Tag: hobbies

At last, the new work space takes shape.

The workspace is starting to take shape. Normal service to resume soon. Maybe I can catch up with this backlog now.

I’d pretty much closed down my workspace, when we sold our old house back in August last year. Everything I used the most was pretty much moved into storage as we prepared to make the move to our new home. All I was left with was a few screwdrivers, so needless to say, content on this site dwindled, whilst purchasing continued, hence I currently have 29 posts, in draft, awaiting completion as I don’t have a suitable workspace or the equipment available at the moment to complete any of them. I even purchased a 3D printer in November of last year for my birthday, it has been in storage all this time, I have now brought it home and have now made my first 3D print, that post can be found here: My First 3D print attempt

Things are about to change.

We pretty much have every room in the house now up and running. We are settled now and the final boxes have been attended to within the house, and we are finally getting to the point where regular recycling visits to the tip to get rid of the old cardboard boxes are finally coming to an end.

The next stage in my wife’s own words are, “ we can now get Dave’s room sorted.” The words I’d been waiting for.

My workspace – a wall in a guest bedroom

I’m calling it my room but in theory it’s not a whole room. It’s part of the third bedroom where I am probably just occupying one wall at the end of a guest bedroom, it’s all I need, I have a Garage to do all the blokey stuff in, this space is purely to work upon all my cameras and other more delicate items of work.

Whilst visiting a certain Scandinavian furniture store i have purchased a basic setup for me to begin working on. The good thing about these furniture systems is that you can start with a basic layout and just expand upon it, and that’s the plan.

I have a desk and drawer system arriving today, and quite a bit of construction to do, once this is in place then I can start getting my gear from storage and get it back into place. It will be nice to have all my equipment in a permanent placement, without having to take it all apart and storing everything back in boxes after I have used it. I’m looking forward to this as to be honest, I’ve really missed it. However I have been pre occupied around the house and there has been an awful lot to keep me busy, there’s been no rest really, I must be very wicked 😂

The workspace starting to come together

So as of 10th March, I’m quite pleased to say that my workspace is now ready to use. It’s still a way from being complete as I still have stock to bring from storage along with the last few tools and boxes of components. There are still shelves and storage to put in place, but at long last I can now sit down and finally start to play catch up with my ever expanding backlog.

The workspace….liable to be moved about yet again

I must admit I’ve moved things about, and I’m probably liable to move things about again over the coming days and weeks, even months as I can’t quite decide how the setup should look. It’s probably going to be a few sessions of me not being able to find tools, parts and cameras that will help me decide just what, should be where. In the meantime, it’s good that a kind of normality has been restored, and I can now start to resume where I left off all those months ago.

Wanted: free time

I so much wish to write some posts of substance on this blog but in the last few weeks I just can’t be bothered. I’ve reposted a few posts that I’ve liked or found a familiarity with but that’s about it.

Looking at my draft posts I have 14 – yes 14 that are in the process of being completed dating back to May of this year. These are all a number of projects I have on going including Camera repair, musical keyboards, video games, a complete radio control boat build as well as radios and some old cassette players that I have taken on board. I’m stuck for a number of reasons.

I do most of my repairs in our conservatory out of the main house away from the wife. My equipment that I use can be moved in three large boxes that take about an hour or so to assemble and disassemble, hence I like to be able to leave it assembled for a while to get any satisfaction and achievement out of what I’m trying to repair. If I had to put it all together and take it straight down again I think I’d lose total interest in the task at hand.

However it’s getting near Christmas and the wife has invited her entire family around for Christmas Day dinner, hence I have had to make myself and my gear scarce, as she plans to be feeding them all in our conservatory, my workshop.

It’s like I have had to shut up shop for the season, with so much still to do. I’m also awaiting a good number of parts to finish these projects, so that doesn’t help either.

A selection of the backlog of projects I have ongoing

So as it stands, unless I can adapt my kit to be a bit more stealth like then I’m probably not going to be attending to any of these much before the new year.

That said, has anyone tried these usb portable soldering irons at all? I may be in the market for one.

In the meantime I suppose I’ll just have to mingle and be nice. It’s going to be a tough Christmas 😂

Staying occupied

What things give you energy?

At my age probably a pair of jump leads to the..

David stop yourself 😡

No seriously, keeping occupied keeps me energetic, as my good lady would tell you, she even said that this week when we were on an activity based holiday that I was a different person.

Hobbies are my go to, and I’ve let them slip recently as I’ve sunk into a pit of self pity. Last night though I sat at my work bench and fixed two old electronic items and fault found another and I really enjoyed it. It was a kick in the pants that I needed, thanks to my wife who had threatened to clear my work area unless I got back in there, I love her for that.

That’s the thing with me. When I have a day off I always feel it is wasted if I haven’t done something productive, I’m slowly getting to learn that some days you just have to simply rest and turn off. However I do struggle with that and can be a right pain in the ass sometimes, I guess in a way I’m afraid of giving up and just jumping on to some slippery slide that I can’t climb back up again. It’s stupid I know as in all reality I’m not really that old, I’ve been in the company of some individuals during the last week achieving amazing feats and some of them are well into their 90s, all wonderful people.

I’ve got to stop imagining the worst, and calm down a bit, rest sometimes is just as important as food and drink, the body craves it and your body must be listened to at all times.

Hope you are all well on this fine day (Grey and damp in the East Midlands) and that you too have a superb day. Enjoy every minute. Stay safe.

The long plod up to retirement

How do you want to retire?

That would be nice….

Now this is a prompt I like. I’m in My late 50s and I’m looking into this seriously. My boss knows i plan to retire 2 years from my next birthday and the planning has already started to be looked into.

I want to retire comfortable, not looking at massive amounts but something that will keep us as we are currently. The mortgage is already paid so we are fortunate there, and outstanding debts will all be realised within the next 18 months so in theory by the time I do retire we will owe no one anything, so the need for a higher Income will not be necessary.

I am paying extra into my pension and we obviously have a small amount put aside for incidentals, to be honest the future looks ok. Touch wood (That’s my superstitious side shining through

I may take a little no responsibility, part time job to keep my hand in, but to be honest we want to travel, and just take it easy. Oh and my hobbies and garden can then get the attention they all deserve.

That’s of course as long as fate doesn’t throw a spanner in the works.

Peace all

Thoughts 21/3/24

What do you wish you could do more every day?

I really wish I could participate in all those things that I love to do on a daily basis. The only problem is as I’ve always stated is that Work gets in the way of everything I enjoy doing.

I can’t understand how many people go into retirement and have nothing else to do. I work in a business, where the employees are so use used to working a regular shift based timetable that they become so ingrained with the work ethic, retire and very shortly you are attending a funeral.

I know that sounds a bit exaggerated but that’s the way it seems to anyone who retires from this job, it is as if they are now entering the corridor to the end of their days, strange i know but we’re so used to it when someone says they’re going to retire we all think the worst.

I don’t want that to be the same for me. I have so many interests that I can never see myself being bored or getting to the point that I just sink into being happy with my lot.

In a nutshell hobbies that’s what I would do.

Have a good day folks stay safe. Be happy.