THERE are some tell-tale signs that summer has arrived.

Firstly, the schools break up and you suddenly find yourself with kids lolling around the house, in search of constant food supplies and playing Taylor Swift at volume 11 – most distracting for the poor parent who works from home.

Secondly, visitors arrive in the hope of some Cornish sun. While it’s always lovely to see one’s friends/family, I’m afraid my powers do not extend to organising good weather, and this has been in short supply of late.

Last Wednesday, I took a day off to ferry Daughter and Friend to the north coast for a Nice Day Out. Daughter fell in love with Constantine Bay during her Duke of Edinburgh expedition, in beautiful weather; and the A39 Atlantic Highway was ranked seventh (harsh) in a poll of the UK’s most scenic driving routes by rental-car company Europcar.

A few days earlier, the forecast had promised wall-to-wall blue skies; the reality on the day was grey, grey, grey. Daughter was distraught. “We can’t swim in this,” she wailed. “When it is swimming weather, you’re always busy.”

I told her to stop being such a wuss and get her cossie on. Truth be told, I didn’t feel like swimming myself, but knew I would have to pull on my big girl pants under the circumstances.

The swimming area was minuscule, the red and yellow lifeguard flags placed close together at the furthest end of the beach. The water was choppy, and we went for the briefest of dips, trying to dodge the bodyboarders. I was grateful for the presence of the RNLI, who announced shortly after we got out that swimmers should go no further than waist deep due to conditions.

We headed into Padstow, which was as heaving as any Cornish town or city on a miserable summer’s day. Having previously dismissed it “mainstream” (the ultimate put-down), Daughter was quickly seduced by the books and boho fashions served up by Padstow’s quirky independent shops.

On Friday, it was the other half’s turn to entertain offspring and guest while I worked. He was alarmed to discover that despite most of the schools being closed, almost every tourist attraction that sprang to mind was closed on Fridays, or treated Sunday as the start of the summer holidays.

Having discarded three options, he plumped for St Michael’s Mount, only to discover National Trust members needed to book entry online, and the only time slot available involved booking a water taxi as well. He followed me around, recounting every single webpage he landed on, each minute detail required, with sighs ever more lugubrious.

They finally left two hours later. Friend is more of a morning person than any of us, and I’m sure he wonders at how much of the day we squander, rather than doing the sensible thing and organising it all the night before.

Perhaps my life will be turned around by a new, Cornish-born app. MyCoast aims to give beachgoers all the information they need for a safe day out on the Cornish coast. Simply fill in your preferred activities and specific needs — family-friendly, dogs allowed, accessible facilities — before selecting amenities such as parking, toilets or refreshments; the app’s search engine will factor in the weather, water quality, sea conditions and specific water safety parameters before displaying those beaches best suited to your criteria.

I’ll give it a whirl very soon, but in the meantime, here’s a digest of summer advice, both useful and tangential, that’s been landing in my inbox of late.

Top of the pile is summertime skincare. Skin cancer rates in Cornwall are among the UK’s highest, and almost three quarters of the rate in Australia. Prevention is key: wear a hat and sunglasses, and use high SPF sun cream with broad protection for UVA and UVB (better still, cover up). I had a malignant mole removed from my thigh two years ago, and now live by the Cornwall NHS mantra of “cream on top”.

Elsewhere, RoSPA exhorts you to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning while camping (check your equipment, take an audible CO alarm and don’t bring barbecues or generators into your tent), while Continental begs you to check your tyres before long journeys.

Beauty and wellness marketplace Fresha offers advice on how to prevent dry and frizzy hair (in short, conditioner and UV spray); and if you’re stuck at home, Ripe Motorhomes have created a new car air freshener called Smell of the Open Road, which bottles the essence of summer road trips including notes such as salty sea air, smoky bonfires, rainfall and damp blankets.

And, drum roll, please: Britain’s favourite ice cream flavour is revealed as…vanilla. Anyone who voted for it should visit Jelbert’s in Newlyn, which serves the very best vanilla in the land — and nothing else.