# Hobbies.



## Bedford 1 (May 17, 2022)

What hobbies do people have to take their mind off diabetes? I make model aircraft. I find having a hobby takes my mind off worrying about my blood sugars and what not to eat. A great reliever of stress.


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## Leadinglights (May 17, 2022)

Stained glass keeps me busy. The dragonfly is one I made. 
An allotment means lots of nice fresh produce without the addition of pesticides or artificial fertilisers.


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## Pumper_Sue (May 17, 2022)

Bedford 1 said:


> What hobbies do people have to take their mind off diabetes? I make model aircraft. I find having a hobby takes my mind off worrying about my blood sugars and what not to eat. A great reliever of stress.


I enjoy making handmade cards. Diabetes doesn't come into it though as diabetes has to fit in to what I want to do and not the other way round


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## Bloden (May 17, 2022)

Knitting! Mostly hats, especially during the lockdowns cos I could send them to friends as a nice (hopefully!) surprise. Just started a chunky knit jumper.
And gardening, walking, swimming, learning Welsh...


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## helli (May 17, 2022)

Exercise. Lots of it. Running, cycling, spinning, climbing, walking, … I have less energy when I do less exercise and sleep better when I exercise more.
And for balance, I bake (and eat) bread.


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## Gwynn (May 18, 2022)

I used to play the pipe organ at a local church at my leisure and in the services (and played keyboards at another church) until they kind of closed due to Covid and financial problems closed the one with the pipe organ (to few people to keep it going), now I create Applications on my computer (good for the brain) and walk on the beach lots.


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## harbottle (May 18, 2022)

Bedford 1 said:


> What hobbies do people have to take their mind off diabetes? I make model aircraft. I find having a hobby takes my mind off worrying about my blood sugars and what not to eat. A great reliever of stress.



I listen to music, write short stories/novels/screenplays, and watch a lot of obscure horror films. Also quite interested in history, but that interest seems to have died out a little. Tend to prefer the present and future now.

My day job as a software engineer sometimes feels like a hobby, as it's something I've been doing since I was about 11 when my Dad got me a VIC-20 and I launched straight into learning machine code!


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## Kreator (May 18, 2022)

Great thread!

For me, Lots of Exercise (Walking, Jogging, Cycling) - I find walking especially makes me kee things in perspective - it does of course keep my blood sugar down at the same time, so it's win win!


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## mikeyB (May 18, 2022)

I’m with @Pumper_Sue on this. I don’t think my hobbies are to take my mind off diabetes, it’s just a way of life like breathing. It’s no restriction to my painting, or playing the chanter and learning the pentatonic scale to do that. Don’t know what the neighbours will think when I progress to the full bagpipes, mind…


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## Gwynn (May 19, 2022)

@harbottle ohhh yes I remember the Vic 20. Great days of programming, squeezing as much as possible into a tiny memory space. The challenge to get it to do anything useful, well, anything at all was great fun.

Then on to the Commodore 64. After that it was PCs and lately tablets too. I still program on my laptop too. The challenge of developing good algorithms I have always enjoyed.

Oddly, I am not into any of the computer games. Zero interest.

Great thread


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## Uller (May 21, 2022)

Archery…. And Lego, both great things for focusing the mind.


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## harbottle (May 23, 2022)

Gwynn said:


> @harbottle ohhh yes I remember the Vic 20. Great days of programming, squeezing as much as possible into a tiny memory space. The challenge to get it to do anything useful, well, anything at all was great fun.
> 
> Then on to the Commodore 64. After that it was PCs and lately tablets too. I still program on my laptop too. The challenge of developing good algorithms I have always enjoyed.
> 
> ...



I never liked computer games. I could do all the technical stuff no problem (I had software companies offering me jobs when I was 14 after they saw the games I was writing) but found computer games boring. My games tended to have massive back stories and were more like novels than games!


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## Martin62 (May 23, 2022)

My hobbies are walking, photography and most recently baking
Martin


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## everydayupsanddowns (May 23, 2022)

I’m not sure I think of myself as having ‘hobbies’. More just things I love doing - playing guitar, bass, and harmonica; drawing, painting and sketching; gardening; baking and preserves; eating and drinking; socialising and gigs; walking and hiking. All sorts really!


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## Taffyboyslim (Nov 29, 2022)

Supporting Cardiff City Football Club 

Listening to rock , heavy rock and metal 

Fishing 

Walking 

Chatting to people when I get the opportunity


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## StephanieMLW (Nov 30, 2022)

I have always done Thai boxing, weightlifting (not that you'd know, I have 0 muscles!!) and play bass guitar. Since being diagnosed I have found my hobbies are now much more of an 'escape' than they were before - giving my mind a rest from and focusing entirely on something else. And the thai boxing is really good if I'm having a day when my diabetes is peeing me off because I get to kick things


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## Taffyboyslim (Nov 30, 2022)

StephanieMLW said:


> I have always done Thai boxing, weightlifting (not that you'd know, I have 0 muscles!!) and play bass guitar. Since being diagnosed I have found my hobbies are now much more of an 'escape' than they were before - giving my mind a rest from and focusing entirely on something else. And the thai boxing is really good if I'm having a day when my diabetes is peeing me off because I get to kick things



What sort of music style do u use your bass for ?


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## Woods268 (Nov 30, 2022)

I race brisca f1 stockcars at the weekend as recently seen on topgear. 
Along with playing pool and cycling


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## StephanieMLW (Nov 30, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> What sort of music style do u use your bass for ?



For writing music with friends - shoegaze/grunge. Though I am also in a funk covers band, so a range of styles!


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## Kreator (Dec 1, 2022)

I walk listening to…Meshuggah…weird right?!


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 1, 2022)

Kreator said:


> I walk listening to…Meshuggah…weird right?!


Gosh no , an incredible band  

Opeth and Tool are also


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 1, 2022)

StephanieMLW said:


> For writing music with friends - shoegaze/grunge. Though I am also in a funk covers band, so a range of styles!


Slowdive , Ride ? 

Like Alice In Chains , Soundgarden , Stone Temple Pilots , Screaming Trees , Pearl Jam , Melvins .....I suppose that's sort of grunge ? 

Big metal fan


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## Kreator (Dec 18, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Gosh no , an incredible band
> 
> Opeth and Tool are also


Yep, as well as Mastodon, Gojira, TesseracT etc...

I find a lot of these bands with odd time signatures helps me walk...fast, slow, quick quick slow!!!


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 18, 2022)

Kreator said:


> Yep, as well as Mastodon, Gojira, TesseracT etc...
> 
> I find a lot of these bands with odd time signatures helps me walk...fast, slow, quick quick slow!!!


Mastodon are amazing,  the drummer sings a lot of the stuff live , it's awesome


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## Kreator (Dec 18, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Mastodon are amazing,  the drummer sings a lot of the stuff live , it's awesome


Yep, saw them in Brixton a couple of years ago...

Amazing set...


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## everydayupsanddowns (Dec 18, 2022)

Amity Island said:


> Mike,
> What do you do in your spare time? Lol



I like to spend time online chatting with you lovely lot about diabetes


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## Barrowman (Dec 18, 2022)

Back in the day, my hobbies included swimming which I only learnt to do when I was forty-six, cycling since I was old enough to ride a bike, walking, photography, and oil painting but not so much these days.

Since losing three stone in weight I'm trying to rebuild my leg muscles so I can do more walking and cycling again - hence I now have my exercise bike and I've recently bought an electric bike so I can pedal until my legs are worn out then switch to electric to get back home again.

The thing I miss most at the moment is my photography, I love going off-road on my bike in the countryside with my camera, still, the weather has to improve sometime soon hopefully.

One last thing, my daughter introduced me to the Candy Crush game (wish she hadn't) I'm now addicted to it and almost completed 10,000 games but it does take my mind off things and I like to think it keeps my brain active as well.


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## harbottle (Dec 18, 2022)

Bedford 1 said:


> What hobbies do people have to take their mind off diabetes? I make model aircraft. I find having a hobby takes my mind off worrying about my blood sugars and what not to eat. A great reliever of stress.



Write stories, songs and software. Listen to music (Prog rock, modern jazz, British jazz, Italian horror soundtracks, avant garde stuff, folk - just bought a Bill Nelson and King Crimson LP and last week bought the new release by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.)

Watch a lot of horror films!

Currently just finishing off a short horror story about moorland monsters and mobile phones!


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## everydayupsanddowns (Dec 19, 2022)

Amity Island said:


> People who _don't_ have diabetes, rarely manage to live such a full and exciting life!



And I didn’t even mention the “Pirate band”


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## Leadinglights (Dec 19, 2022)

Amity Island said:


> Are you interested in historic stained glass? like the type you find in churches and cathedrals?


I am, as I am also a bell ringer so get lots of opportunity to look at the stained glass when visiting to ring the bells.
Most of the work I do is lamps, small panels and suncatchers which uses a copper foil technique. I have done some which are leaded for door panels.
That is where my alias is from, a play on words.


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## Leadinglights (Dec 19, 2022)

Amity Island said:


> I've attached some short articles you might find interesting (which I will delete once you have had chance to download).


Thank you I have downloaded them.



A couple of my Xmas offerings.


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## Leadinglights (Dec 19, 2022)

Amity Island said:


> Love the Robin. How do you work out where to put the hanger (to get it to hang nicely)?


A bit of guess work, I sometimes have to move it as it will tip one way or the other.


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## Chris Hobson (Dec 19, 2022)

Swimming, playing piano, gardening, looking after chickens.

Talking of grungy rock, it is worth looking up Six Sides of Fortune, the one album by Bullets For Teeth. It's pretty good.


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## harbottle (Dec 19, 2022)

I don't class looking the children as a hobby, especially as they are both teenagers!


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 21, 2022)

harbottle said:


> Write stories, songs and software. Listen to music (Prog rock, modern jazz, British jazz, Italian horror soundtracks, avant garde stuff, folk - just bought a Bill Nelson and King Crimson LP and last week bought the new release by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.)
> 
> Watch a lot of horror films!
> 
> Currently just finishing off a short horror story about moorland monsters and mobile phones!


 Dario Argento ?


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 21, 2022)

Barrowman said:


> Back in the day, my hobbies included swimming which I only learnt to do when I was forty-six, cycling since I was old enough to ride a bike, walking, photography, and oil painting but not so much these days.
> 
> Since losing three stone in weight I'm trying to rebuild my leg muscles so I can do more walking and cycling again - hence I now have my exercise bike and I've recently bought an electric bike so I can pedal until my legs are worn out then switch to electric to get back home again.
> 
> ...


 You 13.5 stone now or that's what you were ?


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## harbottle (Dec 21, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Dario Argento ?



Oh yes, I just rewatched Phenomena for the first time in a few years and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great soundtrack and stunning cinematography.
Also like Bava (Lamberto and Mario), Lucio Fulci (My hero!), Michele Soavi (Argento protege), Luigi Cozzi and hacks like Bruno Mattei and Joe D'Amato. And then we get onto Jess Franco...


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 21, 2022)

harbottle said:


> Oh yes, I just rewatched Phenomena for the first time in a few years and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great soundtrack and stunning cinematography.
> Also like Bava (Lamberto and Mario), Lucio Fulci (My hero!), Michele Soavi (Argento protege), Luigi Cozzi and hacks like Bruno Mattei and Joe D'Amato. And then we get onto Jess Franco...


Tenebrae is my favourite Argento film but its quite unpleasant to watch 

Have you seen Salo ? That's tough


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## Barrowman (Dec 21, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> You 13.5 stone now or that's what you were ?


Was 13.5 @Taffyboyslim and got down to 10.5 then my DN said I had to gain weight so I was told to eat more carbs which I did and am now 11.1 stones which I'm happy with - hopefully she will be too.


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 21, 2022)

Barrowman said:


> Was 13.5 @Taffyboyslim and got down to 10.5 then my DN said I had to gain weight so I was told to eat more carbs which I did and am now 11.1 stones which I'm happy with - hopefully she will be too.


 Well done , send me your tips !  Or post em here


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## Dave_Z1a (Dec 22, 2022)

Don't get much time for hobbies, but when I do I love being in my garage, fiddling with my bikes and making stuff on the lathe. Its my sanctuary, I not only forget about diabetes, although it dosn't bother me much anyway, (yet, early days), I forget about every other humdrum chore in life, bliss. 
Am also a fair-weather diver, i.e. not the south coast, too cold and no vis, but on holidays, enjoy that, plus just riding my bikes and the odd trips to Wales etc, for fun.


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 22, 2022)

Dave_Z1a said:


> Don't get much time for hobbies, but when I do I love being in my garage, fiddling with my bikes and making stuff on the lathe. Its my sanctuary, I not only forget about diabetes, although it dosn't bother me much anyway, (yet, early days), I forget about every other humdrum chore in life, bliss.
> Am also a fair-weather diver, i.e. not the south coast, too cold and no vis, but on holidays, enjoy that, plus just riding my bikes and the odd trips to Wales etc, for fun.


Welcome To Wales


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## harbottle (Dec 22, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Tenebrae is my favourite Argento film but its quite unpleasant to watch
> 
> Have you seen Salo ? That's tough


Yes, I’ve seen Salo… pretty notorious.
I just rewatched ‘The living dead at Manchester morgue’ - Spanish/Italian production filmed in the U.K.


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## Dave_Z1a (Dec 22, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Welcome To Wales


Thank you! Adore Wales, fabulous scenery, brilliant roads, uncrowded, nice mega friendly people with a great sense of humour. I really wish I was living there instead of this overcrowded manic patch of England in the South. Funny thing is when I visit I keep bumping into people that escaped the South of England and now live in Wales!


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 22, 2022)

Dave_Z1a said:


> Thank you! Adore Wales, fabulous scenery, brilliant roads, uncrowded, nice mega friendly people with a great sense of humour. I really wish I was living there instead of this overcrowded manic patch of England in the South. Funny thing is when I visit I keep bumping into people that escaped the South of England and now live in Wales!


I am in the south near Cardiff


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 22, 2022)

harbottle said:


> Yes, I’ve seen Salo… pretty notorious.
> I just rewatched ‘The living dead at Manchester morgue’ - Spanish/Italian production filmed in the U.K.


Salo is depressing and disturbing . I wouldn't watch it again .


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## Barrowman (Dec 22, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Well done , send me your tips !  Or post em here


Strange as it might seem @Taffyboyslim  all I did was cut out all junk food, ate my three meals a day but in smaller portions, no snacking between meals, and no cakes, biscuits, sweets or chocolate. Oh, and hardly any exercise for the same period of time - didn't have the energy.  

But now I've lost the weight I exercise every day again and feel a lot better about myself.


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## SB2015 (Dec 23, 2022)

I find time to weave, sing, compose, play in a steel band, Pilates and lots of socilalising. 
Diabetes has to fit in with that.


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 23, 2022)

SB2015 said:


> I find time to weave, sing, compose, play in a steel band, Pilates and lots of socilalising.
> Diabetes has to fit in with that.



Socialising is my problem . I hardly know anyone these days and feel very isolated .


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## Grannylorraine (Dec 23, 2022)

Baking, although that doesn’t necessarily take my mind off of diabetes, more wishing I could still eat loads of what I bake, but I still enjoy making things for other people.  I also knit, crochet, do cross stitch.

I run and do yoga but really think of them as hobbies.


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## SB2015 (Dec 23, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Socialising is my problem . I hardly know anyone these days and feel very isolated .


I find it easier socialising with like minded people who I find through following the interests that I have.  Any interest that you have that you would like to follow. I am amazed at how many opportunities there are locally, and we are in a small rural town.


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 25, 2022)

SB2015 said:


> I find it easier socialising with like minded people who I find through following the interests that I have.  Any interest that you have that you would like to follow. I am amazed at how many opportunities there are locally, and we are in a small rural town.



Walking , rock music , Cardiff city football , fishing , curry


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## Taffyboyslim (Dec 25, 2022)

SB2015 said:


> I find it easier socialising with like minded people who I find through following the interests that I have.  Any interest that you have that you would like to follow. I am amazed at how many opportunities there are locally, and we are in a small rural town.


Do you belong to any social groups ?


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## SB2015 (Dec 26, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Do you belong to any social groups ?


All of the interests that I have have elements that are social.  The choirs that I sing in, and our band involve regular meet-ups.  I weave with others twice a week, but also enjoy time to myself weaving at home.


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