Hello everyone!
I would love to know what everyone here does for fun, no matter what it is? What do you do to bring some peace and calm to your life and keep your mind off your troubles?
I love reading historical fiction novels and gardening, mostly vegetables.
What about you?
I love reading, studying, researching , translating, writing, my work is also my hobby. Aside from that I also love the sea.
The sea sounds lovely! translating what? You sound like a scholar. Love it
Cats. I have four of my own, but I also volunteer with a rescue group, and foster cats. So I talk to potential adopters, support other fosters and volunteers, care for sick cats, etc. Yes, it brings its own stress, but it does take my mind off my own issues.
I walk my dog daily as far from the maddening crowd as possible. I’m a huge sea lover too and at the end of this month I can take my dog to the beach again. Beaches re-open to dogs from 1 October to end the of April. I read decent fiction persistently and I’ve just taken up grown up painting by numbers which now has me totally obsessed. I’m so loving it. I work full time too so the painting stuff is really welcome as it engages the other side of my brain!
@Stoney We have two cats and volunteer to clean cat condos at our local pet store that adopts cats. My son loves animals and this was a great way to give back.
@Poo_therapy I used to love paint by numbers. I tried the adult coloring books but my son, who is 10, is a talker and it’s hard to destress when someone is talking non stop. I hope to pick it up again some day. The beach is lovely. We used to bring our dog all the time.
That’s so funny! Yes, we have our adoption room in the local PetSmart. I used to clean once or twice a week, but now am mostly supervisory, and some filling in for unfilled shifts. Not this past summer though. I had foot surgery and that was an impossibility.
Yes, we go to Pet Smart as well. My son is such an animal lover, especially cats. We travel a lot and already have two cats, so more pets is not really doable for us right now. So we help out. He can love on the cats and we help get them adopted. It’s good for the cats to get used to kids.
How is your foot healing? I remember you had surgery this summer. Hope its’ healing well for you.
I feel like my foot is finally on the good side of things. I just started physical therapy for it and I’m walking with no boot oh, and no crutches. It still hurts and it’s going to for a while but it doesn’t get worse the more I walk so that’s good. Well, within the small limits of what I’ve been walking. I’ve only challenged myself so much so far.
That’s great to hear!! Just keep at it and I am sure it will heal up with time.
Wow, you asked for it… FLUTES!
Some of my many flutes, all unfinished, the light colored one on the left of center was made in 1805. Fifth in is a French antique, someone gave me, ( people give me thousands of dollar flutes)… On the window sill is a Samurai sword holder clad in ivory, another gift with a English flute.
Messy workbench, never have time to “sharpen the saw”…
More flutes, all unfinished!
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My South Bend 1947 lathe my pride and joy…
I restore 150-200 year old antique flutes, from American, England France and Germany. I currently have about 60 unfinished projects. (ADHD) Focus on the hyper… Lately it has been hard to complete many if any, but really enjoy to do this. Also keeps my fingers limber!
Keep in mind, this is just a hobby, I do on the weekends and some evenings…
Wow!! That is beautiful. My husband loves whistles when he has time to play them.
Jon-sparky, that’s some amazing work there. It’s interesting to see how others keep their sanity.
I’m probably the oddball, but I love playing pickleball and try to play 2-3 times a week to keep my joints moving as long as I’m able to. Otherwise, I love computer gaming, and playing with the dogs, of course. I also like reading, but if I’ve got a really good new video game, it usually wins out.
Cool, I have a couple nice whistles too! I was going to start making them, but that would only be like another unfinished project…
A couple of my friends play pickle ball they love it, even got the special graphite rackets. I used to play tennis, but it is hard for me to move like that…
I have not got into video games, I would always instantly die… I did like pong in 1968… 
Reading - much more so over the last couple of years. I lost my love of reading for a good four or five years before getting it back at Christmas 2018.
Writing - fiction and non-fiction. About half-way through a novel at the moment, which is coming along nicely, although I seem less motivated than usual.
Singing - jazz mostly. It’s nice we have the jazz jams back locally. Not sure how long for, though. We’ve been doing them outside and it’s getting chilly at nights!
Watching films - my doctorate is in early film (up to 1934), but obviously I watch stuff beyond that!
Spending far too much money on records and CDs!
Shouting at politicians on the telly - this one takes up a lot of my time just lately, and the neighbours are learning far too many swearwords from me.
My arts and crafts is what helps me cope with PsA. I never know whether I will be well enough to make a commitment to meet up with friends so that stopped along time ago. i can no longer entertain at home as it is more than I can cope with these days. Most of my friends have dwindled away. I have learned to fill my life in other ways. I paint in oils and acyrilics and sometimes watercolour paints. I sew doing patchwork quilting but haven’t done this for over a year. I use to make jewellery and sell it at the markets until that got too hard. I plan on selling it on line but need some help to set it up. I started a Silversmithing course and didn’t finish it because I had to move. I couldn’t stay in my home because of the stairs and about a year ago I was so unwell that I moved and downsized into a cabin on the same property as my son as his family which is in a rainforest. My family is aiming to become more self sufficient and I have a little green house where I plant the vegetable seeds and raise them to seedling size for our vegetable plot. I plan on preserving and canning when we harvest our crops. I have a 3 year old grandson who I see and spend time with several times a week. I am awaiting for the arrival of a grand daughter next month around mid October. Presently I am knitting and sewing little baby things which is keeping me busy. I am so grateful that the swelling in my right hand and the joints in my fingers have improved where I can knit and crotchet again. I enjoy reading and I like watching movies and series. I don’t have a TV only Netflix to watch. I am also trying to write childrens stories, all of which have animal characters and include a lesson or message in them. I am happy with my own company as long as I have a range of hobbies to choose from and do. Swimming in the warmer weather and a bit of walking is all I can manage. I do find that if I become engrossed in a hobby, then it helps to distract my focus on pain. There have been times when months have gone by and I haven’t done anything because of not being well. Right now I am pleased to report that I am as good as it gets for me and I am enjoying knitting, crotcheting and sewing and green house pottering around
Your shed looks well used and a great place for you to spend time in. Continue to enjoy your hobby
OH yeah, unfinished projects around here too. I used to do a lot of paper crafts creating greeting cards. I had a business and everything. So, I still have supplies all over the house! I’m not a video game person either.
@darinfan That is wonderful about the book, what is it about? I love jazz. We are from Louisiana, USA so my jazz leanings are more creole than straight jazz. I had no idea they had doctorates in film. What were your plans?
@bella Wow, you are so multi talented! I used to meet up with others too but havent in a long time. I like to keep my schedule open. We do text pictures of our creations or what we are working out. That helps since I dont feel alone. I love gardening. It’s my passion. I have three hydroponic gardens. This year I am starting everything from seeds which has been a learning curve for sure! I am loving it though.
The current book is a ghost story which follows on from another book I wrote a few years ago. But have also written hefty tomes on Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin (hence the name). Neither of which are straightforward biographies. They are solely about the careers rather than love affairs etc, starting with the first recording session and going to the last, literally song by song. Intermingled with the new commentary is a look at how their work was received at the time of release - so short excerpts from hundreds of reviews. I tend to do two novels and then a non-fiction book - the novels are much quicker to write!