Barbecue season is well and truly over, but that doesn’t have to mean ignoring your outside space during the cold
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A wood-burning chiminea makes a nice focal point on a patio or lawn for outdoor socialising. What better way to entertain friends on a crisp autumn day than with a roaring fire for heat? With a toasting fork and a pile of crumpets you can lay on an afternoon tea spread, and by buying a chiminea that doubles up as a barbecue you can boil a camping kettle on the top for hot drinks. You could even keep a pan of mulled wine or cider on the top and your guests can help themselves to a warming tipple.
If you want even more heat and you don’t mind digging up your lawn then a fire pit is a lovely idea. They can be made as large or small as you like, and then encircled with bricks to stop logs rolling out into the garden. You can use your existing garden furniture to provide seating around it, or use camping chairs. If you have access to big logs these make a nice rustic seating solution; you could even use a chainsaw to cut out seating notches. If you do decide to create a fire pit you will find yourself using it all year round. You can even cook baked potatoes in the embers, and use a toasting fork to toast bread or crumpets for a snack. If you fancy something sweeter then why not toast marshmallows over the fire? And of course, your garden will be the go-to destination for bonfire night.
Garden games are usually thought of as a summertime pursuit, or perhaps something to keep the kids entertained while the adults get a barbecue going. There’s nothing to stop you enjoying these outdoor games through the winter – just pop on a scarf and gloves and you’re away! Giant chess might take longer than you want to be stood still for, but swapping the pieces for draughts counters will give you a faster game. Giant Jenga is a popular garden game and
Croquet and quoits are some of the oldest garden games around, and both will give you enough opportunities to run around to keep yourself warm. Lawn darts is similar to quoits and will also get you moving as well as exercising your upper arms. Boules and skittles are good games to play with children as the skill level is fairly low, and these are also great games to take to the beach or to a friends house as they don’t take up much space and won’t leave any holes in the lawn.
You’ll have just as much fun playing these games in the winter as you would in the summer, so they can provide entertainment all year round. If you also have a fire pit or chiminea then why not put on a winter games day for your friends and family? Start things off with a bit of healthy competition and agree that the losing team cooks for the winners on the chiminea or barbecue after you have played a few games. The added bonus to entertaining outdoors is that you can turn the heating off for the day and save yourself some money at the same time!