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Hobbies 2015 - 2019

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farmerdave

farmerdave

master brummie
Visiting W H Smith at a number of locations in the south-east over recent weeks I have noticed that there are now literally dozens of colouring books on sale for so-called anti-stress art therapy. These books have a range of intricate patterns, flowers, leaves etc. which one has to spend time colouring-in.
The idea is that the focus on colouring keeps you "in the moment" and therefore this calms your mind. Sometimes they are labelled as "mindfulness colouring books". Is this all a bit New Age or has someone tried them and found them useful? I haven't bought one myself yet but I am tempted. Dave.
 
Have not seen the books but as an avid water colour painter I find painting so relaxing a hobby/occupation, taking my mind of any worries/problems. Recommend it to any one. Eric
 
My husbands neice studied Art therapy at Derby university.

The idea that Art helps to relieve stress, depression and anxiety has only been embraced by the UK medical profession in the last few years but
as with every other therapy the Americans have been using it for many years.

I find Jigsaws have a relaxing effect, but I think I may give the colouring books a go., on dark winter afternoons.
 
I have thought of buying one of these, when my son was young I often coloured in some of the pictures in his colouring books and thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
I don't know if it is appropriate to mention the TV channel "Createandcraft", it's a shopping channel available on Freeview. They often have demonstrations of the various modern colouring pens and techniques.
(I like to watch cardmaking, patchwork and embroidery!).
(Please delete if this post isn't allowed!)
rosie.
 
QUOTE=cookie273uk;555698]Have not seen the books but as an avid water colour painter I find painting so relaxing a hobby/occupation, taking my mind of any worries/problems. Recommend it to any one. Eric[/QUOTE]
Thanks Eric. Andrew Marr, the TV presenter who had a stroke a couple of years ago, also recommends drawing and painting as a relaxing hobby. The point he makes is that drawing/painting can be relaxing at any level. You don't need to try to be a Picasso or Rembrandt. Andrew Marr also presented a programme a week or so ago in which he showed that Winston Churchill greatly enjoyed painting and that it lessened his "black dog" moods. I have now bought one of those art therapy colouring books and will let you know how I get on. Dave.
 
Bought a book called "Portable Colour Me Calm" for meditation and relaxation by Lacy Mucklow and illustrated by Angela Porter. Coloured a geometric pattern template. The template is 5 inches x 5 inches and took 2 hours 15 minutes to fill-in. This was longer than I thought so did the colouring in 4 stints otherwise your eyes start to drop out. Found that the use of fibre-tip pens was best as they gave more contrast than pencils. Sense of accomplishment on completing the colouring-in. Felt calm anyway, before I started, so can't tell whether it made me more relaxed. Might try a couple of other templates but perhaps when the sunny days are getting shorter. Before and after colouring-in are shown. Dave.
P1020449 (2).JPGP1020452 (2).JPG
 
Reminds me a bit like when I was at Stratford Rd Infant school and we used to have to buy doylies and paint them.
As that was about 70 years ago I cant remember if it did any good with my stress problem.
 
farmerdave said:
In the Daily Mail today (28/08/15; "Colouring Books for Grown-ups storm the Best-seller charts". Dave.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...louring-good-antidote-called-tech-stress.html
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I always enjoyed colouring as a child, and was about to embark on a purchase. However, I found an ipad app called COLORFY and enjoy this immensly. No need a lot of money to be spent on accessories etc. May invest in the future when I have more time to enjoy.

Also thinking of going on a crafting holiday to THE MANOR HOUSE HOTEL in Devon. Not been before, but so much to do - really interested in this.
 
Prior to making this post I have browsed the " forum " threads.
I'm wondering if a dedicated thread on " hobbies " might be appropriate. I'm thinking of the folk who might be searching for something useful and /or creative that they might be able to take an interest in and up that good day feeling.
I was recently in conversation with two care nurses who specialise in caring for the elderly. They both expressed the view that many of their patients had at one time lost the ability to " fill in the day " and had lost the feeling of accomplishment and usefulness.
They told me, to combat this, they make great efforts to get their patients involved in suitable hobbies.
They also expressed the opinion that once a " suitable " hobby had been introduced that the patients " quality of life " considerably improved.
Got me thinking that there might be a number of the forums members and guests who might be interested in a thread which hopefully would introduce " hobby ideas " and
" hobby accomplishments ".
What might be the thoughts on such a thread ?
Note : Please accept apologies if such a subject thread already exists.
 
Roy, completely agree with you, numerous people take retirement without planning for it, for a time they catch up on all the jobs they have been meaning to do - and then what ??. I think it important to remain active and have an interest in life, I would be lost without my painting. people now have far more leisure time and a hobby helps to fill it. Eric
 
Absolutely agree, hobbies are a key part of that good day feeling. I watched my own dad almost squander his retirement for lack of meaningful things to do.


I took up woodworking (amongst a few other things I do) when I retired and can honestly say, I have never had a dull day. I have made quite a lot of things like decorative boxes, furniture and a few acoustic guitars.
 
When I was young my dad bought me a crystal set and it started a hobby of building radios which was easier in the old days when radios had valves and wires and you could use soldering irons. I can remember the smell of multicore solder even now. I first built battery powered sets but later mains powered sets from which I often received some fierce electric shocks.

In the 1950s I built a vhf transceiver and testing it in my bedroom I saw that I could blot out someone's TV picture across the road and had a bit of fun watching a bloke getting up and down to adjust his TV pic which I made go off when he was sat down but come on when he walked towards it. Suddenly there was a shout from downstairs about our TV going on and off and I realised I was probably blotting out every TV in the road !

Later, careers and marriage pushed my radio hobby into the background and all I have today is an 'Airband' radio and can listen to the pilots as I watch their progress with Flightradar24 on my iPad and if I point it's camera at the sky it shows me little pics of which aircraft are flying over, with speeds, heights, and destinations etc ... it's nice to know such information .. :cool:
 
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Thinking about my childhood bedroom in post#4 I once posted this in the Bedroom thread ...
oldmohawk^
I've somehow missed this thread, but just had an enjoyable read through it. My bedroom was the smallest in the house and just looked out at our road on the Beeches Estate. If I was looking out of that bedroom now I would see the M6 Motorway.
Not as nice as some bedrooms on here only 7' x 6' but I built short wave radios and model aeroplanes in it.
I do remember waking up to see the inside of the windows completely covered with white patterned ice in the winter, it was so cold with only coal fires downstairs. In my teen years I used to plug a one bar electric fire into the light socket and sit with it under the sheets to warm the bed.
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Afternoon Everyone
Brilliant idea. We have all seen people just give up on living. How can we work together to get this idea going forward
and get people involved.
Best wishes...Gerald...Garden Gerald.
 
Looking for or seeking a " hobby ".
Maybe, " selecting " a suitable hobby is probably the main stumbling block to getting involved in a potentially rewarding pastime. If this is the case maybe it's worth considering some of the natural little skills that you might have a " leaning to ". Maybe you're not too bad at doing a bit of creative writing. Maybe you're not too bad at doing a bit of drawing and colouring. Maybe you've got the hand skills to do a bit of paper cutting and shaping.
Then there might be those interesting hobbies and pastimes that caught your imagination and attention in your past, but which you never had the time to pursue back then. Maybe now you do have the time and you can now introduce yourself to such activities or hobbies.
Whatever the situation, there appears to be almost endless hobbies to choose from.
Listing a few here that seem to provide interesting and worthwhile end products without having to spend too much money.
ORIGAMI : Requires a piece of paper which is cleverly" folded " to create a piece of art, often in the form of a three dimensional shape.
WRITE YOUR OWN STORIES OR MEMOIRS : You will most probably find that your Sons, Daughters and particularly your Grandchildren will find your compositions of great interest.
( Tip for this one ). Don't over worry about your possible mis- spellings. Adds colour to the creation.
SIMPLE CRAFT MAKING : Endless creations possible. Bring together odd bits of cheap Jewelery, old beads, old buttons, bits of string or thread, pieces of cardboard and many other odds and ends that may lie in the bottom of your chest of drawers.
CREATE A SCRAP BOOK : Photos, cuttings and self composed comments all compiled into a scrapbook. Here again Daughters, Sons and Grandchildren will at some time enjoy viewing your creation.
DRAWING AND/OR COLOURING : Try a sketch and add a bit of colouring. Pick your own
subject is favoutite here I believe. Not to worry that your creation is not perfect or that it hasn't come out the way you wanted it. Have a bit of fun,learn and gain in confidence as you progress.
( Tip : Never throw away your early attempts because you will see that the more later creations that you do, that your progress is showing success) .
START CREATING YOUR OWN CELIBRATION AND GREETING CARDS : I quarantee, any recipiant of one of your cards will appreciate your endeavour.
PAPER MACHE : Strips of unwanted Newspaper, flour and water. Create your own shapes and then colour them.
If you can reach a little deeper into your pocket you might consider hobbies like " MODEL BUILDING FROM KITS " or " BEER AND WINE MAKING KITS ", things like that.
I have checked it out and for many hobbies ( if you have computer / internet facilities ) you can get plenty of " beginner" to " advanced " expert advice on " Hobbies " with a minimum of searching. " YouTube " will provide you with visual demonstrations in most cases.
I'm sure also that " Forum " paricipents, that are already fortunate to " have a hobby " will be more than willing to offer any advice or help to any " hobby seekers ".
One last point : I believe that it's always wise to start any project or hobby with a reasonably simple target in mind. Get the feel of it. Then proudly expand your achievements as you progress.
Good luck to any " hobby seekers ".
 
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Thanks for the suggestions Roy. One of my hobbies is to create photo-journals. I have a dedicated album in which I select photographs of family, events or places I have visited. However, rather than it just being a conventional photo album, I will leave space to write comments and interesting observations about the photograph. The date of the photograph and names of any people in the photograph will also be included in the written text. At the moment, I'm using a Photo-journal PJ128, published by Magmacolor, which can be bought from Waterstones. Dave.
 
To any one interested in taking up painting/drawing I would advise them to join their local Art Society (addresses in public libraries) this way they will learn from more experienced fellow members, have the occasional workshop and demonstration and usually an annual exhibition to show (even sell) your works of Art.
 
I think this a great idea. Having come back to Birmingham after spending most of my life in South Africa, ( parents emigrated there when I was seven. 60 now ) I have found it difficult to make friends. The people of Brum are very friendly and cheerful, but have left it too late to make close friends. I am always on the lookout for groups that meet and share their interest in a hobby they are involved with. Boredom is a killer. You can only have so much of, being it tv, reading, computer etc. Human contact is vital. I am researching my family history, love knitting, reading, music and used to do a lot of walking until arthritis has finally put and end to that. Love this site. Ann.
 
hi bellabee..firstly welcome back to birmingham:)..secondly it is never too late to make good friends...if you look at the events and meet ups thread you will see that we hold forum meets ups during the year..we always have a great time chatting and we hold raffles as well...many firm friendships have been made by attending our meet ups so you are more than welcome to come to the next one which hopefully will be near to christmas so keep your eye on that thread...enjoy the forum..any problems just give us a shout..

all the best

lyn
 
bellabee, I echo lyn's remarks, I have lived by myself since my Wife died 18 years ago and this Forum as been a godsend. Have been a member since March 2009 and have gained enormous pleasure, attended most of the meets and thoroughly enjoyed every one, particularly the Christmas events. Never been a TV person, but dabble in watercolour painting which I enjoy, plus walking my Jack Russell terrier 5 times a day, not bad for an 86 year old. Eric
 
Hi, thanks for your encouragement. I will certainly look out for the meet ups. I hope I am as active as you Eric when I reach 86. Brilliant.
 
image.jpeg Referring to " bellabees " post # 22 and thinking about something that came to my attention recently. It was when one of the family lady members began looking around for a useful hobby and social combination. A visit to a local " Craft " shop caught her attention and started the ball rolling. The craft shop specialises in " Card Making " , " Scrap Bookings " and " Jewellery Making . In addition to offering a wide range of craft products the lady shop owner also offers a range of " craft demonstration get - togethers " . To me, that sounds pretty good for having a look at starting a hobby whilst perhaps getting involved with a bit of socialising at the same time.
Anyway, the family member, having purchased, a few items from the shop, gave me a few bits.
I had a little " try- out ".
It only involved bits of stiff paper, a pair of scissors, a bit of paper glue, a few colouring pencils and a look in on " You Tube " calling for demonstrations of " Pop up Cards ".
Had a load of fun for a few hours. So much so that I am determined to follow up and have further goes at it in the future.
The " family member "is intending to explore the " demonstration " offer at the craft shop with a view to judging the social possibilities as well.
On this small hobby alone I get the feeling that with a bit of patience and determination anyone could create some lovely individual home made greeting and celebration cards to send off and be proud of.
The photo is a shot of the first " try outs "at having ago at " Pop Up " card making. Not great but not too bad either I think. Will no doubt improve with practise and experimenting.
The main thing, it was interesting and good fun.
 
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Tried every but whichway to post a photo relating to the previous post but again the forum and my little IPad won't join up.
 
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I use an iPad Roy and this is how I post images. When you start a post the second button at the bottom of the post called 'Upload file' is used for posting images. Press this then you will be asked to 'Choose' a file from your own iPad files. 'Press Choose' then select the image you want from the Camera Roll or whatever type of file you want. Hope this helps. Viv.
 
Vivienne. Thank you for your response. I have had some further tries using your instructions, but to no avail unfortunately.
What I keep ending up with each time is a screen message that informs me :
The following error occurred.
The uploaded file is too large.
I truly would love to crack this one.
Roy.
 
Hello Roy, It must be a very large image file to have the forum reject it, I have seen photos over 1mb uploaded. I have never had an image from my iPad rejected by the forum. I don't use my iPad all of the time but I use it a lot.

One way of reducing an image 'file size' is to email it to yourself.
If the image is too large to send, the iPad email will automatically reduce it.
Get your image on screen in Photos and touch the email icon (a box with arrow in it) top right on screen.
Then touch the blue Mail icon and enter your own email address in the 'To' section.
If the image is too large, you will see on the right a default size of usually 143kb which is ok for the forum.
If you touch that you will get a choice of sizes from small, medium etc.

I just tried it choosing 'small' and emailing to myself and it reduced a large image to 42kb which will easily upload to the forum. You might need to practice this in your iPad on a few images before you try a forum upload.

If you search the Apple Store there are Reduce Image Size apps which would probably make the process much easier.
oldmohawk
 
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