Summer has officially arrived here in England, and I couldn’t be more happy about it. Unlike in Australia where the hot weather lasts for months on end, summer in the Northern Hemisphere is something precious to be cherished while it lasts. I love to set myself a ‘to do’ list of fun ways to make the most of the season; a mix of the annual traditions we’ve created, as well as a few new things to try each year. Consider this your field guide to a Really Excellent Summer:
1. Spend the day in a park // Make the most of the warm weather and gather a really great picnic, your favourite friends or a good book and spend the entire day beneath a shady tree in your local park. You’ll find me in the Cambridge Botanical Garden every weekend from now until autumn.
2. Go for ice cream (and try a new flavour) // What’s your favourite ice cream order? Mine is the apricot sorbet from Berthillion in Paris or the dark chocolate + rose ice cream from Jack’s Gelato in Cambridge. Plan an impromptu ice cream weekend ice cream date and savour every moment.
3. Play hooky // Plan an entire day off work, with one rule: to act as though you’re on vacation and to fill it with only your favourite things. Go for brunch, visit a new exhibition, spend the afternoon splashing at an outdoor pool, get ice cream, and maybe go and see a show in the evening.
4. Go to an outdoor concert // Whether it’s seeing your favourite singer at an outdoor festival, or stopping to listen to a jazz band in the park, music sounds better outside.
5. Jump into the ocean // When was the last time you were in the water? Plan a road trip to the beach – or a river or lake if you’re nowhere near the coast – and savour the bliss of cool water, salty hair, and warm sand beneath your toes.
6. Go bare-faced // Save yourself from melting makeup and embrace your natural freckles instead. Swap foundation and lipstick for bronzed skin, lip balm, mascara and little else.
7. Gaze at the stars // One evening when the weather is clear, head outside, lie back and gaze up at the heavens. See how many stars and constellations you can count, and wonder at the enormity of the universe.
8. Try a new perfume // The only thing better than summer skin? Summer skin that smells amazing. Treat yourself to a new perfume that makes you happy the moment you smell it. This one is my new addiction.
9. Go for a bike ride // Buy, borrow or rent a bike and go for a long ride along the beach or out to the countryside. Life is more fun on two wheels!
10. Go berry picking // Look up a pick-your-own farm or orchard in your town, and go and fill a basket with fresh berries still warm from the sun. Eat them just as they are, or turn them into a homemade pie or ice cream.
11. Play outside // Remember when we were little and used to spend the entire summer playing games outside? Channel that nostalgic whimsy and spend an afternoon playing lawn games in your backyard or nearest green space. I’ll be working on my croquet game!
12. Make s’mores // Evoke nostalgic memories and toast marshmallows to sandwich between crackers and squares of chocolate. Bonus points for doing it around a campfire with friends, but you can make them at home too.
13. Make your own summer soundtrack // What song makes you think of summer? Build your perfect summer soundtrack full of old tunes from memorable summers past, new favourites, and anything that makes you feel young, happy and carefree again.
14. Read a book all the way through // No exotic vacation plans? Make your own virtual escape for the cost of a visit to your local bookstore. Pick up a book by your favourite author or something completely new that piques your interest, and spend every evening getting lost in another world without having to leave your house.
15. Watch an outdoor performance // One of my favourite annual traditions is to watch a sunset performance of one of Shakespeare’s comedies in one of the college gardens as part of the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival. Shakespeare not your thing? Head to an outdoor cinema and watch a screening of one of your favourite movies instead.
Wearing: Gal Meets Glam Collection dress c/- (also in blue + shorter version) // Next bag c/- (similar style here) // Castaner espadrilles (also in black) // Celine sunglasses (inexpensive style here) // ASOS earrings (also in gold + similar style here) // Charlotte Tilbury ‘Pillow Talk’ blush + lipstick // Essie ‘Muchi Muchi’ nail polish.
How are you celebrating the new season? Have the most wonderful summer everyone!
Love, Briony xx
Photos by ANNA LEBEDEVA
I’m so with you on the s’mores!!! YUM
I feel like summer is already flying by!! So many good ideas here though and adore these photos of you!
What a wonderful list you’ve made! I’d love to go see an outdoor concert and spend more time outdoors- that’s my biggest thing this summer. I hope you get to cross these off your list. You look beautiful in these photos! xx
I live for your seasonal buckets lists! You give me so much ideas that I never even thought about. Do you have a list for next season already?! 🤗