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Your Hobbies, Collections, and Obsessions


Brian.

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16 hours ago, muggle not said:

My vegetable garden is all planted:

 

4 Better Boy tomato plants, 4 Big Beef tomato plants, 1 Early Girl tomato plant, & 1 German Johnson tomato plant (a Heirloom)

2 Husky cherry tomato plants & 1 grape Tomato plant

2 Bell Pepper plants, 2 jalapeno Pepper plants, 1 Sweet Banana Pepper plant, & 1 Habanero Pepper plant

That’s exciting :lol:. I did love having our own tomatoes last year but we aren’t growing them this year because we’re not sure if Lilly would try to eat them (and apparently tomatoes are poisonous to dogs!). We did get a little (chest height) greenhouse type thing for Christmas though, so we’re growing three different chillies (jalapeño, lemon drop and chocolate habanero), as well as salad leaves in there. I also got a loganberry for my birthday but I’m not sure if we’ll get fruit from it this year! 
 

I can’t wait for strawberries. I have some strawberry plants coming back up from last year, so hopefully we’ll have plenty again :) 

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I don't really collect anything as such, although thinking about it, I do have a rather extensive collection of stationery; notebooks, journals, pens, pencils, page flags, post-it notes, stickers, washi tape, you name it, I've got it. I just cannot seem to resist a pretty notebook, even though I already have a large selection, most of which have never actually been used.

 

I also collect books...I do have a lot of them too. I've never actually counted them, or kept track of them, but I'm guessing I probably have over a thousand. I always find it difficult to give away or donate my books, even those I haven't particularly enjoyed. It's a real problem of mine!

 

With regard to hobbies, other than reading I don't really have any as such. I used to cross stitch, many moons ago, but haven't done so for a fair few years now. I do want to give adult colouring a go though and have a couple of books on standby. I've heard people say it's therapeutic and anything that can help me deal with my anxiety, which flares up now and again, I'm willing to give a go.

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I spent a lot of time colouring in when I was a child and I still do when I'm crafting. I also love all sorts of paper crafts so indulge in them from time to time. Between that and the reading - mostly paper books - I spend a lot of time handling paper, which I still think is a miraculous substance, and which keeps me happy. 

 

If I may suggest, for your anxiety Kudz, try sudoku or some other absorbing puzzle. Because you are concentrating on the puzzle you can't get anxious, that's the theory. During lockdown, we were advised to do jigsaw puzzles but had nowhere to put a physical one. I found an app and that, I guarantee, is very relaxing. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 07/05/2022 at 1:34 PM, Kudz said:

I do want to give adult colouring a go though and have a couple of books on standby. I've heard people say it's therapeutic and anything that can help me deal with my anxiety, which flares up now and again, I'm willing to give a go.

Somebody bought an Alice in Wonderland one for me and that's really nice. I do think it's relaxing - it's so detailed that to colour it you really have to focus on the picture, which is quite distracting. It's probably also partly just that it's very aesthetically pleasing!

 

On 07/05/2022 at 4:50 PM, lunababymoonchild said:

I also love all sorts of paper crafts so indulge in them from time to time. Between that and the reading - mostly paper books - I spend a lot of time handling paper, which I still think is a miraculous substance, and which keeps me happy. 

That's a really interesting point. I wonder whether that's why so many of us also love notebooks and stationary! 

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  • 2 weeks later...
20 hours ago, France said:

Knitting is also a terrific way to help with anxiety. It also help with blood pressure.

 

I second that and would also include crocheting, and spinning wool. Probably not when you're first learning though ... that can be pretty trying on patience :rolleyes:

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Kudz, I love that you start by saying you don't collect anything, and then realise that you do.  I am completely the same with notebooks and pens to the degree that I CANNOT let myself buy any more notebooks as I am running out of room. (Pens take up less room, so......) Paper and book related things go together well with reading I think. 

 

Lunababymoonchild's suggestion of sudoku I can give a rousing "I second that!" as an anxiety buster, and can also recommend suguru puzzles. I find them both really calming to do, and there's lots of download & print ones available for free online. 

 

Although I can knit and crochet (very badly), if I want to watch tv and do things I stick with crocheting, as when I knit I can't take my eyes off of the needles without things chaotically unravelling.  

 

 

 

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On 31/05/2022 at 10:25 AM, poppy said:

Probably not when you're first learning though ... that can be pretty trying on patience

I was thinking that about knitting as I read this thread! My mom taught me how to do one stitch (is it still called a stitch in knitting?), which I think was called purl, years ago. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around patterns though. I can just go on one long line and that’s it!

All the beautiful wool colours you can buy make it so tempting though. 


 

On 01/06/2022 at 7:20 PM, Chrissy said:

 can also recommend suguru puzzles.

 

I haven’t heard of suguru puzzles before, I’ll definitely have to look some

up!

 

On 01/06/2022 at 7:20 PM, Chrissy said:

 I can't take my eyes off of the needles without things chaotically unravelling.  

This sounds like an apt life metaphor to me:giggle2:

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  • 2 weeks later...

My current obsession is with sea glass jewellery, I'm fascinated by it and have bought several necklaces (and a gorgeous bracelet which arrived today) with seaglass pendants.  I'm generally obsessed with the sea, maybe it's the whole summer thing and the warm weather and talk of holidays, but I love it even in the winter.  I did manage to get to the coast for the day on Saturday, unfortunately it was very windy so it was too rough to even paddle in, but nice to be near it all the same.

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My vegetable garden is doing ok. I have picked 18 ripe tomatoes so far and the cucumbers and peppers are coming along ok. Tonight we are having pasta for dinner with a couple red tomatoes cut up on the side. And, of course, a bottle of red wine. :)

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My tomato plant seems to  have had a growth spurt, there are a couple of baby tomatoes forming too.  I cut off some of the side leaves so they can get more light, lots of greenery but only two clumps of flowers/toms so far.

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  • 1 month later...

Despite having a box full of unused notebooks I have just ordered another two. What makes it even dafter is that I’m only about halfway through my latest notebook/journal. Some things will never change I guess 😆

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I'm waiting for a parcel of yarn to arrive from the UK so I can start making a crocheted blanket for our son and his partner's wedding next year.

I've been tracking it and it arrived safely in NZ only to board a plane and head for Qarter! It now appears to be on it's way back to the UK again. As someone said, it would have been quicker to send it by carrier pigeon and it would've had a bloomin' sight better sense of direction 😏

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18 hours ago, Brian. said:

Despite having a box full of unused notebooks I have just ordered another two. What makes it even dafter is that I’m only about halfway through my latest notebook/journal. Some things will never change I guess 😆

Very relatable. My friend have me a £15 voucher for Papier so I just bought another notebook too. They're so nice though!!

I have promised myself I will use this one and not avoid it because it's too pretty to write in 😅

 

2 hours ago, poppy said:

I've been tracking it and it arrived safely in NZ only to board a plane and head for Qarter! It now appears to be on it's way back to the UK again.

Oh no, that's so annoying!

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3 hours ago, France said:

That looks incredible!  I know what you mean about holy grails of crafting, mosaic knitting is another of those, it's incredibly simple but looks fiendish.

 

 

Thank you. It really is incredibly simple, one straight stitch of varying lengths and colour and that's it!

 

I do mosaic crochet, which is like that.

Edited by lunababymoonchild
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Further to my missing yarn saga ... I contacted the suppliers and apparently they sent two parcels. One appears to have been sitting at London Airport since the 1st July and the other is still continuing with its OE and at present visiting Heathrow! They have kindly sent me another parcel, but some of the original colours are out of stock, so I've had to order them from another UK stockist (they're not available here). Postage isn't cheap $20NZ but as long as it arrives I'll be happy. Fortunately the wedding isn't until February next year, so there's still plenty of time to make a blanket.

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6 hours ago, poppy said:

Lovely work, Luna. Your stitches are so neat and even. Have you ever stitched tapestries?

Thank you very much. No, I haven't and up until now I'd tell that I'm not interested in the stitching crafts but now that I've done these I wouldn't rule anything out.

 

5 hours ago, poppy said:

Further to my missing yarn saga ... I contacted the suppliers and apparently they sent two parcels. One appears to have been sitting at London Airport since the 1st July and the other is still continuing with its OE and at present visiting Heathrow! They have kindly sent me another parcel, but some of the original colours are out of stock, so I've had to order them from another UK stockist (they're not available here). Postage isn't cheap $20NZ but as long as it arrives I'll be happy. Fortunately the wedding isn't until February next year, so there's still plenty of time to make a blanket.

I know exactly how you feel.  I'm waiting for a box of yarn which was supposed to be delivered yesterday but (they say) will be delivered today.  Fortunately for me I think mine just got stuck at the Royal Mail Sending Office, as opposed to being sent around the world (it's coming from England and I'm in Scotland so no airports involved, I'm glad to say), but it is expensive wool and I managed to get it in the sale to continue my Bargello coasters. 

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I have taken up a type of sewing called Bargello. It's absurdly simple but looks amazing, the crafter's holy grail. I'm making coasters to start with.

 

Luna, they are so striking. Lovely stuff. 

 

On 8/12/2022 at 4:08 AM, poppy said:

Further to my missing yarn saga ... I contacted the suppliers and apparently they sent two parcels. One appears to have been sitting at London Airport since the 1st July and the other is still continuing with its OE and at present visiting Heathrow! They have kindly sent me another parcel, but some of the original colours are out of stock, so I've had to order them from another UK stockist (they're not available here). Postage isn't cheap $20NZ but as long as it arrives I'll be happy. Fortunately the wedding isn't until February next year, so there's still plenty of time to make a blanket.

 

Oh my! If you need me to toddle off to Heathrow and rescue the parcels, let me know!

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