Garden Dweller

For those of us who are garden proud, we love nothing more than to show off our manicured flowerbeds, special hybrid rose bushes, and breathtaking swaying myrtles. And while we believe the beauty of it lies in the stunning orchids, and plentiful ivy that we have trained to grow just so, it sometimes takes a little something more to bring invitees to this realm. And the first idea that came to my mind was barbecues, and I am ever so glad it did.

I for one enjoy my garden so much that I prefer to make it the place to socialise with friends and family whenever the weather permits, as opposed to cafes, restaurants or pubs. To make Aunt Janis, Uncle Wally and all the young cousins come around more frequently I needed to create something that would lure them. I required the ability to produce food that stood up to that we would have gotten outside of the home setting, and that kept us around the table for more than fifteen minutes.

For me, the only way to coax the boys from the ever popular wii, and the girls from the constant barrage of television programming, such as Skins, Hollyoaks and My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding was to bring in a barbecue. It made great sense, considering my goal of holding the attention of an eclectic age group. For the bbq can only generate so much cooked fare at once, so there will be an acceptable lag time between courses. This means that we stay seated, chat and enjoy each others company for just as long as we would have if we had ventured out.

Apparently, the outdoor barbecue was an idea that hit a chord with those we most often interact with too. I know this to be true because I get fewer excuses as to why the teenagers cannot make it to the gatherings I plan. The other thing is that I have gotten a lot of cook out related gifts like a digital thermometer fork, kebab holder, burger holder, and grill brush.

Now that I have two gas barbecues in place, and know that they satisfy the interests of our usual guests I am eager to begin collecting theme items. In fact, to keep the family interested, I plan to inquire as to which they would most like to organise. Let them set up the bamboo tiki candles for a luau, and the Moroccan lanterns for an international night. This should take some of the work off of my plate, and allow me to bring the focus of my time back to the gardening I am so fond of.