As a kid being raised in a family of four children, the back patio and was always a nexus of fun and entertainment.

Set off by the back of the house on one the north, a concrete wall on the west, a wrap-around verandah on the east and a sloped garden on the south, the patiogave the perfect handball court, soccer pitch and hockey field.

Given a restricted space with 4 guidlines and a roof, studying how to bounce the soccer ball around obstacles, practising our new field hockey tricks and consuming hours battling it out in handball competitions gave us a safe and kid-friendly outside space to learn and develop with no regard for the weather or time .

As we were given older our use of the patio area changed, but our love for it never wavered.

In elementary school it was the scene of birthday parties and pass-the parcel, in high school it exchanged greetings dance practice and secret chats, and in late puberty the patio played host to our first real parties, our first kisses, our inescapable first hangovers.

While the days of pass-the-parcel and first kisses might be way during the past, the thrill of outdoor entertaining continues to this day.

Rather than celebrating the 1st day of school we are celebrating farewells and welcome homes. Rather than graduating the 6th grade we are graduating university, and rather than drinking all of the sweet pre-mixed vodka drinks we are able to get our hands on we're sitting back enjoying a pleasant civilised glass of Pinot Grigio.

Our patio has seen pets appear and disappear, past-times taken up then quickly forgotten, has heard the secret talks of teenage girls and the duplicitous plots of adolescent boys.

Just like our bedrooms, the kitchen, and the lounge, the patio has been a steady comfort and familiar space all though our youth and young adult lives and remains the centre of family get togethers.

As we age, move out of home and start families of our own, there is one thing that we will be able to be certain of – the role of the patio is one tradition that'll be passed on to the next generation, no matter where in the world we finish up.

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