Holiday at home

As we all know, a bit of decent weather in the UK is something to be celebrated, coming along so rarely as it does. So whether you're planning a trip abroad this year or not, here are a few ideas for making the most of it when the sun shines in the UK.

Pool. A summer holiday isn't complete without a pool to lounge next to and take a dip in when you get a bit too hot, and there's no reason your garden in the UK should be any different. If you don't fancy having one installed for the two weeks a year you'd use it, you can hire large inflatable pools and slides for your garden, suitable for keeping both children and adults cool and entertained.

Garden games. You can't beat having a get together in the garden while the weather's good and you could inject a bit of holiday fun with some garden games - a football goal or trampoline would keep the kids happy or you could go little more sophisticated with a croquet set, giant Connect Four or even archery.

Mini-festival. Remember how much fun camping in the garden was when you were a kid? Well the magic hasn't been lost on the next generation! If you've got the space, you could get a group together for a mini-festival in the garden, and even recruit a friend's band to provide the live music!

Garden Olympics. Inspired by the efforts of Team GB? Next time the sun comes out why not hold your own garden Olympics! You could allocated countries beforehand so everyone knows what colours to wear and arrange a few events to get the competitive spirit going. You can use anything you've already got to create the events, from frisbees and footballs to trampolines and bikes. And don't forget to award the medals at the end!

Date: 02/08/2012