With the school summer holidays with us and the sun still shining, do your thoughts turn to having fun in the sun? Or is summertime a bit of a stressful time for you? However you feel towards summer, the long evenings and summer breaks give you a great opportunity to relax and reflect on the things which are most important to you. Whatever your situation, there’ll be something in this article for you.

Making the most of: friendships

Summertime is the perfect time to make contact with old friends, and invest in new friendships too. Summer sporting events are a perfect excuse to invite friends over – especially with the Olympics.

Building memories with friends by doing something a bit different is much easier to do in the summer. It doesn’t have to be extravagant and costly. Maybe it’s a chance to climb every mountain in a certain area, or get a group together to go camping for the weekend. Think of something you and your friends would really enjoy doing together.

Making the most of: your relationship

When was the last time you did something romantic with your partner? Summer gives the opportunity for fun and romance. So a walk along the beach at sunset, or sitting hand in hand in the garden on a warm summer’s evening, can be an ideal way to inject some romance into your relationship.

And if you’re more action oriented, use the evenings to undertake projects together with your other half. Everything from gardening through to painting the living room can be more fun done as a couple. Many people find that achieving a goal together with their partner brings them closer together.

Making the most of: your family

Most kids love summer. So use the summer to build up some good memories for the children in your family – whether it’s your children, grandchildren, or niece and nephew. Here are two memorable ideas you can do for free:

Stay up late to watch a meteor shower

The Perseids are visible from mid-July each year, with the greatest activity between 8 and 14 August. During the peak, meteors flash across the sky at about one a minute. The best way to see meteors is on a moonless night, away from streetlights. Activity starts slowly in the evening but picks up by 11 pm.

Go back in time

There are a number of TV documentaries about life in the early 20th century. Watch one as a family, and then try to live like that for a day. No TV. No Internet. No phones. No electric lights. See if you can borrow a camp stove or barbecue instead of a modern oven, and cook a meal where you have to prepare all the ingredients. (You might want to make a concession about the indoor flushing toilet, though!)

Whatever you do this summer, remember, it’ll fly by. Winter will come soon enough – so resolve to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.