| Hobbies 16:02 - Aug 25 with 17104 views | Match82 |
Bear with me a little here.
With everything that's been going on in the last year I've decided that I need to pick up a hobby, just to keep my sanity. I'm struggling to think of something that I really LOVE though, something which would give me something to look forward to on tough or stressful days.
So I'm reaching out to the wonderful people on this board for suggestions. What hobbies or activities have you picked up that you'd recommend? I know this kind of thing depends on what activities I enjoy but that's kind of the point, I have no idea what might be out there that I've never thought of so I'm trying to keep an open mind!
I'm in the US so "going to watch QPR" isn't a realistic option much as I'd like it to be!
Not sure if it matters but I'm about to hit the big 4-0 if that makes any difference to suggestions... |  | | |  |
| Hobbies on 08:28 - Aug 26 with 3167 views | Konk |
Cycling. Great for physical fitness and your mental health. I quickly got to the point where I would have a quiet Friday/Saturday night, so I could get up at six the following day and either go riding for a few hours or with friends. I’ve never joined a cycling club, but know people who have, and for them it’s been a great way of meeting people, discovering routes etc. |  |
| Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts |
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| Hobbies on 08:42 - Aug 26 with 3142 views | distortR |
| Hobbies on 00:06 - Aug 26 by loftboy |
Yep, I was in the North Sea yesterday, very invigorating |
Hadn't been properly in the sea for years, although my boxing son often goes in before work. But I saw the wonderful film "My octopus teacher", and a bit in there struck a chord - it's cold where the narrator is, but he says that once you get in, you get 15 minutes of lovely swimming. So I took that to heart, I like to walk the dog on our remoter, beautiful beaches, I wear shorts, so when the mood takes me I get in for a swim. Wonderful, but I do have to occasionally fish out a drowning poodle and return him to land. Foo. |  | | |
| Hobbies on 08:46 - Aug 26 with 3131 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Hobbies on 08:42 - Aug 26 by distortR |
Hadn't been properly in the sea for years, although my boxing son often goes in before work. But I saw the wonderful film "My octopus teacher", and a bit in there struck a chord - it's cold where the narrator is, but he says that once you get in, you get 15 minutes of lovely swimming. So I took that to heart, I like to walk the dog on our remoter, beautiful beaches, I wear shorts, so when the mood takes me I get in for a swim. Wonderful, but I do have to occasionally fish out a drowning poodle and return him to land. Foo. |
That film was mental! But also great! |  | | |
| Hobbies on 08:47 - Aug 26 with 3127 views | distortR |
| Hobbies on 08:46 - Aug 26 by BazzaInTheLoft |
That film was mental! But also great! |
When my son suggested it, I balked at the title.
Best thing I've seen for years. | | | |
| Hobbies on 09:15 - Aug 26 with 3107 views | dmm |
| Hobbies on 08:42 - Aug 26 by distortR |
Hadn't been properly in the sea for years, although my boxing son often goes in before work. But I saw the wonderful film "My octopus teacher", and a bit in there struck a chord - it's cold where the narrator is, but he says that once you get in, you get 15 minutes of lovely swimming. So I took that to heart, I like to walk the dog on our remoter, beautiful beaches, I wear shorts, so when the mood takes me I get in for a swim. Wonderful, but I do have to occasionally fish out a drowning poodle and return him to land. Foo. |
My Octopus Teacher is an extraordinary documentary that changes how you understand other animals. |  | | |
| Hobbies on 09:22 - Aug 26 with 3103 views | Devon_4_England |
Rock Paper Scissors âœ‚ï¸ [Post edited 26 Aug 2021 9:25]
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| Hobbies on 09:48 - Aug 26 with 3072 views | hovehoop |
| Hobbies on 08:28 - Aug 26 by Konk |
Cycling. Great for physical fitness and your mental health. I quickly got to the point where I would have a quiet Friday/Saturday night, so I could get up at six the following day and either go riding for a few hours or with friends. I’ve never joined a cycling club, but know people who have, and for them it’s been a great way of meeting people, discovering routes etc. |
Can vouch for that. Likewise abstaining from booze the night before a ride. And have also spoiled a few rides from having a few too many the night before. Can recommend a bike computer. There are loads to choose from and mine is a Garmin 530. I downloaded all the routes from local cycling club and the computer is basically sat nav for a bike so I've discovered these beautiful routes and villages I didn't previously know were there. And the sat nav obviously extends your range because you don't necessarily have to know the route beforehand. | | | |
| Hobbies on 09:51 - Aug 26 with 3067 views | hovehoop |
| Hobbies on 19:07 - Aug 25 by TGRRRSSS |
Apparently cold water swimming is very good for you. |
It's popular in this neck of woods. A womens group called the Salty Seabirds go in year round. | | | |
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| Hobbies on 10:43 - Aug 26 with 3036 views | Airtomoreira |
Geocaching. Minimal cost (can open an account at geocaching.com for free, and download a free app. £25 per annum to go Premium member if you get the bug - which you will)
What's geocaching? If you know what orienteering is, think of that (running entirely optional, and probably very rare!), using GPS technology to find objects hidden (sometimes very creatively / cunningly) all over the place, from city centres to wonderful walks in the countryside.
Gets you out and about, you'll discover many many places that you never knew existed, some of them practically on your doorstep. Give it a try. |  | | |
| Hobbies on 11:54 - Aug 26 with 2971 views | kropotkin41 |
Tai chi and qi gong is a good shout - find yourself a good teacher with a little bit of self defence experience and you can add that to the health giving benefits of tai chi chuan.
I play Go but I can't say it's relaxing. Challenging but not relaxing. I also play wargames - up late last night refighting the battle of Inkerman on the kitchen table with a mate. I've also played tabletop rpgs for the past 40 years.... Never too late to try your hand at D&D. |  |
| ‘morbid curiosity about where this is all going’ |
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| Hobbies on 11:57 - Aug 26 with 2963 views | MrSheen |
| Hobbies on 11:54 - Aug 26 by kropotkin41 |
Tai chi and qi gong is a good shout - find yourself a good teacher with a little bit of self defence experience and you can add that to the health giving benefits of tai chi chuan.
I play Go but I can't say it's relaxing. Challenging but not relaxing. I also play wargames - up late last night refighting the battle of Inkerman on the kitchen table with a mate. I've also played tabletop rpgs for the past 40 years.... Never too late to try your hand at D&D. |
D&D - it may have changed a bit since my brother used to drag me along 40 years ago, but I'm surprised that an anarchist plays a game that had a 3-volume rule book! |  | | |
| Hobbies on 13:27 - Aug 26 with 2929 views | PinnerPaul |
| Hobbies on 23:32 - Aug 25 by Match82 |
I did this! Qualified as a ref when I was 16 and living in the UK following in the old man's footsteps. Absolutely hated it! Didn't mine running the line as much but just wanted to get involved in the game if I was in the middle.
Thanks for all of (the other  ) suggestions. Lots to pick through! Golf is something Ive been putting off but keeps coming up. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet. |
Cheers - glad you at least gave it a go and can therefore appreciate the challenges faced by the officials. | | | |
| Hobbies on 15:31 - Aug 26 with 2867 views | Mick_S |
| Hobbies on 22:36 - Aug 25 by A40Bosh |
Par 5 8th hole is a killer.
I have considered climbing ropes and crampons. |
I’m going to take my time and just putt the b’stard and darn the score. |  |
| Did I ever mention that I was in Minder? |
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| Hobbies on 22:13 - Aug 26 with 2765 views | danehoop |
| Hobbies on 07:18 - Aug 26 by essextaxiboy |
I hadnt realised Ruislip had closed . great memories of Saturdays in the 70s driving over from Essex , playing Ruislip , back to my Dads brothers place for lunch then off to the Rangers . |
I was a member there from early 1980's as a teen, until early 2000's (when I realised that living in China was making it tricky to get back and play regularly). Was a nice little track and basically kept me out of trouble and gave me some really enjoyable years. Now having settled in sunny Epsom a few years back, there are no shortage of nice courses around me, but most are very expensive. Fortunately there is nice and inexpensive one close by with excellent driving range. I resisted for a few years, but couple of neighbours have also started to take up the game again, in part because of Covid, so that has made it a bit easier. Now trying to decide how serious I want to take this new found hobby - do I invest 600 quid in a new set of clubs? Not quite convinced yet, but enjoying the question. |  |
| Never knowingly understood |
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| Hobbies on 22:45 - Aug 26 with 2751 views | Benny_the_Ball |
| Hobbies on 22:36 - Aug 25 by A40Bosh |
Par 5 8th hole is a killer.
I have considered climbing ropes and crampons. |
That hole is affectionately known as 'Cardiac Arrest', and with good reason. If you don't start with a decent drive then it's literally and metaphorically an uphill struggle. It's so steep that many players skip 8 and 9 and just play 10 holes. |  | | |
| Hobbies on 23:09 - Aug 26 with 2724 views | essextaxiboy |
| Hobbies on 22:13 - Aug 26 by danehoop |
I was a member there from early 1980's as a teen, until early 2000's (when I realised that living in China was making it tricky to get back and play regularly). Was a nice little track and basically kept me out of trouble and gave me some really enjoyable years. Now having settled in sunny Epsom a few years back, there are no shortage of nice courses around me, but most are very expensive. Fortunately there is nice and inexpensive one close by with excellent driving range. I resisted for a few years, but couple of neighbours have also started to take up the game again, in part because of Covid, so that has made it a bit easier. Now trying to decide how serious I want to take this new found hobby - do I invest 600 quid in a new set of clubs? Not quite convinced yet, but enjoying the question. |
You can buy a real good quality set of older clubs for not much.Ping use their coloured dot system and there are.websites where you can put in your measurements and it will tell you which colour.fits you best along with any shaft length adjustments. I.use Ping G10 and its been good putting the zet together from E Bay and people.like Golfbidder..I p/ exed my Driver for a hybrid today .. I didnt tell them.that the driver is faulty and hits into trees and stuff .. [Post edited 26 Aug 2021 23:11]
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| Hobbies on 13:30 - Aug 27 with 2593 views | kropotkin41 |
| Hobbies on 11:57 - Aug 26 by MrSheen |
D&D - it may have changed a bit since my brother used to drag me along 40 years ago, but I'm surprised that an anarchist plays a game that had a 3-volume rule book! |
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| ‘morbid curiosity about where this is all going’ |
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| Hobbies on 15:04 - Aug 27 with 2505 views | A40Bosh |
| Hobbies on 23:09 - Aug 26 by essextaxiboy |
You can buy a real good quality set of older clubs for not much.Ping use their coloured dot system and there are.websites where you can put in your measurements and it will tell you which colour.fits you best along with any shaft length adjustments. I.use Ping G10 and its been good putting the zet together from E Bay and people.like Golfbidder..I p/ exed my Driver for a hybrid today .. I didnt tell them.that the driver is faulty and hits into trees and stuff .. [Post edited 26 Aug 2021 23:11]
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I had a driver that came with my Wilson box set and I found that it was faulty as it kept sending the ball into a big slice and ending up lost in the trees and rough.
So I bought a TaylorMade M6 driver back in June but this too has exactly the same fault as my previous driver - very strange!!!! |  |
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| Hobbies on 15:14 - Aug 27 with 2493 views | JPC |
| Hobbies on 16:53 - Aug 25 by MrSheen |
I would second the idea of online study, but you don’t have to commit to a degree. There are lots of free online video courses (search MOOCs or a site called edx), or you could pay for a course of between 5-8 weeks, which is a mix of online material, reading, and short written assignments, guided by a course tutor and group discussions. I did a fantastic one on the English Civil War from Oxford University’s Continuing Education department for about £300, open to absolutely anyone in the world. There’s lots of choice there and from other unis.
I’m currently studying Modern Greek in online courses from City Lit in London, about £200 for ten two hour lessons, with progression through about three years of study. Again, I’ve enjoyed it more than I imagined and the online format is great, there’s no way I would have looked forward to crossing town for two hours in a classroom after work on a Friday, but cracking open the first drink of the weekend at the mid class break at home has become a lovely ritual. Class resumes in a few weeks after I get back from test-driving my new knowledge in Crete next week.
A few sites...
https://www.edx.org/search?tab=course
https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/online-courses
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch/ [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 17:08]
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Thirded - did a Open University course in Photography. Great learning, but also forced me to really get out and about and notice the world around me | | | |
| Hobbies on 15:15 - Aug 27 with 2493 views | Mick_S |
| Hobbies on 15:04 - Aug 27 by A40Bosh |
I had a driver that came with my Wilson box set and I found that it was faulty as it kept sending the ball into a big slice and ending up lost in the trees and rough.
So I bought a TaylorMade M6 driver back in June but this too has exactly the same fault as my previous driver - very strange!!!! |
That’s so weird. Mine goes really straight. And far. | |
| Did I ever mention that I was in Minder? |
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| Hobbies on 16:02 - Aug 27 with 2450 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Hobbies on 15:15 - Aug 27 by Mick_S |
That’s so weird. Mine goes really straight. And far. |
Mine goes into the cupboard under the stairs. |  |
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| Hobbies on 16:20 - Aug 27 with 2432 views | Cliff |
| Hobbies on 11:57 - Aug 26 by MrSheen |
D&D - it may have changed a bit since my brother used to drag me along 40 years ago, but I'm surprised that an anarchist plays a game that had a 3-volume rule book! |
As for Crete if you hire a car to get about, I recommend a day at Lake Kournas, it's a fresh water lake with a number of eateries dotted around the edge if you have lunch or even an occasional beverage you can use their sunbeds for free. They also have peddle boat for hire and you can also swim in the lake.
I've heard Samara Gorge can get crowded, when I went I stayed in the south of the island in Frangokastillo, there is a gorge nearby called Impros Gorge. The best way to do this is to drive down to Komitades at the end of the Gorge, park at one of the cafes and ask if they'll give you a lift back up to the top of the Gorge - they all will . or know someone who will for a reasonable price. You can then walk back down and pick up your car, Hora Sfakion, is then nearby if you want somewhere to eat and finish the day in the South.
Finally, I recommend Knossos which is over near Heraklion and was the center of the Minoan empire, where we get the word Minatour from.. Apparently the Romans used to visit the site as a historical site and it was as old to them as roman sites are to us today! |  | | |
| Hobbies on 16:45 - Aug 27 with 2398 views | larsricchi |
I went the musical route. In 2020, I took my old Fender bass to a music shop and had them give it a once-over, restoring it to its glory, and then I subscribed to Ultimate Guitar's tablature service and have learned or re-learned dozens of songs (mostly the Cure's discography).
In 2021, I bought Logic Pro X for my Mac, and started making some tunes of my own. I'm nervously sharing the link to my Soundcloud page with you all. I'm not so worried about what you might think of the music if you listen to it; it's that I use the moniker Loftus Road, and that might be a sin in your eyes...
https://soundcloud.com/loftus-road-music
Cheers! |  | | |
| Hobbies on 17:35 - Aug 27 with 2346 views | A40Bosh |
| Hobbies on 16:45 - Aug 27 by larsricchi |
I went the musical route. In 2020, I took my old Fender bass to a music shop and had them give it a once-over, restoring it to its glory, and then I subscribed to Ultimate Guitar's tablature service and have learned or re-learned dozens of songs (mostly the Cure's discography).
In 2021, I bought Logic Pro X for my Mac, and started making some tunes of my own. I'm nervously sharing the link to my Soundcloud page with you all. I'm not so worried about what you might think of the music if you listen to it; it's that I use the moniker Loftus Road, and that might be a sin in your eyes...
https://soundcloud.com/loftus-road-music
Cheers! |
Well done mate!!! Had a listen, some nice stuff.
I fully intended to go from 25 years as a weekend bass player in a function band to setting up a portable studio and trying some home recording, but then Covid struck and Golf got to me first. Saying that when I was on the 3 day week I did an annual subscription to Scott's Bass Lessons, it was great for refreshing music theory and general hints but taking my playing to the next level would mean a lot of time having to really get to grips with the theory side and modes and all the other things that mean you can do it but understand why you are doing it too | |
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| Hobbies on 17:54 - Aug 27 with 2319 views | Orthodox_Hoop |
Painting miniature for a tabletop game (that I don't play!) has done wonders for my mental health and a great source of therapy after my brain op. |  | | |
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