Summer

Today's post has a bit of a story behind it. I've been ill recently so when my mum went out to buy me some soothers, she brought back the free TESCO magazine to cheer me up. I've been inspired by a section called stepping out (which is all about what to do outdoors) to create my post. I'll be telling you my ideas on what to do this summer including some fun things to do outside.

Ideas for walks (with your dog or family)-
Some people find walks boring however there are some amazing places you can take walks or fun things to do that make walks a nice day out in Summer. Here are my ideas:
.Take a walk along a beach (that allows dogs), you can even paddle along the edge
.Take a walk in the Yorkshire moors (or somewhere else equally beautiful)
.In the middle of your walk you can have a mini picnic at the top of a hill or in the centre of a forest
.Go to a specialist walking area (you could go to a National Trust place-that allows dogs)
.Forage for wild fruit that is in season (this can be done at any time of year, in fact is best in Autumn)

Decorating your Room:
.Beach in a jar-Put sand, shells, pebbles and anything else you can think of in a clear jar and display it (you should probably buy these but if you can't find them then collect them from a walk on the beach)
.Dried out Flowers- Use a flower presser to press down pretty flowers then place them around the room or create a piece of art with them (if you don't want to pick normal flowers then you can pick daisies or dandelions which are actually weeds)
.Small Wallpaper Alternative-Instead of using wallpaper you can blu-tack (whatever size you want of) patterned paper to blank areas of your wall. For a nautical look why not use red and white or navy and gold striped paper?
.Decoupage Letters-Buy plain decoupage letters that spell out Summer and decoupage them with glue and tissue paper (or even better-decoupage paper) then attach them in the right order to your wall or stand them up on a surface for a cute look

Food & Drink:
.Make your own cloudy lemonade. Cloudy lemonade is much better than normal lemonade, it is refreshing, zingy and has a zesty kick to it (it is sometimes called Victorian lemonade)
.Have a barbecue with your family and make your own potato salad (it is so yummy-I'll upload my mum's recipe soon)
.Fruit Bowl-Cut a gala melon in half and put 1 piece in the fridge for later. Carve out a hole in the centre of the melon (still leaving plenty of flesh inside) and fill the hole with raspberries, cherries, blueberries or any soft fruit you want. Grab a spoon and eat the soft fruit then the melon's insides (you may want to share or save some for later)
.Instead of making complicated ice lollies you could try making flavoured ice cubes! Just use fruit juice, cordial or anything you want instead of water to make them. Maybe you could put small sticks in them to hold them with when you eat them (or just leave it) then put your ice cube tray in the freezer for the recommended amount of time on your ice cube mold packet.

Crafts and Activities:
When you don't feel like going out (or it's a rainy day) you could try out a new craft. Here are a few crafts:
.Origami-the Japanese art of paper folding (this ranges in abilities from easy to extremely hard)
.Sewing-there is los of types of sewing for you try such as cross-stitch, sewing small plushes (mini toys that can be made of felt or soft fabrics), making pin cushions, sewing anything for your room such as cushions or bunting, etc.
.Using clay-you can make anything you want with polymer clay (colourful clay with a Plasticine like consistency that can be hardened by cooking in the oven)such as fimo. Just mold it into shapes and follow the instructions to cook it.
.There are lots more crafts for you to discover to look up some activities for summer days in!

I hope you enjoyed this Summer post-I'll upload the recipe for my Mum's potato salad very soon! Have a great Summer! :D