Gazebo! No, it’s not a new game using dice and a score sheet, although it is a rather odd word for an elegant structure gracing gardens and parks throughout the world. No one appears to know exactly where the word originated so gazebo it remains, until someone comes up with a better one.
Although it has been many years, I can clearly remember the gazebo in a park I lived close to. Painted white, the octagonal, roofed structure made from wood and wrought-iron sat close to a small lake skimmed by dragonflies and flanked with bulrushes. Occasionally, on balmy, summer days, a band would take over the building and play to folk reclining on a motley collection of seats and deck chairs, whilst I attempted to catch sticklebacks near-by. I don’t know what some of the old gents had in their thermos flasks, but judging by their increasing vocal enthusiasm as the afternoon progressed I reckon it wasn’t just tea and coffee. Fond memories, and often rekindled when visiting a park or garden with a gazebo.
Like pretty much every building constructed from wood, and most are, gazebos come in all shapes and sizes, from single story to multi-story, oriental style buildings. Gazebos are freestanding, roofed and open on all sides, and more often than not the floor level is elevated above ground level. The good thing is that one doesn’t need to have a large garden in order to install a gazebo as they can be small enough for just one person. Then again, for those who do have larger areas of land to utilise, a gazebo can be big enough to house a table and chairs, making a picnic meal a comfortable event without grass seeds and bugs finding their way into the sandwiches.
Hang light-weight insect netting from the sides and you even enjoy a cabaret act watching the little blighters fighting to get in. Whatever the size and shape, a wooden gazebo adds character to a well ordered garden – a friendly feature to improve any vista.
A good wooden gazebo should be made from quality, treated timber. Easy to assemble gazebos can be erected quickly and easily with the minimal amount of tools and know-how. In hot European countries such as Spain, southern France and Portugal, special, light-weight material to keep insects at bay is always worth considering. Woodworks Direct can supply all of these, and they also offer sound advice on the type of gazebo that would best suit a customer’s requirements. Only remember, it’s gazebo – not Yahtzee! Someone really should find another word.
