What 'new hobby' did you take up after your diagnosis/treatments?

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arpie
arpie Member Posts: 7,584
Part of our 'general recovery' is getting back into things that we 'love doing' .....

My favourite 'things' are playing ukulele and kayak fishing!   

I've thought about taking up a new hobby - but I really suck at art & chess and couldn't sew or knit to save my life  ...... 

What are YOUR favourite hobbies - and did you take up any NEW ones, post diagnosis/treatment?
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  • Afraser
    Afraser Member Posts: 4,373
    edited February 2022
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    I took up philosophy, has been an excellent ‘habit’ for several years now. Some eastern, some European, some contemporary. Exercises the mind and keeps the questions coming! 
  • Locksley
    Locksley Member Posts: 915
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    I would do some scrapbooking from time to time before bc.  I now make time every week to do it.  I have a collection of paper to use.  
  • AllyJay
    AllyJay Member Posts: 945
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    I've always been a keen knitter, but it really ramped up to a high level after my diagnosis. I had a torrid time with chemo and then surgery as well as surgery for a brain aneurysm. The long hospital stays and sleepless nights had me knitting for six to eight hours a day. With simple patterns, the repetitive and almost hypnotic nature of movements by rote were very soothing to me and in between, the concentration of lacy pattern work chased away the dark thoughts that could have overwhelmed me.
  • colthul
    colthul Member Posts: 20
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    I did diamond art for a little while. A friend bought me a set to do while I was stuck in hospital for a couple of weeks. Otherwise I just stuck to mountain biking. I am not good at craft type activities.....they never turn out like they are meant to lol
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,584
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    WOW @Cath62 - you ARE well travelled!!  I just hate all the long flights & long airport waits & official rigmaroles - I reckon, post covid, I'll only do NZ & maybe Norfolk Island (sort of overseas) & maybe even Lord Howe .... 

    Gosh, you've had a rough trot of it, @AllyJay xx Well done you xx

    I reckon I'd be a danger to anyone else on the track @colthul - I am not the best co-ordinated person on a bike ..... 

  • Cath62
    Cath62 Member Posts: 1,279
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    The night sky is the best @jennyss. We love going camping just to see the stars. I live in Brisbane about 6kms from the city and still lucky to see stars and planets even though there are street lights etc. How wonderful you get up and see the stars. 
  • jennyss
    jennyss Member Posts: 1,959
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    And I am lucky too @Cath62. I live 15kms away from a regional centre in CW NSW, and have very clear skies; that is when the clouds and the moon give me a break!
  • iserbrown
    iserbrown Member Posts: 5,552
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    @Julez1958
    Smiled at your Lord Howe Island suggestion for @arpie
    Many many years ago we went to Lord Howe Island for our honeymoon! It is truly a beautiful place and yes we got around on pushbikes.  
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,584
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    Good on you, @Julez1958 ... I used to swim a lot as a kid ... but in the last 20 years (and living a stone’s throw from a beach ...) you can count on one hand, the number of times that I’ve had a swim! LOL   Plus I wouldn’t want to scare the children!  ;) 

    hehe, looking back at my post ... all my destinations are good ‘fishing spots’ - I wonder why!?  ... and Lord Howe is the only one I haven’t been to so far .... and I MUST go!  Ned’s Beach is famous, as are the monster Kingfish and Double Headers!  Thank you for the reminder!  I believe thy even have some Hobie Kayaks for hire, too! :) 

    When I went to FIJI 25 years ago (OMG, I cant believe it is that long ago!) I took over a small plastic Coke bottle, with line wrapped around it, a couple of small sinkers and some small soft plastics inside it .... and went snorkelling off the Beach and deployed my ‘secret weapon’ and watched the fish attacking the lure and hooking up! It was a decent size, too, so I offered it to the Fijian life guard on the beach and he gladly took it home with him! ;) 
  • Julez1958
    Julez1958 Member Posts: 1,123
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    Yes @arpie my hubby and I went on a fishing trip the first time we went to Lord Howe ( we have been 3 times) and somehow a  Marlin  took my line- it almost pulled me overboard and the head fishing guy on the boat took my line and the Marlin stayed on it for a while until the line snapped!
    I am NOT a fisher person so it was pretty funny when we got back to the place we were staying that night and some people in the bar said “ how was your fishing?” And I said “ I caught a Marlin - or should I say it caught me”😊
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,584
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    LOVE IT @Julez1958. What a great story!!   Shame you didn't get to 'touch the leader' - that is considered 'landing it' .... as most are just tagged & released these days, anyway!  I will definitely go out for a fish - another yak buddy was over there when one of the fishing magazines was doing a story on LH fishing .... and she ended up with a pic in the magazine with a whopper kingfish!!

    A buddy of mine (who has Stage 4 prostate - diagnosed same week as my BC) is STILL going out in his kayak, hunting marlin up at South West Rocks .... and has landed way more than 50 marlin/Sailfish (Before he started chemo, he landed 5 in just one day too!!) He is acknowledged as the Marlin Master of Kayak Fishos!! He is a real legend & a lovely guy.  Normally I'd be up there this weekend for the SWR Triathlon (hubby, not me) but he hasn't been 'up to it' for a few years ... and normally our Yak Fishing Group would stay on for a week of fishing mayhem afterwards!!!  All good fun. I hope to get back THERE too, one day!

  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,584
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    Oh yes! And I've recently purchased a good quality metal detector too ...

    Some years ago, I grabbed a bunch of GOLD magazines that the library was tossing out & I have been intrigued, reading them all - particularly the historical stories, as, if there was gold there then, there will be gold there now!!.... I also got a small A-Z book & started writing down tips on finding gold, what rock features to look for - where you might expect to find it in small rivers & tips on getting it out when you DO find it.  I need to find them & go thru them again to see what didn't seem important then, may be now!! .....

    I have (jokingly) tried panning in the past (Hill End) ... so I look forward to throwing this detector into the trailer, along with my uke, kayak & fishing gear, and when able to, get out on the road & give it a go!!

    You'd be SURPRISED at how many places there are in EVERY state, that has gold areas available to the public to fossick!  Just make sure you've got the required licences & make sure it is not private land or restricted areas!   ;)   I can't wait! 

    It is waterproof as well, so I can start on the beaches .... the local Metal Detector is always being called up to find rings that have come off at the beach ..... and amazingly, he usually finds them!