According to the news we are “supposedly” set for a 3 month heatwave. Whether you want to believe it or not, and we all know that forecasts aren’t completely accurate sometimes, we will get some warm weather during Spring and Summer even if it only lasts for a couple of weeks.
With that in mind and considering that the weather is looking lovely as we write this (wish we weren’t in the office right now!) we thought this would be a great opportunity to share our top 10 suggestions for making the most of the warm weather at home!
Obviously Have a BBQ
It may be obvious but everyone loves a good barbeque, and for some reason it just seems so much nicer to be able to cook outside. And the bonus of having long term good weather is that not only can you have big family and friend BBQ’s at the weekends but it is so nice to cook your dinner in the evening on one! You are at work all day missing out on all the sun so make the most of it when you get home and use the BBQ instead of the cooker.
Our other suggestions for barbequing during a heatwave is try different things! With lots of lovely weather you may get extremely bored of burgers and sausages; so you will be amazed by how much you can cook on the barbeque, check out some of these delicious recipes if you need some inspiration.
Afternoon tea
You don’t have to venture out to a fancy hotel to enjoy a delicious afternoon tea. Whether you set up in doors, or in the garden; for you ladies out there afternoon tea can be a lovely little treat to enjoy with your girlfriends. Yes it may seem like a lot of prep but as the host if you sort out all the sandwiches you can then get your friends to come with some scones and delicious cakes (hopefully homemade!). And if you really want to embrace the summer weather and indulge a tad more, swap out the traditional tea with a nice gin and tonic, which as we all know is a perfect refreshing combination for the summer.
Hot and bothered children
With the warm weather come plenty of opportunities for children to get outside, but as many parents will know a hot and bothered child is something you really don’t want and you won’t necessarily always have time to take them to a pool, beach or somewhere to cool off. There are so many ways you can create your own mini water park at home, of course you can invest in a pool but an even more cost effective solution is attaching the hose pipe to the washing line or anywhere high up for your children to race under, they are sure to enjoy it and will be plenty cool enough in no time.
Camp out
You don’t have to venture down to the sea side or other camping sites all over the country to enjoy a good camp out. If you have the space in your back garden not only will you save on many costs but it definitely is more convenient.
So set up some tents and grab as many sleeping bags, pillows, cushions and blankets as you need and get settled in for a night outside. And if you do happen to get a little chilly there is no reason why you can’t set up a little bonfire and roast some marshmallows (or even go back inside the house of course)
Stargazing
This one may be more suitable for those of you who live in the countryside but no matter where you live this is always worth given a try. Perfect for couples who want to enjoy a little romance or if you know a bit about the stars then what a perfect opportunity to take your kids outside and educate them. Stargazing is not only something you can really enjoy with your loved one but children will always be intrigued by looking at the stars and seeing what they can find.
If you are stargazing with children there are a number of apps on the market which can actually show you exactly what you are looking at in real time, so we definitely recommend using one of them.
Cooling recipes
When the warm weather hits the supermarkets are sure to stock up on all our favourite ice creams and ice lollies which will soon fly of the shelves. Well instead of heading to the shops why not have a go at making some lollies or other cooling foods of your own. There are a variety of recipes on the web but we love the sound of these especially being able to make your own Cornettos!
If you are not a fan of ice cream then the alternative would be some delicious, refreshing drinks to have a go at making at home. Once again you don’t need to settle for store bought lemonade, iced tea or your drink of choose. Check some of these fantastic sounding summer drink recipes here.
Never too early to teach your little one how to weed and get planting
Well it is true, it is never too early to teach your little one some valuable gardening skills that they will inevitably need when they grow up. Obviously spring and summer time is when your green fingers really come out and you sort out all the weeds that have appeared throughout the winter; so what better excuse to get your child out into the garden to help.
As well as helping with the weeding the spring months are the high season for planting flowers and an array of vegetables and fruit. So this is also a perfect opportunity to show them that skill but once the summer time does come around all those lovely home grown fruit and veg will be ripe for picking, you can enjoy munching on home grown strawberries from the comfort of your back garden instead of venturing out to strawberry picking farms.
Light up your garden
If you like to get up to a bit of arts and crafts this idea will be perfect and will allow you to enjoy sitting out in the garden a little bit longer during the warm weather. Do you agree that some of the LED solar powered garden lights aren’t all that attractive; one solution for this is to have a go at creating your own lanterns.
Something fun to have a go at one day either by yourself or with children but we have found a number of guides online to inspire you to create some lovely garden lanterns. And of course with your garden beautifully lit up you can make the most of sitting outside in the evenings. Check out some of these ideas.
Something for the girls
When the warm weather hits, your legs come out of hibernation and the winter wardrobe disappears. With that in mind you are sure to be thinking about making sure your body looks its best. Along with dieting and exercise to achieve that desired bikini body why not have a go at making some homemade body treatments to keep you looking fresh and help protect your gentle skin the harsh sun rays.
Check out some of these ideas we found on Teen Vogue (not just for teenagers!), we particularly love the Watermelon Body and Face Serum which helps protect against long-term sun damage and reduce discomfort from sunburn
Just relax
Finally why not find a nice cool spot underneath a tree, set up a hammock or deck chair and just relax.
We don’t get much nice weather in England so we obviously don’t want to waste it but if you are tired of doing all the variety of things that are possible when the weather is lovely it is just so nice to be able to chill out and nothing is better than heading out into the garden with a nice glass of wine, cold beer or even some homemade lemonade and just relax in the warmth.
If you are looking forward to enjoying the warm weather as much as we are then we hope that these ideas give you some inspiration for making the most of it at home! And if you want to be enjoying the warm weather in a new home then take a look at our final available luxury Smarts Quarter apartment, or contact us today to find out more information on 0117 213 0151.
