Magazines are a great way to check off the progress of time. As the year passes, it can be marked by the changes in covers. From Easter’s eggs and May’s blossom to summer, with heady scented blooms and the inevitable blue and white seaside edition.

August’s CH&I isn’t a dedicated sea special, but does have a seaside aesthetic. The whole magazine has a free and easy holiday feel, much needed in a year when holidays, however short or close to home, seem unlikely to happen.

Vanessa, the editor, recognises this in her editorial. If we are to truly holiday at home this year, then making a list of favourite idle pursuits may be well worth it. I’m definitely putting Cloud Watching on mine.

I enjoy Country Homes and Interiors every month for its mix of homes and articles. I usually come away with a decor tip or want to do, or often a recipe or entertainment idea. I like that there’s always plenty to do outdoors, from inspiring gardens to places to visit.

This month’s feature on Backyard Adventures caught my attention completely. I love the red and blue colours, and it struck me forcibly that this page was reflected in the colours of my own garden.

Red is such a cheerful colour, isn’t it? I always have pots of red geraniums on my patio or at my front door. They just lift my heart when I see them as I approach my house. I’m not the world’s best housekeeper, but I love making things pretty.

This magazine always captures the heart of hygge in at least one picture… this month my heart fell in love with this photo, with soft lighting, comfortable seating, good eating and the hint that, if only you could see them, there’s a group of friends just out of shot ready to settle down for the evening with a good bottle of wine and a firepit to ward off the chills.

Food, of course, plays a big part in summer hygge and the food in August’s edition is suitably easy and designed to share. Beetroot or tomato salad, spanakopita and grilled peaches are easy to make and delicious to enjoy. I’ll be making this tomato salad soon.

My lazy Saturday just gone passed very happily, just lounging by an open door, feeding the birds and browsing magazines… more Magazine Mondays to come! Which magazines do you find capture hygge and peace for you?

As the UK slowly slides out of Lockdown (even just temporarily) I still don’t want to push all my books here, but if you’d like to support me in any way possible, you can find all the information to do that on my If You’d Like to Support Me page.

I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t point out that you can read about, and gain inspiration for, Summer Hygge in my book, How to Hygge Your Summer, available in paperback and ebook version now. It’s full of the little things that I found useful in creating a cool, relaxed and happy summer, with chapters on hygge in the garden, by the beach and under the wide open sky.

I do actually reread my own books, not all the time but at least once a year, just to nudge my memory and remind me of the things I have planned in the past and really enjoyed… or the big failures I never want to do again!

**OF COURSE** the weather here in the UK at the moment is very not-summery, quite cold and damp, so I may be grabbing my winter woolies sooner rather than later at this rate! Thank goodness we had a really lovely April and May at least.