1. Make an Annual Bucket List

I’ve never been very good at New Year’s resolutions but spring seems like the perfect time to change up routines, blow away the cobwebs and start life anew. Over Easter I met a newly engaged couple who had an annual bucket list: a list of things they wanted to achieve together. I think it’s a brilliant idea. Why not each make a list and then swap? Circle the things on your partner’s list that speak to you and then combine. First thing on my list? Swim in Lake Geneva – yes, ten years and I still haven’t!

2. Sort Your Outdoor Space

Now that the snow is melting fast and the temperatures are suddenly soaring, we can finally think about the garden. We spent last Sunday tidying things up, harvesting the last of the parsnips – yes they really did last all winter – and putting the garden chairs back together from their winter in the loft. A few hours of cursing and we can now enjoy the weather with a post-work cuppa. Even if you only have a small balcony, now is the time to sweep off the dust and make it an easy, relaxing place to sit as the days get longer. It will feel like the holidays on a warm spring evening.

3. Plant Something

With the weather warming up and the mountain slope opposite avalanching it must be time to get some new plants growing. We both love fresh veg and salad so the first things in the ground are carrots, some spicy cut-and-come-again salad leaves and (of course) parsnips. Covered over with a fleece, as much to keep the cats out as to keep the frost off fingers crossed for some wonderful homegrown produce. If you don’t feel very green-fingered, why not get some ready-grown veg or herbs for the balcony. Fresh herbs are great in all meals and you can tailor yours to your favourite dishes.

4. Take a Hike

There’s still too much snow here to hike without ‘gear’ but it’s a perfect time to be down by Lac Léman, at the Grangettes nature reserve or along the Rhône. Dust off those boots and pack a gourmet picnic for a leisurely Sunday stroll. I always find hiking to be more social than skiing, with longer conversations and more time to dream together. By the end of the day we’ve travelled the world and lived several different lives. For some great spring hikes check out the My Switzerland guide.

5. Plan the Summer

With my other half off all summer for the school holidays and me at my busiest it’s easy to make the kind of lists that make him groan. Things to be fixed, cleared and cleaned. Long, back-breaking boring jobs that I can’t do without him. So think of this list as the alternative holidays list: list of fun things that need to be done just as much as mowing the lawn. Some of the things on our Switzerland activities list this year are: go up the Jungfrau, hike over to Derborence and fly our kite at the top of the Chaux Ronde.

6. Have a half and half day

He loves running, cycling, mountain biking; I love art, photography, reading. You know the story, I want to go to the latest photography exhibit in Geneva and he wants to ride to Sion. Take a half and half day. Flip for who gets the morning and lunch, and the other gets the afternoon and dinner. Then choose a location that will work for both of you and share in your other half’s passion.

7. Make Something

I will admit that not all of the things we have made together have stood the test of time, or even really made it into place – water feature version 3 coming this summer! But it is a good test of teamwork and patience. It will remind you of the things you love and hate about each other. And it doesn’t matter if it ends up as firewood at the end of the day. Hone those communication skills and learn to talk to each other. Remember it can be super easy: a bookcase, an outdoor planter, unusual frames, even something like bread or pasta. Just do it together.

8. Take Up a New Activity

Last year, fed up with not being able to keep up with my husband at running, cycling (I don’t do hills) or skiing I decided we should both learn to roller blade. This was something I should be good at, after all I can ice skate and was nifty on the old-fashioned 80s roller skates (navy blue with rainbows). Switzerland has a great network of rollerblading paths and we love the trail by the side of the Rhône in Aigle, great for coffee or lunch at the UCI World Cycle Centre. Of course he’s better than me but not that much better, and it’s still great exercise as my aching legs will tell you. There are still more hills than you would imagine, but it is Switzerland. Why not take up painting, woodwork, yoga? Try something new that neither of you have ever done before.

9. Start a New Routine

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and find that moving from home to work to weekend just seems the same month to month. So why not shake it up in the spring. Take a look at the routines you’ve gotten into and make a change. If you do date nights, are you always going to the same places? What about Sundays, how might you inject some energy into the lazy day of the week? Mid Sunday morning is our favourite time to go swimming. The pool tends to be quieter as the keen swimmers have been and gone and the families are heading back for lunch. With the new Villars Spa open it could be a fabulous new Sunday routine.

10. Go stargazing

This might be one for the couples annual bucket list but I like it so much it gets its own number. We are incredibly lucky with where we live, when it gets dark the stars come out and there is very little light pollution to distract. Even if you can’t just go out in the garden, find a couple of thick blankets, some flasks of hot chocolate and head out of town. Spring is perfect for star gazing as the evenings are not too late, the air is clear and cold but warmer than the winter. You could even make your own telescope. A great chance to dream and just spend some time together without the television and technology.

I hope you’ve been inspired by these top ten things to do as a couple in spring. Let me know what you get up to via Facebook or Instagram. Some of these would make fabulous ideas for a couple’s photo shoot. I would love to capture the two of you learning to roller blade or taking an evening hike to go star gazing. Get in touch if that sounds like a great way to make memories.