I enter a lot of competitions.

And sometimes I’m lucky enough to win.

Before the Little Dinosaur was born I won a Facebook competition with House of A Event Management for a fantastic picnic for 2.  As soon as I saw the beautifully-photographed competition post, I knew it was something I just HAD to win. And, to my delight, I did.

But in the rush to get ready for Hudson’s arrival, plus the fact that cold deli meats, pre-packed salads and champagne are generally considered pregnancy no-gos, I decided to wait until after our little person arrived to claim my prize.

But then came the sleep-deprived newborn haze and weeks turned into months. Winter came and went and still I hadn’t booked my prize. A lack of reliable babysitters also made booking a child-free outing tricky. But Amy from House of A (also a mum) was amazingly understanding. I was determined to use my prize before summer disappeared this year, so when an opportunity came up this week to book it in (on Valentine’s Day eve, too!) I jumped at the chance.

And what a great decision that was… 

Bryan and I turned up to St David’s Park this afternoon to find a gorgeous spread – not only were cool blue cushions scattered across a picnic rug on the grass, but there were lanterns and candles and hearts and wooden crates and LOADS of delicious food.

Think salami, cheese, crusty bread, ice-cold Jansz and mineral water, and my favourite – a massive platter of fresh berries, chocolates and desserts from Daci and Daci. Heaven!

Thanks to the help of a handy family member who took Hudson for a walk in the pram, we were child-free for most of the first hour. Which meant we could relax, eat in peace and actually have some adult conversation. Bryan joked that he may have forgotten how to “adult” but I reckon we’ve still got it!

Passersby were clearly jealous of our decadent spread of goodies, beneath the trees overlooking the rotunda, on a perfect 27C summer day. Others didn’t seem that interested in us, but we had plenty of fun watching them. Like the old guy who rocked up, tore off his shirt and sprawled his pasty white body out on the grass in a bid to catch some rays. And the guy who plonked himself down on a park bench, whipped out some clippers and started trimming his nails. WTF?!?!?

There were also plenty of (less weird) couples and young families enjoying the blue sky and sunshine. We even got treated to some live music when a young guy started playing a few alfresco tunes on his guitar.

Little Dinosaur joined us again at the end of our two-hour picnic and had a great time playing with the dessert forks while munching on leftover cheese and biscuits.

 I’ve won CDs, books, movie tickets, clothes, make-up and jewellery before, plus a stereo, a camera, a trip to Melbourne, a massive Easter hamper, cash, toys and $100 worth of babysitting, among other goodies. Last year I even won a year’s supply of nappies and a year’s supply of tacos. YES!

But in terms of competition prizes, this personalised picnic was definitely one of the coolest ones. Amy is a generous spirit with a great eye for detail (I mean seriously, who even knew that pink hibiscus – one of my favourite flowers – actually grew in Hobart?) and I’d highly recommend booking her for a picnic, a wedding or any other Tassie function.

Now, excuse me, I’ve just found some more competitions that need entering… ?