Family, friends, food, furniture & fun!

Hello I’m Kiran and I run the admin side of Ironfire. Recently people were saying how onerous it is to fit writing blogs into the working day. Sort of, plenty to say but no time to do it. Here at Ironfire, we are very much a team so I thought I’d have a go at contributing to the blogs and then my heart started racing and I realised how hard it was going to be… I’m not a story writer, nor someone who’s a regular contributor of witty comments on social media so, where do I start? It’s easy to be critical of a piece of writing and find ways of improving it, once it’s already been written. Starting with your own blank sheet of paper is a different matter!

Choose my subject.

Well, that’s quite easy. I love socialising and don’t need much of an excuse to invite friendsaround and having had our activities curtailed and stuck in a lockdown, it’s time to come out of hibernation! Let’s give this a go…

The weekend comes and if I haven’t made plans, those two days disappear in a haze of shopping, washing and tidying. Making plans, they still get finished but the reward of seeing family and friends makes it easier. They also don’t seem to take so long!

Entertaining.

We’ve got friends coming around for the evening and I need to make a decision; inside or outdoors? A glance at the weather, https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather Looks like we’re going to be ok, forecast is fine – let’s BBQ

Someone has volunteered to cook, hoorah, I’ve got night off! Well, not quite true, cook means cook, not shop, chop, peel or prepare. Not sorting out plates, cutlery or glasses and I know it won’t mean clearing, washing up or putting away. In fact, once they have taken up their position behind the BBQ it seems they are unable to move away! Don’t forget, top up drinks, pass food and help with any other jobs required. All which prevent me from sitting down to enjoy a glass of something fizzy with our guests.

You can’t guarantee the UK weather, how many BBQs get rained off or abandoned? The determined are there, coat on, hood up, feeling lonely. Even worse, holding the umbrella with one hand and tongs in the other. No free hand even for a drink, no wonder they’re getting grumpy! We’re inside, peering out of the window, hoping the rain will stop and the food will be ready, not always in that order!

Music.

Generally, I’d opt for a mix of musical genres which spans the years. Spotify is a free download enabling you to create a playlist or offers suggestions. Every mood or event you can think of, I’m sure someone has already created the playlist for you! https://www.spotify.com/uk/

While you all relax, take it in turns to choose the music, an all time favourite or an almost forgotten track. The advantage of the internet is that they are accessible in an instant. As much as I love our vinyl collection, I’m not so keen on rooting through to find the track I’m thinking of.

For a laugh, what was number 1 on the day you were born? Find out here,

https://www.birthdaydjdisco.co.uk/number_one_songs_uk.html

We laughed out loud when we heard mine, Hugo Montenegro; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFa1-kciCb4

Not that funny? It was when I had been to a fancy dress party, as a cowboy, with a full “Clint” beard! My daughter took far too much pleasure in blackening my face with a burnt cork!

Seating

Balmy summer evenings allow for relaxed chatter and informality, wandering around the garden. Include different areas for seating, intersperse traditional industrial style benches, https://www.iron-fire.co.uk/product/benches with beer barrels, large boulders or even upcycle old tyres. Sometimes we want somewhere, away from the noise, to perch and enjoy the outside space.

Firepit

I love firepits and there are so many to choose from. Few are as versatile as ours though.

https://www.iron-fire.co.uk/product/planters-and-firepits

Add the basket to our industrial style planter and you’re ready to toast marshmallows. I am very fond of a blanket too; it needs to be big but not too big, there’s nothing worse than getting your arms trapped! It also needs to be soft too, have a look here…

https://www.weavergreen.com/collections/blankets

These soft blankets come in a wide range of colours and are hand woven, each one uses up to 300 recycled plastic bottles! What’s not to love?

Food

Another discussion point, sweet with savoury? I incorporate the two but have friends who would never add pineapple to a pizza, and the very thought of cranberry or redcurrant sauce with a meat fills them with dread! What are your thoughts, always a mixer or never a blender? I add apple, orange and grapes to a mix of cabbage, carrot, onion, mayonnaise and salad cream to make the most delicious coleslaw. A dollop of mango chutney on sausages makes them deliciously sticky and you can’t have salted caramel without the salt…

Drink

Best bars – beer, cocktail or gin? Or, cover all bases and have all three!

Our console table has been recently adapted to make a customer her own gin bar. https://www.iron-fire.co.uk/product/console-table. We made it to match her Ironfire dining table and chairs and loved being able to design and make it her very own! Choose colour, size, with or without glass. In true Ironfire style it is suitable for use inside and outdoors.

Some delicious gin recipes to whet your whistle can be found here…

https://www.craftginclub.co.uk/ginnedmagazine/7-best-gin-cocktails-for-summer

So that ends my first bit of writing, not too long to bore you and hopefully short enough to keep your interest and give you some ideas, happy entertaining!