Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be fascinated by "hobbies"

213 replies

SmileEachDay · 22/02/2017 22:07

"I/DH/MIL have "a hobby" which takes a couple of hours/3 nights a week/the whole of April"

What ARE these hobbies? And why so mysterious?

OP posts:
Tomorrowillbeachicken · 22/02/2017 23:19

I write fiction as a hobby. A definite passion.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 22/02/2017 23:20

Hubby plays MMOs and tabletop war games which he will soon be teaching our five year old.

Crispbutty · 22/02/2017 23:21

I bought a 1000pc jigsaw last month. Haven't started it yet but one day maybe...

melj1213 · 22/02/2017 23:27

Saying what your hobbies are is as identifying as saying you have two blue eyes and symmetrical arms.

Depends ... if you say you were out with your running club and you've mentioned you live in West London that's hardly outing but if you mention you're an underwater basket weaver, that's going to be a little bit more of a niche hobby, and if you've mentioned you live in a little town just outside Leicester then it's potentially a bit more easy to identify you, and some people don't want to run the risk of losing their internet anonymity.

BitOutOfPractice · 22/02/2017 23:35

Littlestripeybee please put "Hobbies: dogging, getting pissed and rowing (arguing for pleasure") in your cv

DizzyFizzyLizzy · 22/02/2017 23:37

I love hobsession 😂

BeMorePanda · 22/02/2017 23:42

I would like to play bridge. But it seems people only like gambling cards games.

This is so identifying. I will have to NC now.

AYankinSpanx · 22/02/2017 23:43

I spent 2.5 hours doing his/my hobby

It sounds so mimsy to me somehow. I don't know why it mildly irritates me, but it does.

2rebecca · 22/02/2017 23:43

Agree kayaking, orienteering and playing in an early music group are more identifying than running and cycling.
I have always had hobbies and always dated men with hobbies.
I like people to be passionate about stuff (and well toned).
My hobbies have me out of the house 3 evenings this week and for about 4 hours each weekend day. The kids have grown up now though.

BeMorePanda · 22/02/2017 23:44

What about the travelling hobbies! some people here are always travelling abroad for their hobby. Must be fecking loaded.

Wellitwouldbenice · 22/02/2017 23:49

I don't understand why people won't say what their hobby is as it is 'identifying'. Are they the only person in the country doing it? Clumsy duck? Naked parachuting?

junebirthdaygirl · 22/02/2017 23:56

I have on a few occasions wanted to mention my hobby here as a great way of meeting people bit too afraid it would give me away. I feel its very identifying even thouvh l live in lreland. Wont dare mention what it is but it doesnt begin with d!!

RubyGoat · 22/02/2017 23:59

I knit, do cross stitch & similar things (I quite like old fashioned & freestyle embroidery), mess about on the Internet a bit too much (especially Pinterest), & try not to stuff chocolates in my face. Fabric crafts are a good antidote to chocolate, as the fabric would get soiled.

Wellitwouldbenice · 23/02/2017 00:08

But June - seriously, are you the only person in Ireland doing this 'hobby'???

Rixera · 23/02/2017 00:16

No, so presumably there could be a group of 5 or so people who do x hobby, one of whom is June and one of whom is June's Friend.
June discusses OH issue at length, Friend reads and consoles anon. June then posts about the great time at x hobby.
Friend remembers June's birthday is in June, has a child aged the same as the one in June's post, puts 2 and 2 together and realises her friend is having OH issues.

Potential major awkward situation.
So instead, June discusses only her OH and child on mumsnet, and hobby elsewhere.

ZebraOwl · 23/02/2017 00:23

DiseasesOfTheSheep

The Box of Delights FTW! Although the theme tune has now started playing in my little brain & it's a bit creepy inside my mind as a result...

Agree with PPs that the "hobby" thing seems weirdly/unnecessarily obfuscatory.

PussInCoutts · 23/02/2017 00:54

Depends ... if you say you were out with your running club and you've mentioned you live in West London that's hardly outing but if you mention you're an underwater basket weaver, that's going to be a little bit more of a niche hobby, and if you've mentioned you live in a little town just outside Leicester then it's potentially a bit more easy to identify you, and some people don't want to run the risk of losing their internet anonymity.

I agree, it can be very outing. You never know, better to be on the safe side? I totally get why people don't want to be more specific about their hobby / hobbies.

TaraCarter · 23/02/2017 01:24

I spotted an acquaintance of an acquaintance through their mention of a shared hobby and the night it was on. It's very easy.

The activity in question is not uncommon, but there are only so many groups, so when the MNer also mentioned her county in another thread, that was her triangulated very effectively.

BBCNewsRave · 23/02/2017 02:55

Tara when the MNer also mentioned her county in another thread, that was her triangulated very effectively.

This sentence sums up why MI5 wanted to recruit spies from here. Grin

Talking of which, I'm off to spend some time on my hobby

sobeyondthehills · 23/02/2017 03:09

I think a lot of it, is people going back through past posts.

I use to do a hobby which is a very small community, if I had mentioned it and someone had gone back through my threads it would of been easy to figure out who I was.

As it is, I mentioned something my cat did and a friend of mine caught onto who I was.

I personally dislike name changing, but at times you just have to to try and remain some form of anonymity, if you wanted people to know your name you could go on netmums

user1477282676 · 23/02/2017 03:22

The thing is that some of us don't call them hobbies.

My DH goes to Yoga but he wouldn't call it a "hobby" but "going to yoga"

I'd never say "DH does his hobby on a tuesday" but "Dh has yoga on Tuesdays"

What's with the word anyway? It sounds like something kids have...a hobby...like collecting rubbers or something.

Out2pasture · 23/02/2017 03:45

dh is a beekeeper :)

Jengnr · 23/02/2017 04:26

I dance and my husband plays cricket. He also goes to the football. I used to but can't afford to anymore.

I would never describe any of this as a hobby. It's a word I only ever see used on here snd it makes me cringe.

FrenchLavender · 23/02/2017 04:29

I collect cookbooks, I have literally hundreds. That should mean I spend an awful lot of time on my feet cooking but in reality it means I spend an awful lot of time sitting on my arse flicking through them and planning what I might cook, if only I could be bothered to get off my arse.

It's definitely a hobby though, for sure.

BewtySkoolDropowt · 23/02/2017 04:50

I just want to clarify that yes, dogging is indeed walking more than one dog at a time.

The next time you see someone without their dogs, I invite you to say 'I saw you out dogging the other day, I hope you had fun' and then walk on quickly before they get the chance to respond