Don’t be bored! 5 free things to do on Bank Holiday Monday

Okay so it’s Bank Holiday Monday and inevitably many of us will not have been lucky enough to grab a quick getaway for the long weekend – and are stuck in a what-the-hell-do-I-do to mark the extra day off syndrome.

Right, well, have no fear because if times are a little tight and you just haven’t been able to jet across to the Seychelles or even down to Kerry, here are a list of tips to keep it real on this extra day off.

1. Make lunch for the family…okay so technically it’s lunch-time already and you might not have been long out of bed…but go on do it.  Prepare a roast dinner and get a cheap bottle of plonk and off you go.  The whole family will be smiling come 4 pm.

2.  Feeling a little lost on this extra day off?  Go for a long walk in the countryside.  We are lucky enough in Ireland to have green pastures just a few miles from almost all urban areas.  So, take advantage of them today.  They are free and beautiful.  We aren’t charged for oxygen just yet. Just remember to wear rain gear or take an extra large brolly!

3.  Spend time with the kids, the grandkids.  Just drawing, playing with the dolls or telling stories will fill your life up with that badly needed sunshine.  Switch the iPads, TVs and computers off for a while today and spend time doing the things that matter.  Laughing with children can be the best tonic of all.

4.  Spend time with the elderly.  If you have elderly parents, grandparents, relatives or even neighbours who are alone today – yes, it is yet another lonely time for many.  Pop in and have some tea and cake with them.  Spend at least half an hour to an hour with someone older today who might like your company.

5. Read or write.  Too many of us get lost in a bubble of going to the DIY store, going on a drinking binge or blowing money we don’t have shopping on extra days off.  Save the cents and use good sense by operating the noggin a little more….wanted to start reading or writing that novel?  Start today.  And hey, put the iPad down for a while.  Get the actual book off the book shelf or put pen to paper to draft some ideas and then tap away on the computer.  Who knows, this time next year, you might have your own self-published thriller online.