In the UK & Ireland, in regional towns you can still find friends and families playing cards and board games at their local pub on a cold, dreary day.
The weather here in paradise is rarely cold & dreary but getting together with friends and family to play a leisurely game of cards or pool at your local pub has got to be good for us socially & environmentally!
When I lived in Ireland in the late 90’s, my partner and I were living on a tight budget that meant we couldn’t afford to light our fire (which heated our water and pumped around our flat to heat our radiators) before 4pm. As I worked 5 days including Saturday’s, that meant I spent as much of my weekday as I could bare hiding under my bedclothes trying to read without freezing to death! On the Sunday’s we weren’t away (availing of friends and families heating!) we could be found sitting on a pint by the fire at our local pub (that was literally next door, so handy:)
In Australia this public place communing to avoid the inclement outdoors is more prevalent during heatwaves when hoards flock to shopping centres to escape the heat.
Next time you’re tempted to flick on the heater or aircon at lunchtime knowing it’s going to be needed for the rest of the day, grab the fam or call some friends and head to your local for a game of pool or take a pack of cards and help revive the family friendly notion of the pub being an extension of our loungrooms. Card & board games are majorly under-utilised family bonding activities these days and the planet will thank you for avoiding the energy sucking temperature changing machine!
If you’re in Mullumbimby and looking for just such a pub you will find free card games for the playing at the Courthouse Hotel – on Sunday’s pool is free too:)
Lisa & Nick will likely be too busy serving on the bar 
to have this much fun when you visit:)