If I could close my eyes and spend the summer anywhere, I know just where I’d go.
There’d be no grand itineraries or whirlwind tours. No rush. No fuss. Just a winding lane, a gate that sticks a little when you open it, and a cottage nestled in the green with ivy climbing the stone walls and a proper name like Rose Cottage or Thistlewick End on a weathered sign near the door.
Because in my daydreams, it’s always the English countryside.
I’d start each day in a quiet, slightly drafty kitchen where the kettle sings first thing and the windows look out over garden beds buzzing with bees. Breakfast would be simple, maybe a slice of toast with proper English marmalade, strong tea in a china cup, and strawberries fresh from a roadside stand. The kind of breakfast that encourages lingering. A little reading. A little staring out the window while the cat naps in a patch of sun.
The walls might be a bit uneven, the shelves lined with old pottery, and the air carrying the soft scent of lavender from the garden just beyond the door.
Once the morning slows to a comfortable pace, I’d lace up my boots (or let’s be honest, slip into something less practical but far prettier) and wander. There would be hedgerows and footpaths, a gentle stream, and the occasional stile to climb over. I’d pass cottages with roses spilling over fences and maybe stop at a little stone churchyard to read the names on the old markers, just to imagine the stories.
I wouldn’t rush. The whole point would be to meander, to follow the sound of the birds or chase the scent of something blooming. Maybe find a hidden spot for a picnic and let time go soft around the edges.
Fridays would be for the village market, of course. I’d carry a woven basket on my arm like I’d always lived that way and gather whatever looked good .. gooseberries, local cheese, a crusty loaf wrapped in paper. I’d chat with the flower stall lady and take home something that smells like summer.
Later, I might wander into a secondhand bookshop or a dusty antiques shop and find some little thing that once belonged to someone else’s story, like a pressed flower in a book or a tiny teacup with a chip that makes it more endearing.
Evenings would drift in gently. Maybe I’d sit out in the garden with a blanket over my knees, sipping something warm while the sun lingers just a little too long over the hills. There’d be candles lit inside, perhaps a cozy cardigan, and the comforting clink of dishes being washed after a simple supper.
And once the light fades? A British mystery novel, an old radio show, or something soft playing in the background while I write a letter or press a few wildflowers between the pages of my journal.
There wouldn’t be any big attractions to check off or social calendars to keep. Just the lovely, ordinary magic of everyday life lived slowly and well.
And while I might not be spending my summer in the English countryside, I like to think I can borrow some of its charm right here at home. Maybe it’s a pot of tea in the afternoon, a slow walk with no destination, or fresh flowers by the sink just because.
Maybe it’s the way we choose to live, wherever we are, that makes a season feel beautiful.
If you’re dreaming too…
Would you spend your ideal summer in the English countryside too? Or are you more of a seaside in Cornwall, London in the rain, or Scotland in the heather kind of person?
Let me know below, and keep an eye out for my Little British Summer at Home guide coming soon, filled with simple ideas to bring a touch of countryside charm to wherever you are.
Because romanticizing the everyday? That’s always in season.
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