Ideas 4 Hobbies

Bingo – The Hobby That Pays

Bingo was always something I associated with my grandparents and it never really appealed to me. However, after going to the local bingo centre with a few mates last Wednesday I have now changed my mind. It was a great way to spend a midweek evening and I even came away with more money than I’d arrived with. It wasn’t a big win but it felt good all the same.

I can now understand why soo many people enjoy online Bingo sites. Especially as it means you can keep your slippers on and get a cup of tea in the comfort of your own home. I have had many hobbies over the years, from playing musical instruments to joining sports teams. With all of these I have always found that I’ve had to pay out money in order to enjoy them, whether it be for new trainers or a new string for my guitar. However for those who enjoy Bingo, they must find that their hobby pays them.

Bingo will never overtake my other hobbies but it is definitely something that I will try again, especially if I’m as lucky as I was last week!  Who knows I may even buy my own dauber!

Kids Activities

With the summer holidays fast approaching I thought I would write about some ideas for the kids to get them activity.. 6 weeks can seem like a long time!
For rainy days creative activities are a good step. Junk modelling is always a good choice and can be fun for all ages of children or even basic painting, drawing and starting a scrapbooking.
What I mean by Junk modeling is getting all those bits and bobs that lay cluttering around the house – cotton bobbins, toilet rolls tin foil and getting tons of PVA glue. I know it’s all sound abit Blue Peter creation but the main thing is to top get the kids involved and letting their imagination go crazy.

Advantage…

I just have to mention Tennis, its that time of the year again, the sun is shining..well most of the time, strawberries are in season and its Wimbledon week.

Tennis did get boring for a while, no British success, Henman predictably always making to the last few rounds before getting knocked out and the same individuals winning.

Well this year has been different thanks to Andy Murray, there is actually a chance that he could go all the way and for the first time in years I have been watching Wimbledon. He is about to play in the semi today, so fingers crossed we may have a English player in the finals for the first time in decades.

Tim Henman..who’s he ?

I love running

Well since doing the Bupa run last month I never thought that Jogging would be come my latest hobby but I have to say I am now hooked
I don’t know if it’s the weather or the light evenings but I can think if nothing better after a hectic day at work than to run it off in the evening. I can’t believe that I am even writing this and 3 months ago I would have thought you are crazy
But I have to say the challenge of finding more testing routes and taking my pace up a notch every time a go out is really addictive.
Since doing the last race and enjoying it so much a looked around to see what organized runs where in the area over the following months and found another 10k which is now on Sunday
I thought I was getting ahead of myself at the time booking a run nearly straight away however having a target has really given me motivation. So this time around I want to run slightly more that last time and at least get 10 minutes of my next time
Look I’m a million miles away from the London Marathon bet it’s a start

Pooktree !

I have been thinking for different hobbies recently to get you out an about and enjoying all this lovely Weather we have been having.

On my hunt I found some weird and wonderful Hobbies that i found rather interesting the first one being Pooktre tree shaping.
Pooktre tree shaping was developed and perfected by Peter Cook and Becky Northey in South East Queensland, Australia. The idea a love of nature, persistence and understanding trees and how they grow. I imgaine it a little like the persistence of nurture as with growing Bonzi trees.

The art involves encouraging trees to grow into a certain shape and styles

Different BBQ’s

Odd way to make a BBQ
1) If your washer on its last legs take out the drum before chucking stand it on its end, on a stone surface, cover the top over with mesh and you have a perfect wood barbeque, or firepit. The holes in the drum are great for letting oxygen to the fire, and as the wood burns, the ash falls through them
2) Make a barbecue out of a terracotta pot fill it with stones and about 1/4 charcoal and place the grill or mesh over the top. Make sure the pot is about an inch thick!
3) No this only works if you have a stand or some spare heavy brick. Get a metal barrel or bin as long as it’s metal. Cut in half long ways and either put on stand or on a concrete surface lay with bricks propped up around and bingo a barrel bbq

Brighter work place

Well I well and truly have the Tuesday post Bank Holiday blues today’s and trying to think of what would make coming back our office desks it a little brighter I could look at all the crazy ideas to make the works place a little brighter
Now seriously I have found a website that’s specializing in growing grass in the office!! . Fancy a little feng-shui in your office? Why not try a grass square to brighten up your desk
This grass squares were designed at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design to combine nature and architecture. By bringing some nature indoors like these moss mats, the designers hoped to provide a grounding piece of nature.!!!! I tad bizarre I think maybe a nice pot plant would be better!!!
On an idea of feng shui level I have looked too other theory’s like getting personnel. According olden days it’s good to have pictures of your children or you pets something that make you smile… but obviously remember it is the work place the result beings so says old Feng shui says that family pictures should be placed in the middle and top-right hand corners of your desk and other images, such as holiday’s snaps, need to be positioned on the left. So there you go!!!

Competition Crazy!

I know this is an unusual hobby but one my friends is obsessed with competitions and questionnaires and has turned it into one of her favorite pastimes and hobby. As soon as a ‘take a break’ comes out or the local paper she reads it from cover to cover scanning for the local offers and opportunities to win a Caribbean holiday or the latest sunglasses etc. Now I’m all for doing the odd scratch card or buying a raffle ticket for the local scout hut but sometimes I think its just the excitement of filling in and the anticipation that you could win something.

I mean the other week she filled in a dozen Business telemarketing lists in the hopes of winning a year supply of office stationary!!! I mean isn’t that taking it a bit too far she does even have an office chair. To date thought she has won some random things. Every time you go round to tea or see her on an evening out there is also way something random that we get introduced too. Whether it is a new tea plucked from the mountain peaks in the alps that she now has a year’s supply to get rid off or the high tech lip gloss that gives another meaning to trout pout.
Despite all this I think it’s the knowledge that she has won it that makes the latest item as valuable at the golden ticket in Charlie and the chocolate factory!

But something tells me she will be having the last laugh when she is in the Bahamas slipping cocktails in her Chanel Bikini and £5000 in her pocket… remember me!!

DIY : Cast Iron Fireplaces and Radiators

At the moment I am in the process of a bit of DIY in particular the living room

One of the biggest things to tackle is the Fireplace, as I truly do think it is the heart of the home.

Fortunately for us we did have a rather beautiful old fireplace dying to be restore underneath the diabolical 1940’s electric effort that was there when we bought the house.

We had considered was it worth the effort don’t get me wrong there was no way the electric one was staying – but lets face it not all of us process the DIY touch. But no! we decide to go the whole hog and restore what was there. We managed to find a cast iron fireplace surround that would have been similar to what was there to begin with and get Cast Iron Radiators to match to really set it all of to a tee. God it was so worth the effort it looks stunning, even if I am bias.

It is hard knowing where to start but what with doing my home up I can say that DIY is a hobby I enjoy you do get carried away. The please of doing it yourself and even if you save only 2 p its the fact that you did it and can do it

I know real fires are work, what with all the sweeping of the chimney, keeping it clean, hunting and gathering on wood and for the best offers coal but when you come in and the welcoming glow of the fire is waiting for you, there is nothing like it. The extra money and elbow grease is worth it.

Locks Locks Locks

Pick a lock and bang yourself a hooby too!
A few years ago I used to work in the security industry, not guarding people but selling locks and access control security systems. Every year we would visit the master locksmiths exhibition and one thing that I always found amazing was the interest some of the attenders had in old locks. Many of them would have hobbies which involved collecting old locks and keys and having lock picking competitions. Now I don’t know if you have ever tried to pick a lock but believe me its is not as easy as TV would have you believe, stick a credit card in the door, use a couple of lock picks or stick a picking gun in the lock and hey presto..I don’t think so.
Modern locks today have a number of built in security features that prevent most people from picking them, some of theses guys though at the exhibition could open them but that comes with years of experience. However modern electronic access control security systems are a different matter, for which you are better using a sledge hammer !!
I guess if you want a hobby that requires patience and time then give traditional lock picking a go!