Maybe you’re off school, maybe you’re retired or maybe you’re just trying to skive a few precious days off work, either way, the summer is here. So with warm days and browning tans a-plenty, here’s a slightly different guide, a bit more unique, a bit more mind-blowing; let us give you ten reasons why the indoor life has all the flair, all the enjoyment as the outside variety. So sit back and let us take you through a run down of ten reasons to stay in this summer.

No 1. HDTV (High Definition Television)… pity it costs so much

HDTV is the big thing this summer, and sales of televisions equipped with it have soared through the roof. For the layman’s amongst us (including yours truly), it’s television, but better. HDTV uses a far higher resolution than normal TV, which means there are more pixels on screen and hence, more information… It’s really very simple so if you are interested in it, try popping down to a local electrical store and asking about it. However, only certain TVs can do HDTV, and they’re blooming expensive, also, you need a set-top-box installing and as of now, only some programmes run in HDTV. So while it looks nice and pretty, it can be a real pain to set up.

No 2. Bring the silver screen to the small screen

Leading straight on from HDTV, is our run-down of the top DVD releases this summer. Why spend time getting ready to go to the cinema, when you could just pop into your local video store and pick up a cheap rental for a quiet night in. Some favourites for the summer, have to be Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban (released in late July), Goodnight and Good Luck (released in late June) and our personal favourite, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ which is out now. See, brilliant films in your very own living room!

No 3. What’s so good about a tan?

So you want to go sunbath, you want to go abroad and sit on a beach all day, baking in the hot summer heat. Why put yourself through such UV-inflicted pain when you could just use one of the many wondrous fake-tan products out there! Ok so maybe it isn’t the newest product out there, but fake tans are far safer than constant exposure to the sun, and pretty much do the same thing. Also, if you ARE planning a weekend away to somewhere in the UK, remember the unpredictable British weather! See, all the more reason to stay indoors!

4. The World Cup… and television in general

Failed to get tickets for the World Cup? Don’t worry, because television is your savoir. It’s pretty hard to forget about the World Cup, to pretend it isn’t happening, so instead of burying your head in a sea of work while it’s on, why not try and embrace the nation’s national past-time! The World Cup is well under way, but doesn’t finish until the 10th July, a hefty amount of time for you to love the world’s biggest sporting event. The World Cup isn’t the only event on this summer though; Wimbledon, Athletics and Cricket will all be covered by all the main channels, so you won’t miss a thing.

 Of course, if you’re a television-lover but aren’t a fan of sport (and really can’t be swayed) then there’s always Big Brother. Indeed, with the usual concoction of back-stabbing, eccentrically unique characters and distinctly evil twists in the air, Big Brother is back on form once more. However, for those of you with more “eloquent” tastes than Big Brother can provide. Why not try checking out hit US drama Lost (10pm, Tuesdays, C4), and watch how the survivors start to learn more about the mysterious island they find themselves marooned on. Then there’s the BBC Proms, starting on the 14th July and taking you right through to the end of summer on the 9th September. See, all the bases covered!

No 5. Cook it your way

I can’t cook, and when I mean I can’t cook, I mean I struggle endlessly to actually cut bread (it always just seems to fall to pieces). There are many like me, so if you too find yourself confused by the slightest bit of microwave instructions on the back of your meal-for-one, or you’re constantly belittled by your other half as all you manage to do is peel the potatos when he/she’s cooking the whole Sunday roast. Why not have a crack at actually learning then! If you’ve a few weeks to spare this summer, try ditching the unhealthy takeaways and instead try whipping up nice and easy dinners for your new health-conscious lifestyle. Pasta isn’t too hard, maybe try that first? Or, if you’re truly as bad as me, really spend time thinking what you’re doing wrong with the knife and the bread. Seriously, I must be doing something crucially wide of the mark, I feel like a ten-year-old trying to master and understand the inner-workings of the clutch on a car…

No 6. Throw a party

BBQs in the pouring rain are no fun, why not invite friends and work colleagues alike to your house, to show of the wonderful job you’ve done redecorating it (see point 9…). There are all kinds of parties you could do, how about fancy dress where everyone has to come as what they wanted to be as a kid (Chewbacca for me then). Or how about a sleep-in party, where you all have to bring sleeping bags and pack as many people into the front room and move to each other via the medium of “fidgeting”. There are all manners of parties that work brilliantly from the comfort of your very own home!

No7.  Pimp-my-PC

To start with, we don’t actually recommend pimping your PC per-se, with stuff like neon lights, that’d just be silly. However, there are numerous things you could do if you’ve a bit of spare time and the rain keeps pouring outside. How about decorating your computer for the summer? Maybe a few flowers stuck on the monitor with blue-tac? Or, how about making your CD tray look like a tongue by sticking some novelty googly-eyes above it!? There are of course, more sensible things you could do with your PC. How about cleaning the whole thing out and wiping down dust-ridden wires that have been lost in a sea of untidiness. On the computer you could try organising all your files, making new flashy folders, maybe even buying new parts for your computer! The possibilities are truly endless…if you can be bothered.

No 8. Use your garage…

If you own a garage, I bet it’s messy, and I bet it’s rarely used. Garages are one of those things that just don’t seem as popular as they once where, instead being left to wallow in a bygone age when ‘hippy kids’ used to have sleepover parties in them. This summer, why not “pimp” your garage in whatever way you want. Our personal favourite is a money-saving refit, by creating your own gym! Why spend hundreds of pounds a year going to a professional place with all those strange people looking at you, when you could be doing it within the comfort of your very own home! A good ‘weights package will set you back around £300, but bear in mind other members of the family could use it, and the membership price at your local gym will quickly be sounding really rather steep. Worth a thought at least!

No 9. Redecorate the rest of the house

There are so many programmes out there telling us to redecorate for “half the price”, why not finally give some of them a go! How about using ten year old paint found when cleaning out your garage (in our last point) and go wild on your bathroom walls. Or how about getting art students to throw paint at your bedroom wall in the blind hope of creating “modern art”, or, if you’re really ambitious, maybe you could try making some new furniture with some firewood you were saving for Bonfire Night! Redecorating is fun, but redecorating on a budget of nothing is even more hilariously silly.

No 10. Spend some quality partner-time

Instead of jetting off to far away lands to bake on skin-filled-beaches, why not take up a skill, or learn more about the one you love. How about learning a language together or actually making a proper cooked dinner for each other instead of eating micro-waved junk! A friend of mine once gave his girlfriend items (like on Ready Steady Cook) and she had to make a dinner from them, apparently it was one of the funniest nights they’ve ever had. Failing that, how about attempting to do any of the above nine points, together! So whether you’re spraying paint over the walls of your otherwise beautiful bedroom, acting like a deranged snake in one of our suggested ‘sleep-in’ parties or desperately trying to figure out what “two beers please” is in Japanese, why not give at least one of the above points a go before you jump the UK ship and head to a sun-bathed land far far away. You never know, you might just surprise yourself! Now then, where’s that Chewbacca costume…