Topic: What do you do when you are not toiling the soil.

[ACE]

Gardens and allotments are a full time occupation but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. What do you do in your 'spare time'?

Here's a couple of hints from me.

[Palustris]

Recover!

[Squash64]

ACE Do you ever get people who are frightened of Morris Men?  We had
them at our first Summer Fayre and they were absolutely brilliant but when
I told someone afterwards she said that they scared the s**t out of her!
I think it might be like some people have a phobia about clowns.

When I'm not toiling the soil I am usually doing allotment admin or
checking emails, or looking at facebook etc.  Quite boring I suppose.

Forgot to say..... lavishing time and care on my Micra. 

[Yorkshire Lass]

Bake cakes and experiment with other recipes for  meals.  The family love it all.
Anne

[alkanet]

i do the same as ACE

take pictures of hairy blokes and other people's motor-cycles

[Pescador]

Brew chutney, pickle and preserves, and (very unfortunately) a full time job at a large supermarket!

[hippydave]

im rebuilding a 1979 seires 3 Landrover in-between work and the plot.

[Obelixx]

Ballroom dancing, salsa and line dancing, dog walking, sewing, cooking, baking.  Used to do horse riding but dodgy back put paid to that.

[small]

I read Victorian/Edwardian novels and do cryptic crosswords. And spend far too much time on the internet.

[telboy]

Restore (preferably) Merry Tillers. Got to know them well and the engines are very reliable. Engine parts are easily obtainable.

[Squash64]

I also play Scrabble on facebook.

[Tee Gee]

Is that the wife with the stripy socks brandishing a stick at you Ace!?

I have taken up writing e-books about things I have learned from experience and my mentors.

I see it as placing stuff that I have learned, particularly about gardening,down for posterity so that future generations don't have to go to all the troubles I had in pre-internet days in trying to find out when and what to do in the garden and on the allotments.

[Digeroo]

Playing the recorder with the U3A and volunteering with the national trust.  I do love table tennis but my partner has given up.  Need to find a new one. 

[Obelixx]

I also do bits of DIY and do up old furniture for use in the house or garden but I'd really like to learn to weld so I can make my own iron obelisks and plant supports.

Any handy people out there who can tell me what I need to have a go or do I need classes?

[Silverleaf]

I sing in three choirs, knit, crochet, make mixed-media art jewellery mostly in polymer clay and resin, cook/bake play roleplaying games (Dungeons and Dragons and the like), and play lots of modern board games. I also make my own board games.

[ACE]

I also do bits of DIY and do up old furniture for use in the house or garden but I'd really like to learn to weld so I can make my own iron obelisks and plant supports.

Any handy people out there who can tell me what I need to have a go or do I need classes?

Arc welders are cheap to buy and cheap to run, but for fine work like plant supports you really should use a mig welder which will not burn your metal away so easily. These cost a bit more to run as they need a bottle of CO2 gas, unless you buy really expensive flux core welding wire.

All these are dangerous to use and one false move can burn out the retina in your eyes. Go to the local tec college and get a few classes, it's not rocket science, but they will at least teach you the safety bit first.

[pumkinlover]

Spin, knit, crochet, starting to learn to weave. Finishing the quilt I made as a present 3 years ago and still needs quilting. Bake, make wine, like Squash allotment stuff.
Looking after the rabbits (taking one of them to the vets every bank holiday!!) would like to say cycling and walking in the wonderful Derbyshire countryside but not had time much for them. Now I am only a pillion on the old Beemer (used to be mine but gave it to OH as too heavy for me!)
Oh and work ..............but not for much longer ..........4 more shifts to go
by the looks of our activities how do we find time to garden

[goodlife]

I like this thread...love to get to know what you all are up to. Even 'soil stuff' is nice to do...one cannot spend entire life nose in it.

As for me, well...once the necessary 'evils' are out of way...housework and paid work, then there is beekeeping, dog keeping,chicken keeping and husband keeping...
What ever time is left after that I like to do some woodcarving(mainly simple things into kitchen..spatulas, butter knifes etc), woolly 'stuff' (knitting, spinning, washing sheep fleeces..etc.) or what ever takes my fancy...I get my fingers on all manner of craft things.
Recently I've done spot of beadwork, bought old Finnish spinning wheel and I'm just middle of restoring that to working order, been carving shawl pins...sewing...

"tinker of all trades but never true master of anything..." = that's me
Here is some things that I'm 'tinkering' with...

[ACE]

Oh and work ..............but not for much longer ..........4 more shifts to go

Is that finishing for good? we will not call you a pensioner But if you think you had time to do things before, you wait until you retire, still not enough hours in the day.

[Paulines7]

I like going away in the caravan.  Hubby and I have recently taken up shore/pier fishing but haven't caught anything yet.

I also spend far too much time on the Internet and play MultiPopword.  Several years ago, someone on here put up a link to the site and I have cursed them ever since!  It does keep the mind active though.