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Other Hobbies


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When I read Tweedledee's Golf thread, I was thinking it was to do with golf as a hobby. I don't know about the rest of you but, these days, I don't have much time/money for other hobbies and interests. I used to fish quite often at one time and it was through writing for fishing magazines that my writing "career" started.

As I have been doing astrophotography, I have become interested in more "general" subjects, such as places of interest, plants and flowers and wildlife, especially birds.

I have done some non-astronomy writing but it is frozen for now, due to personal circumstances.

I played sport very badly but was quite good at chess and bridge in the past.

I don't know whether dogs count as a "hobby" but we have one and walking him is my main source of exercise.

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I'm not sure I really have anything else I could class as a hobby in the same way as astronomy... Closest is probably my music and my drumming, although I don't get much time with them due to people being in the house all the time!


 


I enjoy cycling and playing football and some other sports but I'm not seriously into them as a hobby, just as a bit of fun.


 


Then I have the sad side of me that likes my physics and maths (some maths anyway) :lol::blush:


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I don't have time for any other hobbies, and TBH my hobby gets very little time as I find myself doing a vast number of hours of astronomy for my job, usually this means I have very little time left to do any for myself. That might sound odd, but talking to 100's of kids, showing them something through the scope is astronomy but not for myself. I have enjoyed having a little time during the Easter break to have a go at getting back into my Solar Astro Photography but that has now got me into a bit of a quandary as I am not sure what to do with regards to scopes, cameras etc. Hopefully I will have chance to get some DSO work done tonight, that might help make my mind up.


 


Since the birth of our son in Sept I have less spare time than ever and especially now I am on full time hours at work. I have bought some model kits (Rockets what else?!) which I hope to be able to enjoy building. So I guess that is a hobby if ever I get time to do them!


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my hobbies include,


golf, which i play very badly, and haven`t really used for a year due to other hobbies, and lack of time and people to play with, thinking of selling the clubs.


of course my astronomy, which has been costing me a lot of money over the last few years but `i`m there now with my astro imaging equipment.


and my new daytime hobby of road cycling, since buying a Giant defy in January i think i`ve covered about 600 miles and really loving getting out in the country side with my cycling buddies, i`m usually at the back but someone has to be last.


i`m also interested in classic cars, really thinking of getting a classic Triumph vitesse convertible, prices have shot up over the last few years and just need to bring the wife round a little.  


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My other hobbies are Electronics, Programming, Ham Radio, Photography and playing my guitar and banjo (very badly).

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my hobbies include,

golf, which i play very badly, and haven`t really used for a year due to other hobbies, and lack of time and people to play with, thinking of selling the clubs.

of course my astronomy, which has been costing me a lot of money over the last few years but `i`m there now with my astro imaging equipment.

and my new daytime hobby of road cycling, since buying a Giant defy in January i think i`ve covered about 600 miles and really loving getting out in the country side with my cycling buddies, i`m usually at the back but someone has to be last.

i`m also interested in classic cars, really thinking of getting a classic Triumph vitesse convertible, prices have shot up over the last few years and just need to bring the wife round a little.  

2ltr or 1.6  ?   miss my little red thing - don't miss it going round corners and doing the "Herald/Vitesse/spitfire" suspension collapse thingy - Great car to work on with the forward opening bonnet

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I used to have a Truimph Spitfire about 25 years ago it was Mark IV I think reg number HOY 219K.


 


It was a babe magnet IIRC.


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I used to have a Truimph Spitfire about 25 years ago it was Mark IV I think reg number HOY 219K.

It was a babe magnet IIRC.

My brother had one of them... Lovely old car sound to it... Had a roof you completely remove and leave at home... Bit like rolling a dice here in the UK...

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My other hobbies are Skydiving and Fishing. I have an aspiration one day when I'm a lot older say in my 50-60's to take up Kayak Fishing. I like both sea (having grown up on the north devon coast) and coarse fishing but kayak fishing is that little bit extra both in excitement and most definitely (from wha I can see with my research) cost!

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Guest peepshow

Collecting old wirelesses that were made before I was. :)


 


Collecting old  domestic thermometers.


 


NBTV (Narrow band television) of the mechanical Nipkow disc scanning  type.


(I made the smallest one ever with a 1/4 inch high picture.)


 


Collecting plastic novelty radios. 


 


Writing poetry.


 


...........Sorry to be so oddball. :D


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Antiques, many different types


Photography both astro and terrestrial. This includes collecting and using vintage film cameras, current acquisition is a Rollei 35s mini camera, always wanted one and now got one :D  :D :D  


Making a mess with my lathe and milling machine, I can spend hours turning down a piece of brass 3" bar down to a pile of swarf :D  :D


Sketching


Used to do writing with my job, one day soon I will start doing it again


 


Used to do cycling and hiking but CFS has knocked that on the head so I do more of the other stuff

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I used to collect old film cameras Phil, had quite a collection but sold them years ago to get into astronomy. I had one of those Rollei 35s I think I picked it up at an auction for £50. I had a Yashica 35GT, a Olympus 35RC, Minolta 7s, best deal was a car boot Lomo LCA which I paid £5 for and sold for £75. I used to love rangefinders, very rarely used them but did process a few rolls of B&W film myself.


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Great stuff mick, Im currently playing with a Nikon FG with motordrive and 28mm prime lens. Popping up to York to do some snapping tomorrow.

I love medium format tlrs, last time I went to york for a photo shoot I was using my 1957 Yashicamat, tlr. It takes superb photos.

I got a Rollei 35 Led at the same time as the 35s but wont be keeping that as its the Singapore made one, the s is the German Ziess one.

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The Rolleiflex TLR's are awesome as well, never had one but have held one, work of art if you ask me.


 


Do you process them yourself Phil, as I said I've done a few B&W's but never colour, and I have never done MF either.


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Ive got a couple of Ikons but much earlier bellows models. Even then tge quality was outstanding

I used to process years ago but send them off now. Still after a Rolliflex

Edited by philjay
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Apart from Astronomy my main hobbies are photography and making music.


 


Been taking pictures for may years but only more recently (last few years) got back in to the (D)SLR world. Mostly take creative holiday snaps. Usually too many to find sufficient time to process to the extent I would like. I started off with a 35mm though (partly as a school friend showed me some nice pictures in astronomy/astronomy now and told me about this thing called astrophotography - circa 1984!) It was 2nd hand from LCE, a completely manual Zenith II-E. Still have it, big heavy and brass. It was a great way to learn about taking photographs. Unfortunately it is in need of a service. A couple of years in West Africa didn't do it any good and it started to intermittently let in a little extra light causing a red "slash" across most frames. Got the last film I shot developed only last week. I was not sure even if there was one in it to confess... it had been in there since 1999. Wound the film off and took it down to boots... As I suspected there are a few pics from the solar eclipse in Cornwall (not very good ones!) Amazed though that the film had survived that long though. Makes me want to do more 35mm work again.


 


Music, not spending as much time on this as I should be. But like to record/write songs and instrumental stuff. I (kinda) play piano (keyboards/synths), acoustic guitar, African rhythm and can generally get a bit of a tune out of just about anything. Want to upgrade a few bits in my home studio/music room but astro is getting in the way a little  - but... about to treat myself to a few new bits of kit...


 


Work tends to get in the way of all the fun things though.... I'd better get back to it! 


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I had a zenit you speak of .. Took pics of comet hallebopp along with my then interest in all types of photography with it.

What synth you got? I've owned kawai K4, Yamaha Sy85. Also Used a sy77, casio cz1000.

Many moons ago me and 3 friends had a little band 😊

Good to see you caught the 99 eclipse.. I went camping dwn near Brixham for it 😊

Edited by Astronigel
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Hi Nige,


 


I also took a couple of pictures of Hale Bop... from west Africa though as I was living there at the time.


 


Synths (this will make you laugh!) also have a Kawai K4! :) not that it has much use these days. Mostly I use a Triton Extreme (have an 88 key with weighted keys) and an Alesis Micron.


 


I'll post the eclipse pics from 99 at some point... and Hale Bop. Eclipse pics not up to much. Couple of the field and one slightly blurry one of 1st contact only... clouded over then!


 


best wishes,


 


Steve


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Built a 10'x6' shed to house a model railway project based on Weybourne on the North Norfolk  railway in 00 gauge.


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Guest CodnorPaul

Only one other hobby for me which is taking over at the moment - playing rugby and the knock on effect of after match drinking, and when I am not doing that my Mrs is starting to play, and when she isn't playing my son is playing...


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I don't know if I'd class these as hobbies or interests, but if I'm not spending my spare time & cash on astronomy then it's usually something to do with ancient human history and fossil collecting.


 


I have a small, but steadily growing collection of fossils, including trilobites, ammonites, fossilised fish and a megolodon tooth


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Through to insects trapped in amber and an extremely heavy 4ft high fossilised tree trunk 


The insects in amber was a wedding present to me from my wife and she also got me the tree trunk (which was not cheap and would be more at home in a museum) for my 50th after we saw it in a warehouse a year earlier.


 


I like to see the fossils I buy rather than view on the internet so I don't get a chance to collect them as often as I'd like .... that said there is a full sized sabre tooth cat skull that has been on my secret wish list for a couple of years  :-)


 


There was almost a point a year or so ago when we were going to use the upstairs of the shop as a fossil/mineral store for a company we deal with and I'd have done a bit of selling from there, but it never really came to fruition .....  probably a good thing!


 


Al

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