Peter Dowdall: Why the great outdoors offers a great escape

Grab any chance you get over the festive season to take yourself outside and enjoy nature to stay nicely grounded 

The blooms of Helleborus orientalis, the Christmas rose, are in full bloom during December. Picture: iStock

Once more we reach that time, as the year comes to a close, that we put our feet up. At least in our minds, that’s what we do, though, in reality, we may be busier than ever, cleaning the Quality Street wrappers up from behind the couch between dreaming up endless ways of serving cold turkey leftovers.

The garden, once more, offers us solace and a place of refuge during this period. Whether your home is a bustling hive of activity, filled with several generations or you are celebrating with a smaller crew or alone, the garden and great outdoors can be the perfect space to while away a few hours and to keep you grounded.