I wouldn't be in my natural habitat if I wasn't late to this party. In other words, the LAST one to write about how my own (un)official London Steemit meetup/picnic in the park went.

But first, a HUGE thanks to @redrica for helping me promote it on Discord and coordinate on the day, and to everyone who showed up (you know who you are)! I know it wasn't many of us but it was still - very much worth it and I'm glad to hear that everyone had a ~~good~~ great bloody time!

And I'm definitely up for a few more picnics as long as this British summer weather holds ;-)

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPrYsnyog5htm275BwJmWbFn49HZ9RPBud3Nrb2cmemL2/IMG_7024.JPG

OK. Let's see how did my prep go down first...

Did I forget to bring Prince Harry's and Megan's Royal Wedding masks?

Yes, I totally did. And I remembered it too late when @yasminep and I were already on the tube, half way through our journey.

Did I bring @demotruk's infamous GIANT Steemit umbrella?

No. I didn't. After speaking to @redrica - I thought it was only going to be a handful of us (i.e. 4 people). Little did I know that we had a few more non-Steemians and @neopch joining us all the way from Birmingham (who WAS in fact looking for that Steemit umbrella - sorry, mate!).

And to be completely honest with you, as soon as I got to the park - I immediately wished I had brought it with me. It can be a real pain to find people in a park and if anyone, I think @rod.crisafulli felt the pain the most (also - sorry, buddy!).

Did I bring @allasyummyfood's drinks cooler?

Nope. @yasminep and I decided against it since we were popping into the pub to catch a bit of the Royal Wedding so it would have been a bit of a drag. Good thing that @redrica saved us all by bringing her bag cooler(?!) - is that what it was? Lol

But (a BIG BUT), what about...

BOOZE ✅(a few G&Ts, a bottle of Prosexy and a bottle of vino. That's right - we drank it all)
FOOD ✅(I won't go into detail but let's just say, Waitrose do a phenomenon picnic selection!)
Blanket ✅(though it is definitely not meant for picnic use...lol)
Speakers ✅(and of course, some great TUUUNES)
Cards ✅(though we ended up playing Cards Against Humanity instead - thanks to @redrica!)
Beautiful selves ✅(always)

My highlights from the day:

When @yasminep and I finally managed to find a quiet local pub to watch a bit of the Royal Wedding. Even better, it was called the Buckingham Arms! Half hour was more than enough, plus we got the best bits (yes, the kiss)

Getting a FREE "wedding" cake at the pub. Not sure about you but anything free is always a highlight for me (casual rhyme drop there. Just saying...😏)

Witnessing a REAL LIFE PROPOSAL at St. James' Park literally 5 mins after @yasminep and I sat down, 5 meters away from us! (I mean, come onnnn - on the Royal Wedding day? With the entire park clapping?! We even wanted to offer them some Prosecco to celebrate but were a tad too late. Sigh...)

@redrica's friend showing up at the picnic whilst being on her SECOND DATE and staying with us pretty much the entire time (apart from the couple of trips to the toilet, whe-he-heyyy. Haha)

Visit to the WILLOW TREES x 2. Lol

@rea turning up with the most delicious M&S selection JUST at the right time (and beating my Waitrose food, for sure. Whatevs 🙄haha)

Cards Against Humanity. (Is. The. Greatest. Game. Ever.)

ALL THAT SUN ON MY FACE (and with that, my slightly burnt forehead the next day. Lol)

Getting merry in the sun (finally) and just in general GREAT-bloody-VIBES

Oh, and how could I forget the GIANT BUBBLES (see some photos below!)

Lowlight(s):

That long ass queue (women's only - obviously) and the stinky toilet (men's only - obviously) in the Inn Park Cafe - I should have never listened to my best mate @yasminep... 🙄🙄🙄Lol

To top it all off, here are a few of my favourite snapshots from the day (not nearly as good as @rea's OR @redrica's, OR @yasminep's) but still. Enjoy!

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcEurJdBBBQfnQ9rzNmsxPqUEu553xYiQ2ScvrMN7QbMB/IMG_6933.jpg

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPvRiXEkR3kcAqNhoTKdvYg5brj9f93ZzH9p6DHpQMoqj/IMG_6942.jpg

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUHHUoKTK3zLvhpvuW1uwCUhYBkG2fVRxZXMaaYZG8QUW/IMG_7042.jpg

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcC8k3h3kxBrZoKMULiQTpVRBKsxiePqXhnnN4QdF2S2W/IMG_6949.jpg

Love this girl with all my heart and I couldn't be happier to have her back! https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRwY7NZbXqDq5DLnugTRC8zqwSNAt6yLMw1XyDYPyQ3ym/IMG_6946.jpg

And yes, I did get a little obsessed with the giant bubbles... 🙄 https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVRG376LRYx5sSWAWqQYJWSJKk98FPgrpZe3j4azAvtj3/IMG_6953.jpg

...by the way, it wasn't just me, mmokay? Look at that kid's FACE! Lol https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZ1bVotdwSQXJ1NB71cto47mJxWbHmnQSHcRA2c3f2utT/IMG_6954.jpg

AND THESE PEOPLE TOO! https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPgD9mzXGaLy52rF8WJUyhtM4TvTfsWydjdwpwBycpRyH/IMG_6955.jpg

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdrWQG79XyZNiWAembTVqufih5iUmRYN87PdqvJgCGzeJ/IMG_6956.jpg

Plus, I saw a parrot on my way home. How random is that? (sorry, Yas!) https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmc6a6vcF23enPRwprJ7CmbLKpq4GqVBvMDGmRBEEtANtu/IMG_7029.JPG

Until next time!

Love,

Inga x

P.S. And don't forget to check out these great posts from all the lovely people who came on the day!

STEEMIANS FROM ANOTHER PLANET DOING PICNIC IN LONDON - by @rod.cristafulli
STEEMians London Picnic Meetup @ St. Jame's Park - by @neopch
The Steemit London Picnic Meetup / Steemit 伦敦野餐聚会 - by @rea
Pictures from the great day we had at @ingaaa's picnic meetup! - by @redrica
First London meet-up with @ingaaa and co! - by @yasminep

Did I miss anyone? ;-)