If this summer hasn’t exactly filled you with joy so far then don’t despair—there’s still time to rescue it. Here are five of the best ways to give your summer a dash of sparkle that could stay with you for the rest of the year.
Enjoy live action…
… in the flesh or in glorious HD TV. This is one of the best sporting summers in history, and we’re only about halfway through it. Rio awaits from August 5-21 and, despite the turbulent build-up with the Zika virus, well over 8,000 athletes are scheduled to take part.
In addition, England and Pakistan will battle it out in a test series, several ODIs and a T20; the Premier League and Football League return; the first ever Champions League of Darts; and there’s some splendid boxing including Anthony Crolla vs Jorge Linares, to name just one fight. These are all televised, so your options are either picking up a brand new model from a site such as AO.com, or sticking to your current set and settling back into your armchair.
Holiday
To make it your best summer yet it’s time to explore new horizons and destinations; there’s still time to grab some great bargains for the holiday trip of a lifetime, both at home and abroad for all ages of family. The Guardian reveals a few destinations for a summer with a difference here, such as Rio, Iran (including Persepolis), Peru and… Cornwall and County Durham.
If you’re prepared to wait a little longer and you don’t have family ties, travel agencies are desperate to hoover up those who wish to travel outside the school holidays in September, so shop around!
Get a new job or role
If your job or title isn’t giving you what you need, then it might be time to use the summer to grasp a new opportunity and move to a new job, maybe even another completely different field. It’s never too late to change your career path, as is detailed in this piece from The Telegraph, which suggests that swapping your life at 40 is still distinctly possible as long as you approach your new career logically with a plan. Failing that, you could always set up a summer business.
Enjoy a drink or two
The summer weather is just so conducive to nice beers, wines and other alcoholic tipples, and it’s a fair bet that no matter where you are there’s a store or festival to cater for all tastes.
For example, the Great British Beer Festival runs from August 9-13, swiftly followed by Peterborough Beer Festival—boasting more than 400 tipples and taking its place as one of the biggest such events in the country—which comes to Cambridgeshire from August 23-27.
Resolutions
You don’t need to wait until January to make changes in your life for the best. Yes, giving up the booze and getting fit won’t be easy in the summer sun, but you’ll feel like a new person—start now and you’ll be nice and trim for late summer and autumn.
Alternatively, you might wish to take up a new hobby, read a new book, see your old friends for the first time in a few months or years, go to that restaurant that opened a month or two ago… these are all little things that can be easily achieved on their own but could combine to make it a memorable season.