Outdoor Living

As soon as there was a hint of Spring in the air, I started to get excited to be spending more time outdoors. Through the summer months, our garden really becomes an extra room. With the french doors thrown open, our main living space opens onto the deck with the lawn just beyond. Breakfast is eaten on the deck, lunch is a picnic sat on the grass and dinner is a BBQ. The kiddos spend there days climbing tress, making forts, swinging, sliding, trampolining and enjoying the fresh air. One of the greatest benefits to working at home is that I can often sit in the garden to work, making it barely feel like I am working at all.

Nothing beats summer evenings sat in the garden, a fire burning, music playing, and some good company. The key to really making the most of your outdoors is to make it comfortable and bring a little of your indoors outdoors. I like to have lots of cushions and blankets ready outdoors for comfort and warmth. Lots of bright colours, floral patterns and cosy fabrics. Lanterns on the table ready for when the sun starts to set. A pretty tablecloth thrown over the patio table makes it look much nicer.

Being able to live life outdoors really does makes a huge difference to us, in a small house we all start to get cabin fever by the end of the winter and are bursting at the seams to get outside. I would love to get a hammock to hang up this year as illustrated in this blog post. I am also thinking of getting some lengths of fairy lights to put in the trees and along the fence. I have my eye on a pretty woven tray and a cosy cashmere blanket!

I would love to live somewhere where we could spend all year outdoors, but the winters here are too wet and too cold so we have to make the most of spring and summer months. Nothing beats summer evenings sat around the fire, they are one of my most favourite things to do. How about you? Do you love outdoor living?

28 Comments

  1. Alex

    March 26, 2014 at 08:32

    I’d also love to live somewhere where I could spend all day outdoors. London is a very un outdoorsy place for me, I’m going to Spain next week and the apartment I’m renting is one minute from the beach. I can see myself getting up early and sitting on the beach watching the sun rise, and the same with my sunset. I can’t wait !!!

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:51

      Hope you had fun in Spain! I’d love to go back one day :)

  2. Jess @ Along Came Cherry

    March 26, 2014 at 09:48

    I heard something on the radio yesterday about how our Summer’s are going to be hotter and drier while our Winter’s are going to be warmer and wetter, not great about the Winter but if it means nice Summers then who cares! That first photo makes me want to be there so much! x

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:52

      I hate rainy winters… but if it means better summers then I guess that’s ok!

  3. Alice

    March 26, 2014 at 12:08

    Yes! One thing I insisted on when buying our flat was a garden that faced south – it’s such a sun trap!
    Its full of flowers and plants, we have a BBQ and tables and chairs, piles of lanterns and solar powered fairy lights in the ivy covered fencing. I love it, and I love spending time out there. Roll on summer!

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:52

      SOunds perfect!!! I love my garden in the summer¬

  4. Kay

    March 26, 2014 at 13:15

    I can’t wait til we have warm enough weather to be outside all day again! We are fortunate enough to have a nice backyard area. We do share it with our neighbors upstairs, but they have little ones too, so they all play together in the spring/summer time. It’s great!

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:54

      sounds good! Roll on summer ;)

  5. Fritha

    March 26, 2014 at 15:15

    oh god I want to live in that first picture..I was getting so fed up of the rain before spring arrived I even told Tom I wanted to move to the US! x

  6. Claire

    March 26, 2014 at 18:44

    I can’t wait for more outdoor living too. Those photos look great and when I’ve seen your garden in posts it looks lovely too. Our garden can be seen from the Rugby field so I feel quite self conscious in it. I’m hoping to make something to make it more private. I love sitting on the bench having a cup of tea on my own either before everyone gets up or once they’re in bed. xxx

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:57

      Thanks! You can see into our garden from the churchyard, but thankfully not many people walk through!

  7. abigail

    March 26, 2014 at 19:05

    I spent a few summers in a community in Wales living in tipis and building our own little house out of wood and it was so much fun! I loved being so close to nature, relying on building your own fire for hot water and cooking and foraging for berries! I don’t think I could do it now, but I do still love spending as much time as possible outside, and those pictures make it look even more inviting!

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:58

      oh wow! that sounds amazing… not sure I could do it full time now either!

  8. Fiona

    March 26, 2014 at 19:51

    All I can think about at the moment is how I wish I lived somewhere warmer. I love eating dinner outside, and hanging out with the little one in the garden all day. This weather is so annoying, I am in need of a warmer climate x

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:58

      Yes – we eat outside all the time in the summer!

  9. Bryony

    March 26, 2014 at 21:08

    Ooh this has made me yearn for summer. Fairy lights are my number one for the garden… Magical!

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 20:59

      nothing beats fairy lights to add some magic!

  10. Lori

    March 26, 2014 at 21:22

    I really wish we had a garden, even though there are so many green spaces there’s nothing quite like your own little haven. The hammock is most excellent! x

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 21:01

      I’d be lost without a garden of my own… we use green spaces too, but having one right here that ‘s private is so good

  11. Laura

    March 26, 2014 at 23:27

    Growing up in South Africa I am all about the outdoor living – it’s the only downfall of the UK although I cannot wait for summer and I am going to soak up every inch of it :) Love your photos – great inspiration :)

    Laura x

  12. laura redburn

    March 27, 2014 at 08:34

    we have such a rubbish garden here, just paving slabs. the people next door are forever throwing rubbish over the wall too! anyway, i’ve lived in places that have nice gardens and it really does make such a difference to have somewhere nice to sit and spend some time.

  13. Adele Jarrett-Kerr

    March 27, 2014 at 11:05

    I used to get really bad SAD when I first moved here from sunny Trinidad. I’m really desperate for a hammock though. One may have to enter our lives this year.

  14. Gill Crawshaw

    March 27, 2014 at 12:49

    I’m so excited for this summer as we’ve just moved to a house with a garden (from a top floor flat). i can’t wait to just let Eliza run around when it’s warm, while I sit and read a book…or try to. Being outdoors just makes everything better, doesn’t it? I have so many plans for building tents and dens.

  15. Jenny

    March 28, 2014 at 14:35

    This looks fantastic, what great ideas and photos for outdoor living. We just moved in when Buba was born then had Missy Moo so our back yard is still just grass. I am dying to do something with it to create an outdoor living space that we can enjoy. This gave me some great ideas. Thank you. #loveyourhome

  16. Jen

    March 28, 2014 at 15:02

    Oh I coudn’t agree more. We love spending our days outside on the patio, with the kids on the trampoline. Thanks for linking up #LoveYourHome

  17. Rachel - 3yearsandhome

    March 30, 2014 at 20:41

    Oh, I couldn’t agree more. I’ll have to stop pinning ideas for winter picnics and start looking for inspiration for spring and summer ones instead.

    1. Polly

      March 30, 2014 at 21:02

      yes! picnics are my favourite :D

  18. Raven

    April 27, 2014 at 15:13

    Looks like a cozy little spot you’ve created to get some fresh air :)

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