How I love these things, a patio heater, outdoor heaters in all their shapes and forms. This might sound a little odd for someone who lives in a warm climate but then most who don't live in a warm climate seem not to understand that they're usually only warm in the daytime. But the time the sun has gone down and the wind starts to come in off the sea or down off the mountains it can get pretty chilly while you're sipping that first adult beverage of the evening. Definately by the second, anyway.
But that isn't why I have such a love affair with outdoor heaters, so much so that if it were legal I'd marry a patio heater. No, last year I spent the winter on a contract in London, England. There are two things everyone knows about England: that the weather is terrible and that they have these fabulous things called pubs. And indeed, just like every other visitor to the country I made sure that I stopped off soonish for a visit to a real olde English pub and a pint of that olde English beer. Which was wonderful.
But the bit that hasn't quite yet hit the airwaves about England is that you cannot smoke in a pub. Not even a little bit: which means that to do so you have to go out into that terrible English weather and freeze while doing so. Until, that is, you work out which pubs have that life saving outdoor heating technology like the one pictured.
And yes, I spent all winter in London and yes, I'm sure the reason I didn't come down with hypothermia is because I did work out which pubs had such outdoor heaters.
OK, OK, marrying one might be going too far but I have one which I sit under with my wife but I've not quite yet had the courage to tell her of my feelings for the heater. Could be a little fraught if that got out.
