It’s easy to love late summer and autumn on clear days, when there’s just a hint of a chill in the morning and evening air, but we’ve had plenty and dampness lately and seem likely to get some more! Hopefully we’ll also get some warm sunshine in September, but if like us you’re a bit sick of rain, here’s a few ideas for making the most out of wet weather days:

Warm lighting

It might be too warm for a fire on many wet September days, but we can still evoke a similar atmosphere by lighting some candles and turning on table lamps. Wet days are usually also dark, so instead of trying to dispel that with harsh overhead lighting, this softer approach makes a home feel cosy and inviting on an otherwise driech afternoon. And we have some fabulous Perthshire candle makers, such as Scents of the Wild and Fenwick Candles.

Read a book

Books are an obvious choice when it comes to things to do at home! We have some amazingly talented authors in Perthshire producing a wide variety of work. I recently reviewed and enjoyed Anna’s Promise by Pauline Tait, or if non-fiction is your thing, how about A Scottish Wildlife Odyssey by Keith Broomfield.

Make something

There’s nothing quite like settling down for a creative few hours on a rainy weekend, and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards is so much better than if we just watch telly all afternoon (although a bit of that is fine of course!) Check out our recent recipe for sloe gin if you’d like some kitchen inspiration, or do some drawing, painting, knitting, scrapbooking etc.

Comfort food

One of the things we most enjoy as we head into autumn is the warm, spiced, stodgy food! A mug of soup with crusty bread, coffee with a cinnamon roll, and hot buttered toast and tea. Bliss. Or even, if it’s a bit later in the day, whisky and chocolate.

Embrace the rain

Just because it’s not pleasant to go out doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the rain. Sometimes all it takes is a change of attitude on our part. When we think about it, the sound of falling rain is actually very soothing. We can enjoy the feeling of being cosy and dry while it cascades down outside. We can watch the raindrops running down the windows and even mentally race them against each other if we want to recapture some childhood memories. Or, for the really brave, just go out and splash in the puddles. And then do the next suggestion…

Take a long bath

Sometimes we can’t just stay curled up at home in a huge jumper when the weather’s bad. We might have had to go to work, run errands or walk the dog. Maybe we’ve even deliberately been out for a splash, as (tentatively) suggested in the previous paragraph. If that’s the case, we are probably feeling a bit damp, chilled and uncomfortable. But the beauty of that is that’s it’s so nice to get comfy again! Take a long hot bath or shower, put some fleecy pjs on and go pour yourself a beverage of your choice.

Of course, don’t forget that there’s also an abundance of museums, libraries, cafes, art galleries and cinemas if you’re looking to get out and about. But for staying home, these are our favourite rainy day activities. What’s yours?