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As I approach my 60th birthday at christmas I find myself again reflecting upon my life and thinking of all those things I wish I had got involved in but for whatever reasons I never did.
Firstly there is beekeeping, something I see as being a very relaxing pastime that can yield a useful product if one goes about it in a correct manner. I'm no huge fan of honey though I can bear it in small quantities, it's just the fantastic process of the bees converting pollen into honey that fascinates me. I've always envisaged beekeepers as being relaxed, patient types, something that not many folk would say of myself!
Secondly there is cheese making, I'm a great fan of cheese (though I detest goat's cheese!) and am fascinated by the huge variety of cheeses available that are essentially produced from the same basic ingredient. I lived on a farm for nigh on 11 years and though we had no milking herd, the farm across the road did, so access to quantities of milk would not have been a problem but for some reason I never took advantage of the opportunity. Some years ago an amateur cheesemaker here in Cornwall came up with a unique cheese which he then wrapped in stinging nettle leaves, now Cornish Yarg (as it is called) is being sold all over the country and beyond!
Thirdly I would have loved to be able to read, write and more importantly speak Anglo Saxon. Having had an interest in history, specifically early English history since my school days, this has often brought me into contact with scripts originally written in the old language and I so wished I was able to read the original rather than a translated version. I studied to various levels French, German and Latin but was never too good at any of them though if I had concentrated more on German that perhaps might have spurred me on towards learning Anglo Saxon but alas it never happened.
Finally there is bookbinding. This is a fantastic thing to study and has far more aspects to it than one might imagine. Of the four interests I have listed here, this is the only one that I have made any inroads into though by no means could I ever call myself a bookbinder. This interest is partly down to my interest in old books of which I have many, some going back to the early 1600's. I made my own nipping press for the repairing of some of my own books and have learned many techniques for doing said repairs though I have never dared go anywhere near learning how to re-sew bindings, that is a very skilled aspect that needs to be taught practically and not through reading about it.
So guys, what are the things, hobby or otherwise, that you wish you had accomplished in your earlier years but for whatever reason failed to do?
Regards,
Jay.
Firstly there is beekeeping, something I see as being a very relaxing pastime that can yield a useful product if one goes about it in a correct manner. I'm no huge fan of honey though I can bear it in small quantities, it's just the fantastic process of the bees converting pollen into honey that fascinates me. I've always envisaged beekeepers as being relaxed, patient types, something that not many folk would say of myself!
Secondly there is cheese making, I'm a great fan of cheese (though I detest goat's cheese!) and am fascinated by the huge variety of cheeses available that are essentially produced from the same basic ingredient. I lived on a farm for nigh on 11 years and though we had no milking herd, the farm across the road did, so access to quantities of milk would not have been a problem but for some reason I never took advantage of the opportunity. Some years ago an amateur cheesemaker here in Cornwall came up with a unique cheese which he then wrapped in stinging nettle leaves, now Cornish Yarg (as it is called) is being sold all over the country and beyond!
Thirdly I would have loved to be able to read, write and more importantly speak Anglo Saxon. Having had an interest in history, specifically early English history since my school days, this has often brought me into contact with scripts originally written in the old language and I so wished I was able to read the original rather than a translated version. I studied to various levels French, German and Latin but was never too good at any of them though if I had concentrated more on German that perhaps might have spurred me on towards learning Anglo Saxon but alas it never happened.
Finally there is bookbinding. This is a fantastic thing to study and has far more aspects to it than one might imagine. Of the four interests I have listed here, this is the only one that I have made any inroads into though by no means could I ever call myself a bookbinder. This interest is partly down to my interest in old books of which I have many, some going back to the early 1600's. I made my own nipping press for the repairing of some of my own books and have learned many techniques for doing said repairs though I have never dared go anywhere near learning how to re-sew bindings, that is a very skilled aspect that needs to be taught practically and not through reading about it.
So guys, what are the things, hobby or otherwise, that you wish you had accomplished in your earlier years but for whatever reason failed to do?
Regards,
Jay.
?lol. —I’d actually like to go back and undo a few things. But we can’t go one minute backward. — Marriages could’ve gone better. My Children I’d have spent more time with. Hobby’s? —- I’ve had many. Started boxing in the 82nd with authorization to train in lieu of PT—Want to know where that may have taken me. But I have very few regrets. I’ve had quite an exciting ride.
