Make your fire pit your fallback position!

Harvest is here and autumn is upon us. Shortening days, dark mornings and that chill in the air always comes as a shock after a warm and lazy summer.  If like me you don’t like to give up the unobliterated joy of being outdoors; the fresh air in your lungs, nature humming in your ears and the feeling of wonder as you stare up into the sky above you, then don’t run for cover indoors, prepare an autumnal space outside for yourself instead.  

Where you were searching for a sunny glade in the garden, look for a sheltered spot instead which will keep you out of the wind and allow you some privacy when the leaves start to fall.  Avoid sitting under trees, you will find the dropping leaves annoying and you won’t be able to take full advantage of gazing up into the awe-inspiring star-filled infinity above you.

You won’t feel like reclining on a sun lounger as the temperature drops and that colourful parasol will seem rather garish as the garden changes to the more subtle golden hues.  Pack it all away and prepare for the more robust and stoic turn of the seasons.  I love to sit on wooden furniture in the autumn, something you can leave outside that will take a battering of cold wet British weather. You’ll be wearing thicker and suitable clothing, and a good solid bench beneath you will feel comforting.

As the temperature drops and the light fades, a fire pit comes into its own.  A focal point of warmth and light, it’s the perfect piece of autumn furniture for your garden.  Make sure it is situated in a sheltered spot but away from overhanging trees.  Don’t be tempted to put it at the far end of the garden unless the way back is lit, no one wants to fall over flower beds and bushes in the dark.  

Have a supply of dry wood and kindling near your fire pit ready to go.  If you can lay your fire in advance, so much the better.  There’s nothing quite so satisfying as just lifting the fire pit lid, setting a match to your pyre and watching it burst into life.  Remember the ‘top down’ method of lighting your fire and lay your logs like a loose Jenga tower so that plenty of oxygen can get at it.  Use a natural firelighter, such as Flamers, they are excellent as they will light even if they are a little damp.

Sitting around a Woodee Fire Pit in the autumn is a whole-body experience.  You will soak up the warmth radiating from the clever oak leaf cutouts from your ankles to your ears. Allow yourself to be mesmerised by the dancing flames and fill your senses with the scent of wood smoke and the crackle of the fire.  With a blanket draped around your shoulders and a mug of hot tea cupped in your hands, you can feel both intensely alive and sublimely content.  In my book that’s not a bad fallback position to be in is it?

If you would like to order a Woodee fire pit visit our website for the month of September we are giving you a great autumn treat – order any size fire pit and we will send you a starter box of wood, a bag of local charcoal and two enamel Woodee mugs so you can create your own ‘fall back’ retreat.