Summer lends itself to lazy days at home or at the beach, exciting adventures, holidays at home and abroad and a little spontaneity. It’s also perfect for a little al fresco dining, or just simply sitting in your garden for a while once the sun has gone down.

There can be a sense of timelessness during those heady summer days when you can stop watching the clock for a while and simply go with the flow.

It can also be the perfect time for long, solitary walks, time for quiet reflection and much-needed downtime from the hustle and bustle of daily life

Set a loose structure for those hot summer days

In order to keep some sense of order during the summer months it can be helpful to impose a loose structure to your days. Having meals at similar times and getting up and going to bed at similar times each day can help.

Your body is a creature of habit and loves to know what is likely to come next. It also means you’re less likely to end up feeling hungry, tired or cranky which has to be a good thing, right?! 

Make a summer bucket list! 

If you’re up for an adventure this summer, make a list of where you’d like to go and then research their opening times and check if you need to book in advance or whether you can simply rock up on the day.

You could include day trips, holidays, people you’d like to see, places you’d like to go, concerts you’d like to attend, or even that restaurant you keep meaning to try. 

Top Tip:

 

If you’re a member of the National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Houses Association or RHS (and similar national schemes) it can be worth flicking through their handbooks/ websites to see if you can get into any of their partner properties for free or a reduced fee. 

Be Prepared! 

If you love swimming, try keeping your clean swimming kit in your car boot. Or if you like walking keep your walking boots or a spare pair of trainers in your car. If you like trips to the beach, keep a towel in your car so you can go paddling if you fancy that. An old carrier bag to put soggy swimming stuff is also handy.

You could also get some pretty fairy lights or outside lighting for your patio and keep a basket with blankets etc near the back door so if you fancy sitting outside later in the day you can be cosy and warm without a lot of extra effort! 

Be spontaneous.

Invite friends around for a spur of the moment bbq.  Make s’mores on a campfire or fire pit. Make detours to a museum, beach, quaint cafe for afternoon tea, or exhibition if you have time.

Get a blanket and put it on the grass and watch the Perseid shower ( a shooting star display which normally happens around the 12-13th August each year) 

Be a tourist in your own town or city!

You don’t need to go far to have a fabulous time. You could do the tourist attractions surrounding your home, or take yourself out to a Spanish restaurant for some tapas, or a Turkish restaurant for some meze, for example.

Check out your local castle, cathedral, museum, parks, stately home etc. Hotels often have leaflets of what is going on in the local area if you need some inspiration.

Read my blog post ‘What treasures are on your doorstep”

You don’t need a long time to have a good time!

We can think that going to the beach or a tourist attraction takes all day. Often it doesn’t! If you have an afternoon or evening to spare, try going to the beach for an hour or two. Have a drive out, a bag of chips and a breath of sea air.

Pop into a stately home instead of a service station (if you have a membership pass of course!) as you travel up and down the country. The loos are often cleaner, and the food nicer (and cheaper), and there’s usually somewhere to stretch your legs. Or pop in for a picnic, or a walk or whatever if you have a spare couple of hours.

Meet friends for a walk and coffee at your local park or go for a walk in a wood rather than at a coffee shop!

It’s ok to rest a while

Summer lends itself to rest, time out and pursuing hobbies that don’t take much energy. Take an afternoon nap in the shade, read those books you’ve bought but haven’t started yet. Do some journaling or take up watercolour painting.

Read magazines (you can read them on your phone or tablet for free if you sign up to Leeds Library online and use their Libby app!)

Just enjoy the sensation of the sun on your skin and the wind blowing through your hair. You DON’T have to chase through summer at a fast pace (unless you want to!)

Things to try this summer…

• Take yourself off to your local pub or cafe with a good book, get yourself a drink and read for a while or do some people watching
• Get a Chinese or Indian takeaway and take it to a picnic bench in a park and have it as a picnic
• Go for a swim in an outdoor pool – localish ones include Pool Bridge Farm, Rudding Park, Helmsley, Ilkley Iido
• Watch the sunrise from somewhere pretty (take a flash of coffee if you like!) 
• Make a pot luck salad https://www.mamacoopskitchen.co.uk/pot-luck-salad-recipe/ 

 Some of my other blog posts you might enjoy! 

https://www.sarahcooper.co.uk/time-to-rip-up-the-rule-book/ 

https://www.sarahcooper.co.uk/uses-and-benefits-of-sweet-orange-essential-oil/