[Misc] Who has got an unusual HOBBY?

[Goldstone1976]

Snaffled myself a mauve/red Mabie Todd Snakeskin last week, which wasn't described as such. A night's soaking to get the section and solidified sac out - and now in tip-top condition (one with a hard rubber lever, and fine semi-flex number 2 nib). Very pleased with myself. Took notes with it during a zoom meeting today - which is quite a contrast between old and new technology.

Don’t suppose you or [MENTION=36757]Happy Exile[/MENTION] have any restored vintage fountain pens you’d care to exchange for legal tender (or wine - I have plenty of that)?

On topic - I used to work with someone whose hobby was to use his holiday to travel to various countries taking photographs of electricity pylons. There are a huge range of different styles.

 

[Biscuit]

Do you upload any to Youtube? I love seeing the old street scene videos colourised.

I do. Just got Dr. Who stuff on there at the moment.

Just finished a job for the BBC, fixing a lot of footage where the colour was in a bad way.

 

[doogie004]

Just started my third technic Lego model lovin it very therapeutic


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[Bodian]

Don’t suppose you or [MENTION=36757]Happy Exile[/MENTION] have any restored vintage fountain pens you’d care to exchange for legal tender (or wine - I have plenty of that)?

I had a big clear out about six months ago where I decided to get rid of all the ones I didn't use, and limit myself to the ones I used relatively regularly, a few special (sentimental) ones, and the odd purchase. Just a large handful left.

Sorry!

 

[Whitley Bayster]

Great stories! Can I ask what you've used to do the 'tracing'?

Ancestry.com but the key starting point is to speak to as many older living realtives as you have. Its amazing how far back they can go even if its two or three generations it gives you a strong starting point. Putting the names of Edwardian / Victorian decendents into te Ancestry website then begins to spin out other leads. We ended up contacting some local churches and parishes in Wiltshire to check records. I found it fascinating. I did a DNA test as I couldn't quite believe it and it showed I had 70% Nordic and Normandy genes with a touch of Wessex thrown in

 

[Brighthelmstone]

Just started my third technic Lego model lovin it very therapeutic


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My wife thinks I'm odd for someone the wrong side of 40 to build Lego. But as someone who has a stressful job i agree with you that its a good stress relief! I did point out that its clearly targeted at adults with some kits now being north of £500 each but she disagrees!

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I thought I was an outlier until I discovered that both Chaz and Dave were also fans of inner city sumo


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[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Believe it or not I was! My mate posted this memory today, must've been about 18 at the time. We used to turn up half pissed from the night before and there'd be blokes twice our size that would kick us off the pitch most the time! View attachment 135297

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Is that a tiny top knot?

 

[maresfield seagull]

Ancestry.com but the key starting point is to speak to as many older living realtives as you have. Its amazing how far back they can go even if its two or three generations it gives you a strong starting point. Putting the names of Edwardian / Victorian decendents into te Ancestry website then begins to spin out other leads. We ended up contacting some local churches and parishes in Wiltshire to check records. I found it fascinating. I did a DNA test as I couldn't quite believe it and it showed I had 70% Nordic and Normandy genes with a touch of Wessex thrown in

You re French and you know you are D

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Mrs Blue3 ex husband was a collector of all things WW2 German some of which he passed onto his son, for years we had this collection of Nazi medals and badges in the loft it would make my skin crawl the thought of this associated with such an evil regime being under our roof, I was secretly really pleased when stepson decided he didn't want to be associated with then and disposed of the lot

I never got hold of any German / Nazi stuff - all Allied artifacts. Not sure how I would've felt if I had got any though....

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

My wife thinks I'm odd for someone the wrong side of 40 to build Lego. But as someone who has a stressful job i agree with you that its a good stress relief! I did point out that its clearly targeted at adults with some kits now being north of £500 each but she disagrees!

Tell your wife you're in good company

'Leandro Trossard has been building LEGO in lockdown'

https://www.brickfanatics.com/leandro-trossard-has-been-building-lego-in-lockdown/

 

[Tokyohands]

My wife thinks I'm odd for someone the wrong side of 40 to build Lego. But as someone who has a stressful job i agree with you that its a good stress relief! I did point out that its clearly targeted at adults with some kits now being north of £500 each but she disagrees!

Now't wrong with Lego matey. My kids finally got into it after me buying a few sets and 'showing' them how it's done. We are now on to the 'smash the sets up and build something imaginative' stage. It keeps the 3 of us very quiet for hours. They do a great big roller coaster set i've got my eye on, pretty pricey though!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Since becoming obsessed (and I will happily admit to it) with baseball in the summer I have started collecting baseball mitts. Only have about a dozen so far, but its slowly building up. I only buy cheap bargains on eBay, & haven't spent more than £15 on any yet (most are about £5) but a couple of them are quite rare as they are discontinued models, and sold for over £100 when new. I love the subtle differences in styles, and the smell of the leather is amazing.
Not sure how the missus will react when the collection gets bigger, but at the moment it makes for a nice display in our sports den.

 

[jackalbion]

Track Bashing is my weird obsession, trying to travel every single piece of standard gauge railway in the UK on a train. Ticked off West Ealing to South Greenford last night, irritated that I didn't manage to get the last section from South Greenford to Greenford but that will come another day.

 

[amexer]

Ancestry.com but the key starting point is to speak to as many older living realtives as you have. Its amazing how far back they can go even if its two or three generations it gives you a strong starting point. Putting the names of Edwardian / Victorian decendents into te Ancestry website then begins to spin out other leads. We ended up contacting some local churches and parishes in Wiltshire to check records. I found it fascinating. I did a DNA test as I couldn't quite believe it and it showed I had 70% Nordic and Normandy genes with a touch of Wessex thrown in

I have not got hang of this. Used Ancestry paid £50 plus and every time I wanted to look up someone else asked for money with no assurance the person you look up is not the right one

 

[Codner's Wallop]

Playing death metal backwards on a crusty old gramophone for subliminal messages.

 

[Blue3]

On topic - I used to work with someone whose hobby was to use his holiday to travel to various countries taking photographs of electricity pylons. There are a huge range of different styles.

I hadn’t thought it a hobby but your post made me think about something similar in that I use my holidays to travel around Europe visiting sites with a link to two historical figures the Roman Emperor Constantine 1, General Belisarius and Byzantine churches it has taken me all over Europe to fantastic cities battle sites and even a small public car park in pula to find a tiny abandoned chapel

 

[jakarta]

I never got hold of any German / Nazi stuff - all Allied artifacts. Not sure how I would've felt if I had got any though....

My late Father-in-Law was a Signaller in the Guards Armoured Division - he went over on D-Day plus 2 - his speciality was listening into 'plain speak' German Morse Code which their Front Line Units used rather than coding it through Enigima.

Anyhow he ended up in Berlin in the spring of 1945 and like many did a tour of the Nazi sites.

He did the Luftwaffe HQ including Goerings Office from which he nicked his Personal Desk Phone (amazed it was still there after the Russians had looted the place)

He came back to Liverpool with his prize, told his Mum where he had got it and she put it in the Dustbin while he was out.

So there is a bit of Wallasey Corporation Tip with a very valuable telephone located somewhere...

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Since becoming obsessed (and I will happily admit to it) with baseball in the summer I have started collecting baseball mitts. Only have about a dozen so far, but its slowly building up. I only buy cheap bargains on eBay, & haven't spent more than £15 on any yet (most are about £5) but a couple of them are quite rare as they are discontinued models, and sold for over £100 when new. I love the subtle differences in styles, and the smell of the leather is amazing.
Not sure how the missus will react when the collection gets bigger, but at the moment it makes for a nice display in our sports den.

US thrift stores the size of a small UK supermarket are heaven for stuff like that. When I returned here from the States 20 ago I shipped back a tea chest of thrift store sports stuff collected over several years - baseball mitts, balls, bats, several 3/4 size NFL team helmets, NHL endorsed pucks, planning to display it in my Brighton house at the time...it’s all still in the chest unpacked two decades later.

 

[ozzygull]

I did for a bit buy broken turntables of eBay and fix them and sell them for what it cost me to do it. I did about 7 or 8. This was during lock down, below is one of them

before

after