Last year it seemed that spring would never come as the freezing cold persisted deep into March. This year we have spent months looking out of the window wondering if it would ever stop raining.

But at last it has stopped, the sun is shining and I feel a renewed sense of vigour washing over me. Daffodils are blooming, there is blossom on the trees and the world is born anew.

Every morning on the way to school I point these things out to the children, who are now at the age where they are gaining an understanding of how the seasons and the calendar work. They are also excited by the arrival of spring because it means more outdoor play, trips to the park and other outings. We are also eagerly awaiting the arrival of some very special visitors. Our house in Bicester backs directly on to the river Bure and every year around this time a family of ducks returns for a few weeks and we can feed them directly from our garden.

I always vow to spend more time outside during the summer, then feel once autumn arrives that I haven’t made the most of it. Working from home means that I spend a lot of time on the computer in my office. I’ve tried taking the laptop outside but the glare on the screen is so bright I cannot see what I am doing.

This year I am determined not to waste the summer so I’ve been working over the last week or two on setting myself up an outside office.

I’ve spent the last week putting up a new fence – the last one was destroyed in the winter storms, repainting some very weather-beaten wooden furniture and installing a brand new gazebo.

I’ve got this right next to the house, where I have an exterior power socket. It’s waterproof and has attachable sides to make it like a small marquee.

With my newly restored table in the middle, it’s an ideal exterior office, with just enough fresh air and sunshine to make it feel like I’m outdoors but enough shade so that I can still see the screen. Now I just have to keep out the wasps.

I am not sure if I will get much work done when the kids are around though. The latest obsession of the kids is Doctor Who, something they have inherited from me. I bought Ollie the Doctor Who Essential Guide for Christmas, and he can now tell anyone who is interested (and plenty who aren’t) the names of all the stories, monsters and the characters right back to 1963.

Jamie, being a little younger, just likes running around being a dalek and exterminating everyone.

As soon as the new gazebo went up and the table went in the middle it was instantly identified by the kids as their “Tardis”, so my new office has already been taken over by them. It seems I shall be using it during school hours only!

Jason Ayres is a Bicester-based writer.

You can catch up with his latest thoughts on Twitter @AusterityDad