If you haven't been to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival this weekend, stop reading and head on over to Piedmont Park to enjoy this traditional right-of-passage into spring for Atlanta. This annual art and food market has returned to Piedmont Park after being displaced last year during our infamous drought.

It’s Spring! The morning is all beautiful blue sky, bright sunshine, slight breeze and it’s 15ºC by 8AM. For the first days of September the weather god has put a sparkle in the air, zest on the breeze and got the birds out filling the surrounds with song… Well, it is song if you can describe the cacophony of magpie warbles, cockatoo squawks, kookaburra laughs as song.

People on the road as I head for work are cheerful and polite – I double check to make sure I’m in Melbourne – so I guess the lovely day is getting to them as well.

One of the highlights of summer in Amsterdam is enjoying the beautiful weather and being able to do stuff outside. Outdoor activities don't have to be limited to the daytime; the Vondelpark features outdoor (free!) entertainment every weekend during the high summer season. This upcoming weekend is the last of the summer season, so now is your chance to enjoy this free entertainment on a beautiful Amsterdam summer night.

In Amsterdam, there's nothing that the locals enjoy more than visiting a terrace for an afternoon beer or a morning coffee. Fortunately, there are so many cafes in Amsterdam who offer outdoor seating that the options are virtually limitless. If you'd like to experience this typically Amsterdam activity, try it many times at different cafes, you'll find that each terrace is shockingly different from the last one you went to.