The End of Summer and Open-Air Theatres

The fall weather has definitely settled into the city. I have pulled the my sweaters out of storage and incorporated cute polka-dot tights with my skirts. Just a few weeks ago warm summer breezes still settled into calm, balmy summer nights and on one of these such nights, I found myself seated at an outdoor theatre about to enjoy a good old Shakespeare comedy. To me open-air theatres are the epitome of what summer is about. That as well as cooking outdoors, eating out of doors, being outdoors...*wimper* it's such a long winter indoors.

It took me all summer to finally make it out to High Park and just barely made it at that. Labour Day weekend was its last weekend of the season, it also happens to be my mother's birthday. Dinner and a show proved to be the perfect gift; picnic and Comedy of Errors to be exact.

This was our first time attending Shakespeare in High Park put on by Canadian Stage, (but certainly will be returning next summer) and apparently the thing to do is to arrive soon after gates open with a massive, elaborate picnic spread in tow and kill the hours before the show eating, chatting, and guarding your precious spot. I might have gone into creeper mode trying to photograph some of the picnics that surrounded us.

A gourmet salad she put together right before my eyes. My mouth was watering.

Chicken fingers and fries. Where's your five-a-day?

I think we did pretty good with our picnic. Not pictured: butter tarts for dessert.

Picnicking Like a Pro

There just something about sunshine and warm weather that makes me want to eat outside for all meals. Even cooking entire meals out of doors is okay by me in the summer time. Maybe it's my Canadian sensibility that feels the heat is fleeting and must be enjoyed outside until the last ray of sun is hidden below the horizon or maybe I was a squirrel in a former life, either way give me a grill and a picnic any day and I'm one happy girl.

Proper picnicking, however, can be a tricky endeavor so here are some steps to picnicking like a pro.

Step 1:
Find and acquire an impossibly quaint and utterly impractical wicker basket.

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Step 2:

Buy much too much food for two people and possibly items that quickly turn when left in direct sun.

Step 3: 

Finally after dragging your very heavy, impractical, yet quaint picnic basket across town, join the throngs of people in a sunny park on a weekend afternoon.

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Step 4:

Forget to bring any kind of reading material or form of entertainment. Send someone off to buy a newspaper and then read to each other about the current economic climate and the 10 day weather forecast.

Step 5:

Eventually pack up, but only after you have relocated about 5 times in order to remain in the sunny bits, and head home. 

Step 6:

Once home, eat the remaining items (not melted from the sun) from your picnic and declare the day a great success.

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Do you like to picnic? 

What’s your favourite food to bring along?

Fun travels!