I’m far from being a green fingered gardening goddess, but one thing I do absolutely love is being out in the garden when the sun is shining.

I think most of us are the same aren’t we?

There’s just something about being outside and watching the kids play outside too which really warms my cockles! I’ve realised just how good it is for my soul and so because we don’t get as much decent weather as perhaps we’d wish for, I’m trying to make the most of the better weather as we enter the summer months.

As a family we’re lucky enough to have a lovely and pretty much private garden (when we came to view the house, it was the garden that clinched it for us!) and recently, as the weather has bucked it’s ideas up a bit, I’ve been spending more and more time outside in it.

I’ve been gardening (yep, I can’t quite believe that either) but also thinking about how I can improve our outdoor space both for the kids and for me and Jamie too, without employing a gardener or using gardening services!

For a number of years now, I’ve admired beautiful gardens and have lost count of how many lovely images and gardening articles I’ve pinned on Pinterest but this year finally, is the year I’m trying to get my act together and use the brilliant inspiration I’ve found online, to help me spruce up our garden.

Boring bits aside – yep mowing, weeding and trimming, I’m talking to you – I’ve decided what our garden really needs right now is lots of lovely lights, decorations and a dedicated kids area to really bring it to life.

There’s heaps of fairy lights all over the place to buy at the moment which is great, but I came across lots of fantastic ones on Lionshome that I think will work brilliantly. When the sun is out, we get sunshine all day in our garden, so I’m thinking that solar powered lights should be perfect for our needs and have already got my eyes on lots of fairy string lights and some solar hanging bulbs too.

I don’t think you can have ever have too many fairy lights can you? So I may go a bit wild and throw some lights over a few of our shrubs and bushes, wrap them around the trunks of a couple of trees and hang some down our garage wall to lighten up the place. (Jamie is gonna love me!)

As far as decorations are concerned, to be honest I’m not really sure what I’m after, but we have two huge trees in our garden – a holly tree and a magnolia – which I think would look extra lovely with a few items hanging from their branches. Perhaps a wind chime (or are they annoying?) or some hanging tea light holders. If you’ve got any ideas or recommendations please do let me know!

And finally as far as the kids go, I’m currently trying to rope in Jamie to build them a little mud kitchen and am thinking of creating a proper little fairy garden somewhere with Elsie whilst she’s still young enough to enjoy it.

Gardens. They’re magic places aren’t they? Here’s hoping we get lots of lovely sunshine to enjoy them this summer.