With the unpredictable weekend weather and the cooling of seasons, there has never been a better time to plan an indoor picnic! Gather friends of all sorts and transform your lounge-room into the perfect spot for a picnic.
Spread these across the floor for an instant picnic vibe - Sunflowers On Table by Petr Kratochvil
Picnic RugsMaximize your floor space by pushing your lounges, your chairs, and your coffee tables aside. Make sure that you have a large clear space on the floor in the middle of your designated room. Gather all the picnic blankets you can lay your hands on and spread them out across the carpet. If your floor is tiled, picnic blankets are rather thin so your bottom will get somewhat cold. My advice is to cover your tiles with sleeping blankets first and then picnic blankets on top.
Munch on a few fancy sandwiches - with no ants disturbing you! Sandwich by Petr Kratochvil
Food
It's not a picnic without food! For an authentic feel, bring along your favourite picnic baskets filled with home baked treats. Bring snacks, prepare sandwiches, or simply assemble plates of salad and barbecue chicken on the mats on the floor. If you're a little more daring, set up the portable barbecue and cook up a few sausages in your lounge room. Make sure you don't forget the disposable cutlery.
Picnic staples always include snack food, such as chocolate and chips, and fruit. I find a seedless watermelon never goes astray. And the best part about your indoor picnic is there are no pesky ants trying to grab a bite!
DrinksWhat could be more refreshing on a hot summer's day than cool lemonade? Prepare the Esky with ice, stock up on paper cups and share some soft drink. The convenience of being indoors means that you can top up on water or drinks at any point from the fridge (and also, there's less chance of sunburn).
GamesWhat picnic has ever been complete without a few games? Unfortunately, being indoors does mean that traditional activities such as kite flying, Frisbee, swings and playing ball are limited. There are no gusts of wind inside to interrupt that intense game of Uno though. Our indoor picnic also had two decks of cards, and we made our way through classic group games such as Spoons, Uno, Snap etc. Board games are also great for indoor picnics – there's no chance of losing those tiny pieces in the grass.