picnic” in mind, we wanted to get sweet things and salty things – not just that, but they had to be quick, easy, somewhat healthy and sophisticated. Here’s what we decided on:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Macarons
- Grapes
- Brie cheese
- Blue cheese
- Crackers
- Fig jam
- Baguette
- Cider
These items will provide you with enough energy to keep going through the day and they are delicious. Trust us.
The cheese, crackers and fig jam are our biggest recommendation! Surely you must know how good they are?
Other items that we brought with is (but are not food) include:
- Biodegradable cutlery
- Paper plates
- Wine glasses for the cider
- Flowers. Lots of different flowers.
- Cutting board
- A blanket
- Small bowl for the berries
- A few trays for the macarons, grapes and cheese
- Napkins
And that’s it! That’s all we brought with us! Yum, what a treat. But what can one do at a picnic besides having a nice conversation with the company? Well, first of all, doing all this preparation just so you could go by yourself is extremely OKAY. Picnics can be an incredibly good way to spend time with yourself and reflect on your goals and motivations. So if you don’t want any friends with you – here’s a great idea of what you can do.
Start a journal.
Journaling is a good way to lay out your thoughts, make sense of them and create new ideas. It’s not really a calendar and it’s not really a diary. It’s a way to map out where you are mentally and help you envision where you want to be and how to get there.
A gratitude log is also the best way to realize how many great things you have in your life and focus less on the bad ones. And besides, being able to sit in the sun, eat strawberries and spend time with yourself is already a good enough reason to be grateful. Take care of your mind just the same as you do of your body. Alternatively, you could also read a really good book!
Well, that’s it from us for this time! Hope you found this interesting and helpful in some way. Remember to tag us on Facebook (luklabel) and Instagram (@luklabelofficial) if you decide to follow some of our tips! Our creator Tiia absolutely loves looking at your photos!
Wishing you a great day!
-The LuKLabel team
