Hobbies

[Freddy]

Just curious what you guys do to keep yourselves occupied. I'm n a retirement visa so plenty of time to fill.
As for me, I don't golf or fish and try to limit any TV watching to the evening.
Over the past year or so I've got interested in gardening and am also teaching myself carpentry and woodwork. I'm expanding my selection of power and hand tools and am currently building quite a large pergola. I'm finding that the more I do, the more ideas I get for what I want to do next.
So how do others fill their days?

[urleft]

My main hobby is getting food I miss from America.      Now I make my own sausage (Pork and Polish), pickled eggs, dill pickles, salsa (Needs work).  This food preparation leads to gardening, for example I want to grow cucumbers (for pickles) and jalapenos. 

Plus I am expanding my cooking, had beef stroganoff  the other night and chicken broccoli before that. 

And in keeping with preparing food, getting the right tools, for example, I have not been able to find a Olive Oil bottle with spout in Buriram.  Checked Makro, Tops, Robinsons, Big C, and several other places.  Finally just ordered one to sent from the USA. 

[mahdam]

Like you Freddy I dont play, Golf or any other sport for that matter, and whilst I only spend six months a year in Thailand the boredom can soon set in while out in the backwaters of Buriram.
To combat this I  tend to spend a lot of my time concreting paths,extending our car port, and have built a tool shed for me and the brother in law. Him and I together have built a link box, and last visit we built a twin axle farm trailer for our tractor. My project for my forthcoming visit is a new cow shed, for his exanding heard.

[davureborn]

This more or less sums up what I think about 'hobbies':
The modern sense of "a favorite pursuit, object, or topic" is from 1816, a shortening of hobbyhorse (q.v.) in this sense, which is attested from 1670s. Earlier it meant "a wooden or wickerwork figure of a horse," as a child's toy or a costume in the morris dance, the connecting notion being "activity that doesn't go anywhere." I like my activities to go somewhere.

[iammike]

I am a reasonably good cook but not a gardener (No Green Fingers)

My Hobby is Computers.

I used to worked in Computers (Designing Networks, 3rd line support etc etc) but that got the better of me (will not bother with the details) so I retired.

Now I only do fun stuff and things that keep me busy, for example after I retired I (thanks to the internet) learned Computer Programming just by doing it and I love to do that but NO stress and no time constraints and just for fun !

Other things I love to do is Travel, because I am on ME-NON-O I have to leave the country every 90 days (sometimes less ) so always looking for places to visit with my wife. (Already 2 places booked for the near future, end of the Month Laos and middle of December till Christmas Singapore and maybe in the middle of those 2 either KL or Bali)

[DeputyDavid]

Right now many projects in planning stage such as roof for shipping container to keep it a bit cooler, fence for the perimeter of our compound, and building a small trailer. ( I was thinking of a truck bed complete with frame and axle and fabricating the tongue so photos of your project are greatly appreciated. ) A greenhouse is in the forecast as the birds get many of my plants as they sprout. An hour or two at Ruangsangthai shopping for tools to complete these projects as well as sourcing the materials kills some time as well as the budget!  Last time I welded was in high school so having an opportunity to chat with other expats at Pichai's shop is really a big help!  I learn a little every time I go there!

[iammike]

Oooh I completely Forgot Sorry

I love my Music, love to find songs that are brilliant but hard to find. (Personal taste of course)

In total I have over 1 TB in songs all ripped from CD's / LP's I own back in Europe and adding more and more (less then 1 a day via legal sources.

To find these songs listening to online Music or True Visions (Channel Number 700 and up) and I don't care what kind of music it is, Classical, Hip/Hop, New Wave, Old Wave, Swing, 30s, 40s,70s etc etc

[Freddy]

I also like music of all kinds although I'm nowhere near the TB league.
I fully embrace the Thai culture of 'play it loud' and share my daily listening with the neighbours whilst undergoing my garden projects.

[mahdam]

Right now many projects in planning stage such as roof for shipping container to keep it a bit cooler, fence for the perimeter of our compound, and building a small trailer. ( I was thinking of a truck bed complete with frame and axle and fabricating the tongue so photos of your project are greatly appreciated. ) A greenhouse is in the forecast as the birds get many of my plants as they sprout. An hour or two at Ruangsangthai shopping for tools to complete these projects as well as sourcing the materials kills some time as well as the budget!  Last time I welded was in high school so having an opportunity to chat with other expats at Pichai's shop is really a big help!  I learn a little every time I go there!

Sorry DD try as I might I do not seem to be able to upload any pics. I have tried resizing, but still no luck!
I will try again, but don't hold out much hope.

[DeputyDavid]

Sent you PM.

[iammike]

I also like music of all kinds although I'm nowhere near the TB league.
I fully embrace the Thai culture of 'play it loud' and share my daily listening with the neighbours whilst undergoing my garden projects.

55555.

I only bought a bad a** stereo system to p*ss off the neighbors (again a long story) but my music (the ones I love), we love to listen (on soft volume) when we are driving or when putting on headphones and just listen.

Nowadays, it happens very often that we put on music (instead of TV) and fall asleep listening to it.

Ps: The bad a** stereo system we haven't turned on for over 2 weeks already

[Starman]

I also like music of all kinds although I'm nowhere near the TB league.
I fully embrace the Thai culture of 'play it loud' and share my daily listening with the neighbours whilst undergoing my garden projects.

55555.

I only bought a bad a** stereo system to p*ss off the neighbors (again a long story) but my music (the ones I love), we love to listen (on soft volume) when we are driving or when putting on headphones and just listen.

Nowadays, it happens very often that we put on music (instead of TV) and fall asleep listening to it.

Ps: The bad a** stereo system we haven't turned on for over 2 weeks already

Playing music loudly is actually a criminal offence. There is an a&^%hole in our village that tries it. We spoke to the village headman and he told him to turn it down. That didn't work so we phoned the police. They then call the village headman to tell him to sort it.

The last time the guy wouldn't stop so the police came round. That worked a treat.

[iammike]

@Starman.

PM Sent

[Freddy]

We're gonna build a Pergola. It'll be a strong pergola, a long pergola. And you know what, the Thais ain't gonna pay for it.
Unfortunately rain stops play!

[DeputyDavid]

Wow. Beautiful outdoor living.