Outside Gathering

I started the day joining Lasse, Annika and Mika for a walk past the small lake. The lake is still mostly frozen and there is plenty of snow still around but the grass is appearing on slopes facing vaguely south. We spotted norther lapwings (peewits), swans, Canada geese, ducks, and the latest arrival, larks, singing away as they do they vertical ascent descent dance. Spring may be rather chilly just now, with the odd snow flurry whirling past, but the birds don't seem to care. They have mates to attract and nests to build!
We'd asked our neighbour, who lives alone after his partner died last summer, if he wanted to join us for Easter lunch, so Sven-Eric was along. Rose also came. Six people warmly dressed and a Jacob's join meal that was mainly cold food, plus falafel warmed over the fire and a panful of hot potatoes, wrapped in a towel and a large tea-cosy.
Annika is a nutritionist and excellent cook and she provided us with home marinaded wild caught salmon, and some delicious salads and sauces. Lasse provided Prosecco and schnapps, and we did the bread, more salad, extra eggs and the food from Lina. Baklava, ice-cream, home baked chocolate chip cookies and Jan's sweets made with dates + extra stuff was dessert.  As usual at these things there was plenty of food over for tomorrow, and we all felt well-fed and grateful for both the food and social nourishment.
The fire warmed us slightly and we spent about 4 hours sitting around the table before enough of us had cold feet and we decided to call it a day.  Eating outside is delightful in some ways, and I hope we do it a little more often even in the post Covid world. But as I wrote yesterday, it will be good to get back to indoor eating. Even if you stay warm, sitting outside for hours in the cold makes you surprisingly tired.
Having written that I shall be going off to bed soon, Jan has already headed in that direction!  Goodnight world!