The weather isn’t exactly filling me with summer vibes here. It’s okay, but the past few days have been wet and dry in roughly equal measures. The sun shines, but it’s not cracking the flags, blasting me with heat or even giving me any risk of sunburn. I don’t think I’ve worn a vest top outside at all since May.

And I’ve messed my own mind up this year, with a weekend away in July and two short breaks in September but none at all in the traditional holiday month. It’s okay, though. I have a couple of days out planned with my sons, and a couple of days off near the end of the month that are earmarked as furniture shifting and decluttering days.

I used to teach, with six glorious weeks away from school that I could use for major deep cleaning and sorting. I don’t miss the teaching (my husband swears the first week of the holidays I slept and decompressed) but I do miss the extended periods of absence. I used to take days of idleness and fun with friends as well as homemaking. Now, it’s homemaking as a priority and friends wait until September and a Return to normality.

I do like homemaking, though. I like the pootling around, the tidying, the sorting of stuff, discarding excess, finding hidden treasure and identifying next steps. This year I’m planning a major shuffle in the living and dining rooms. We’re swapping the display cabinet and the dark bookshelves over so that my living room can assume a more country-house-library-gentlemen’s club feel, with armchairs, piles of books, magazines and newspapers, and cosy, comfortable, hygge-lit areas ready for wind, rain, ice and snow in the winter. It takes as much planning as a military operation: do I clear all the units and shelves at once, or clear the display cabinet, wash and box the contents while only clearing the shelves one at a time and placing back right away? I’ve begun a Plan of Operations in my planner, working out which day is best to start and finish. I should be done by the last Monday in August, Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK, so I’ll be ready to enjoy September in a clean, sorted, styled home.

Getting to the skirting boards behind my big furniture is a rare event, so I’m looking forward to cleaning them well. I’m pleased to say I’ve found a really lovely product, the Flash Traditional Collection, with a spray and liquid cleaner both based on traditional French soap with lavender scent. I have a problem with many lavender scents, in that they smell gross and (pardon me) sometimes like sick, but I used the spray all last week cleaning my kitchen and it really did have a pleasant, proper Lavender scent. I’ll use it for the baseboards, and hope the scent lasts.

And for the shelves and any other wooden furniture, I’ll have a good go with Antiquax Lavender Furniture Polish. There’s something so reassuring about using good old-fashioned beeswax. Wax on, wax off. Methodical, rhythmic, effective. Not to mention I will have the chance to reorganise, cull, clean and replace all my books. Already I’m working out which categories I want to move through and which to lose. The month will speed by.

But, just in case it doesn’t, I have a few shorter than a day out treats planned. Simple, frugal, easy things I want to do and enjoy August while it’s here.

• Light a fire at least once a week in the firepit. We haven’t used it much this year, but now is a good time for getting my sons outside and talking through life, especially if their sister is away.
• Baking a cake regularly on a Saturday. We used to watch Downton Abbey on a Sunday with a cake and a cup of tea. I think I need to bring Sunday cake back as a ritual. Perhaps the crumble-topped cake from A Table Full of Love (review to follow) would be a good place to start.
• A seaside walk. Although it’s only a short drive to Southport or Crosby, I have a hankering to visit Thurstaston beach, on the Wirral. I fancy a beach with no frills at all, no pier or fancy folderols. And afterwards, an ice cream.
• A good rummage through the books in my local charity shops. I like a look, but I may make myself drop off a full bag before letting myself buy a book. 30 out for every one in, as it were.
• A fingers crossed trip to Black Sheep Wools. Fingers crossed, I don’t buy anything. I love stroking the yarns and looking in the pattern books for inspiration. I have a whole load of projects on the go, though, so I don’t need to buy anything.
• Tea, coffee, cake or cocktail at a pavement table in a local cafe or bar. If it’s morning or early afternoon I will visit Calisa, a local independent coffee shop for tea and cake. Later afternoon? I might grab a bottle of beer and a dish of olives at Zara’s Hub.
• A Saturday morning wander along the stalls at a local Farmer’s market. There’s one nearby almost every SSaturday of the month, so this can totally wait for a pleasant day. I’ll grab my authentic French market bag and pick up, probably, a decent cheese, a pot of jam or honey and a fresh loaf. If I’m feeling spenny I might get fresh sausages or a steak pie for lunch. And a few ideas for Christmas presents as well… yes, the C word is coming and I will be getting ready for it!

There’s my to do list! What are you thinking of as easy treats for an August day?

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. Lent is a season of rituals and resets. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human. And it’s always the little things.

How to Hygge Your Summer is my book about making the most of summertime. Hygge is so often seen as a winter pastime, and yet the principles of hygge (good food, good friends, time to be) are just as applicable to days when you can gather in a park or garden as when you gather round the fireplace. This book only scrapes the surface of what you can do, but hopefully sends you off with inspiration to make your own summer hygge.

I’m currently working on two book projects: I have a hankering to rewrite 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way, so it’s not available at the moment, but even dearer to my heart and my next stated aim is to finish and publish my next book, Simple Plus Cosy = Hygge. It will be about homemaking and how the home we create shapes the hygge we have. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of summer/autumn/winter.

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well.

The photo between post and promotions is by Arno Smit on Unsplash. I wish I had a garden shed like this one! I chose it because I love the colours of the windowframes, the tantalisingly inviting open door and the comfy chair within. Perfect spot for a cup of tea and a good book. And the header today is by Joran Quinten on Unsplash. Lavender fields: so perfect for summer. I used to have a lavender hedge ringing the garden, until it grew too scraggly and I replaced it with Photinia Red Robin. I still have a couple of bushes up against the house, though, and brushing past them on the way in and out is lovely.