Short story is that I am facing working from home for the foreseeable future. I have been trying to get out and about as much as possible through walking, running and taking the kids to ride their bikes at the park etc. These things will inevitably get harder to do/enjoy when the seasons change so I am thinking about setting a goal to learn a new skill, or hobby over the Autumnal and Winter months...

Therefore, I'm looking for ideas on new hobbies and would be interested in hearing what hobbies you all have outside of the forum.

I'm not sure what responses I will get but it wouldn't be UTC without some sarcastic or humour but hopefully, there will be some ideas in there that I can take inspiration from.

Reading, got Amazon Kindle and I probably read a couple of books a month as a minimum, usually 4-5 though.
Many newer authors will put up their first book of a series for free, but if its anygood I'm more likely to buy the next one in the series.
One author had 15 books in a series and I've got them all.

Gaming on the PS4 mainly, but I've got a Mini Nes too.

If you've got a Cineworld near you then their annual pass is excellent value for money if you like going to a cinema.
I've watched 3 films this month already, 4th one tonight.
First two films of the Dark Knight trilogy, Flash Gordon and then its Inception tonight as they're showing a range of older films to entice people back to the cinema whilst the newer blockbusters have been put back.

I've just been seeing what's on offer at my local boxing club as an alternative to a normal Gym which I usually lose interest in.
Aside from Boxing/general fitness they have MMA and Brazilian Ju Jitsu classes.

I've tried a few podcasts recently but I'm not sure if listening to them regularly is my type of thing.

Running
Walking
Darts
Snooker
Golf
Reading
Teaching kids to sing
Eating ice cream

Got into running over lock down, always hated it but now doing 1h 45m half marathons and have lost 3 stone. Dodgy knee now though so not done any great distance for the last 4 weeks, it’s frustrating.

Cycling
Running
Mountain walking
Live sport on tv, that doesn’t involve animals.
Accompanying Mrs Huw on her hollibobs. Wouldn’t do them myself but always enjoy them whilst we are away.

Granny, hope you’re back in your running shoes soon. Just gutted I waited until my 30s to fall in love with running. It used to be a chore; now I can’t be without it.

Reading, writing, riding, rowing.

Baking
Fell Running
Cottaging
Fishing
Camping

Me too jdrobbo, gutted watching the people run past my living room window! Sunday was the day id do my long run but tomorrow is just going to be some light work in the gym. Never thought I’d be sad about not being able to go running!

As you can probably guess, my main hobby is diving, used to be my profession but now just a pastime. This is going to be my first winter season diving here in the UK this year hence why myself and my missus have just invested in drysuits.....mid-October we are inteding to dive with the seals off the Farne Islands....just had a few days away in Cumbria diving at a place called Capernwray.

Other than that, walking, biking, drinking....also coming to out of season I will be starting to post more on my environmental Fbee page....been a bit lacking in posts recently due to life....

Snooker
Boxing
MMA
PS4
Beer
Pussy

Photography
Walking
Plane spotting (and no, I don’t own a kagool )

Fly Fishing
Photography
Woodwork
Collecting vinyl albums and listening to music.
Watching sport particularly football golf and cricket.

Motorcycling
Photography
Air gun shooting (targets only)
Model making

Love angling. That’s it atm.

Have a garage gym
Collecting vinyl
Playing guitar
Cooking
Cycling (MTB)

I have continued to work through COVID so haven't had as much time as some people, however I keep telling myself I'm going to learn French sometime so that when I retire over there I can at least try and fit in

Navigation, whoring, swordplay and shark-wrestling.

Landscaping the garden.
Gardening.
Just built a Bay Window Seat & a radiator cover so am quite handy.
Dog walks.
I enjoy cooking for my wife and I. Not a people person so wouldn't enjoy cooking for anyone else though.
If I could get away with drinking 24/7 I would but Missus wouldn't allow it.

Playing guitar
Motorcycle rides
walking
reading UTC

clarethomer wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 1:25 pm

Therefore, I'm looking for ideas on new hobbies and would be interested in hearing what hobbies you all have outside of the forum.

Wouldn't call going on here a hobby. It's more of a penance

Whatever you do

Don't go on a date with a Tennis player

To them, love means nothing.

Crying, self harm and masturbating.

pushpinpussy wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:41 pm

Crying, self harm and masturbating.

No answer to that

BenWickes wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:12 pm

Wouldn't call going on here a hobby. It's more of a penance

There are a few fishermen on here ha ha.

pushpinpussy wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:41 pm

Crying, self harm and masturbating.

All at the same time?

I am definitely more designed for office work than working with my hands, so those of you who have said they have hobbies that are more practical in nature are not the ones I would tend to look at.

I quite enjoy writing and have been considering creating a blog. I enjoy reading and listening to podcasts. Watch quite a bit of YouTube too. However, as I have realised I can spend a large % of time in front of a laptop/computer screen - its been good to see what hobbies others are doing which dont include using a computer/screen.

Recently joined a gym so I am getting in to a routine for there now. I enjoy running but I am a fairweather runner and have found that I can get the same mental health benefits from a brisk walk which I am kitted up for all weather for that.

Seriously folks, just got back from a basket making workshop today. It was my first try but on one day’s evidence I’d recommend it as a relaxing hobby. Here is the result of my labours:
(Only thing is I made it the wrong way up)

There, that’s better.

Allotment

Trying to make beer that's better than pub beer

Cycling

Wow, cant believe i logged on today and found this thread. I have always been envious of the photographs some people take, and that coupled with the sites I see on my travels which stick in memory but wish i could have captured, have made me jump in to photography as hobby from today. I have bought the Sony a6100 which cost £750, but that was the entry level advisory from lots of sites. I then realised that the lenses cost more than the camera, so could become a very expensive hobby.

ClaretAL wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:27 pm

Wow, cant believe i logged on today and found this thread. I have always been envious of the photographs some people take, and that coupled with the sites I see on my travels which stick in memory but wish i could have captured, have made me jump in to photography as hobby from today. I have bought the Sony a6100 which cost £750, but that was the entry level advisory from lots of sites. I then realised that the lenses cost more than the camera, so could become a very expensive hobby.

Glad the post has helped you. Photography indeed can get expensive. I believe you will have plenty of people on here who can help you as the board used to have lots of good photo related posts.

ClaretAL wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:27 pm

Wow, cant believe i logged on today and found this thread. I have always been envious of the photographs some people take, and that coupled with the sites I see on my travels which stick in memory but wish i could have captured, have made me jump in to photography as hobby from today. I have bought the Sony a6100 which cost £750, but that was the entry level advisory from lots of sites. I then realised that the lenses cost more than the camera, so could become a very expensive hobby.

Aye, it can be very expensive if you let it be, however it really depends what you want to photograph as to the lenses you may need. I have a wide range of lenses as I do various genres, but in all honesty you can get some very good images on basic gear. Practice makes perfect, and always be on the look out for your next shot, visualise it before you get your camera out of the bag too. The other aspect of photography is editing, never accept the photograph that comes out of the camera, you have to work to develop it to full potential.

Good luck in your new hobby.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/andypritchard/

Some excellent pics there ALP

ceborame wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 7:48 pm

Allotment

Trying to make beer that's better than pub beer

Cycling

I do fancy trying to brew some nice IPAs but haven't a clue where to start - maybe that should be my research project

clarethomer wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:03 pm

Some excellent pics there ALP

Thank you.

ALP wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:54 pm

Aye, it can be very expensive if you let it be, however it really depends what you want to photograph as to the lenses you may need. I have a wide range of lenses as I do various genres, but in all honesty you can get some very good images on basic gear. Practice makes perfect, and always be on the look out for your next shot, visualise it before you get your camera out of the bag too. The other aspect of photography is editing, never accept the photograph that comes out of the camera, you have to work to develop it to full potential.

Good luck in your new hobby.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/andypritchard/

Thanks ALP, as a camera goes £750 for a starter point for me is ouch! but yep i think practice makes the money for additional lenses become more palatable, although cant let the mrs find out.

Golf
Collecting clocks
Surviving our winters
Searching out 'treasures' at charity shops.
Drinking beer
Laughing at Trump

ClaretAL wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:12 pm

Thanks ALP, as a camera goes £750 for a starter point for me is ouch! but yep i think practice makes the money for additional lenses become more palatable, although cant let the mrs find out.

ALP, what canfrom i expect from the camera i have bought Sony a6100? is it god enough or should i move away from mirrorless and go DSLR ?

I like laughing a lot a lot a lot when Guardiola fails every season in the CL

Motorcycling
Shooting (air rifle, LR and shotgun)
Stargazing occasionally.
Going on me holibobs.
Being outdoors surrounded by greenery.

chekhov wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:33 pm

Seriously folks, just got back from a basket making workshop today. It was my first try but on one day’s evidence I’d recommend it as a relaxing hobby. Here is the result of my labours:

66178559-ACD8-4329-9378-89F03C29C56E.jpeg
(Only thing is I made it the wrong way up)

It’s NOT the wrong way up, that’s a helmet.

ClaretAL wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:55 pm

ALP, what canfrom i expect from the camera i have bought Sony a6100? is it god enough or should i move away from mirrorless and go DSLR ?

I have both mirrorless and DSLR, I love them all; I have three Nikon DSLR's and got myself a Z6 which will take my F mount lenses, I am seriously impressed with the fact that you get what you see in the viewfinder. There is however a slight lag on the shutter and if I'm doing footy or birds in flight, I have to remember to predict the moment, the DSLR doesn't have this lag or if it does I have got used to it.

Stick with mirrorless, it will only get better into the future, loads of resource on YouTube (a lot of shite too mind), but worth watching someone like Jason Lanier

Watchin tele
Farting
Annoying the wife.

bobinho wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 10:10 pm

It’s NOT the wrong way up, that’s a helmet.

And if you stick your face right inside the basket, the handle acting as a head strap, it makes a semi-effective anti COVID-19 mask, though vision is pretty badly affected.

Gardening for me, growing vegetables with my daughter in our backyard and enjoying the successes as they come along (grown potatoes, strawberries and carrots so far with more to come). We attend a gardening group once a week in our local town and really enjoy it.

It definitely helps with the social interaction side of things outside of my job, with my mental health and it's also good for bonding with my daughter and learning/exploring together the fun of growing your own. And it also fills in some but not all of the gap from not being on the Turf.

Me and my wife love theme parks. Essentially enjoy to travel with our daughter and tick off as many new parks as we can at home and abroad, and log what coasters we’ve ridden on a website that tracks that. Bit weird but it’s a really fun shared activity for us and has made us go off the beaten path quite often.

I am also a retro games collector and at the start of lockdown, out of sheer boredom, started a YouTube channel reviewing old games and such. Started it at the end of May and have around 230 subscribers, really enjoying it as a little side activity! Link below if anybody thinks that would be their cup of tea (shameless plug, of course):

https://m.youtube.com/sociallydistanced ... xwO6Dcmsmw

Gardening. Not really a winter activity though
Horse riding. Not for everybody
Flying ex military fighters/bombers. Bit pricey for an occasional hobby unless you're a total plane nut

One thing you could do though is adult paint by numbers. There's some great kits available and they're dead cheap. These took me about 50 hours each. Only stopped as Mrs Croydon complained we had no more wall space.

We’ve been fairly lucky in Western Australia to not be as affected by Covid as many places, but it’s obviously had a big impact on people’s mental health , so I’ve spent the last 6 months training to do telephone crisis support for Lifeline, the equivalent to Samaritans. First shift was this morning. Took up playing hockey when I was 50, 3 years ago and any other spare time I have is spent renovating the backyard.

Collecting vinyl. It takes up all my time, especially now I'm retired. Discogs is my best friend!!!

Corky wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 16, 2020 9:34 am

Collecting vinyl. It takes up all my time, especially now I'm retired. Discogs is my best friend!!!

Kitchen flooring?

Each to their own