I've just deliberately sent my husband on a wild goose chase

[GooseyGooseyWander]

I may or may not have changed some details of said hobby and equipment.

He has a 'hobby' that he is obsessed with. Let's call it wild goose chasing. He watches YouTube videos about wild goose chasing, he reads magazines about wild goose chasing, he has all the gear ('infrared', 'thermal imaging' etc) and likes to go out wild goose chasing on a regular basis.

Recently he hasn't been wild goose chasing due to some disillusionment with his level of success in wild goose chasing and the lack of presence of gooses in the local area. This means every night, for many hours he has talked to me about wild goose chasing. Reads out bits from magazines to me. Talks endlessly. Listens to goose chasing videos in bed and comments on goose chasing techniques.

Tonight I went out on a run and happened to see a wild goose in an unusual location.

Nonchalantly told DH about it and would you know it, off his own back he's excitedly gone out to chase said wild goose.

I've now had two hours of mumsnetting and watching MAFS UK without someone talking about gooses through it. I expect DH is still delightedly crawling around on his hands and knees with his thermal imaging goggles looking for said wild goose.

Only I didn't see a wild goose.

AIBU?

AIBU to see it again tomorrow?

• Him: good run? Me: yeah ran all the way to goose wood and back without stopping. Him: oh, thats taken you a while, i thought you might have gone further than that in that time [my goosey plan starts taking root] Him again: oh I've told our darling children they can stay up as late as they like tonight because spurious reasons [goosey plan spreads wings] Him again: I've been thinking about geese.... me: funny you should say that, I think I maybe just saw one rapidly exiting goose wood as I ran past Him: I'm going out, I may be some time. Me: Tatty bye. Here's a flask of tea I happened to have prepared. Oh.. but can you put darling children to bed before you go. Thank you muchly.*

This is one of the best things I've read on MN. Ever thought about going into writing OP? 😂👏

Q: You know when -geese- gooses fly in the "V" formation, why is one side longer than the other?

A: Because there are more gooses on that side.

@ImpassiveVoice

Q: You know when -geese- gooses fly in the "V" formation, why is one side longer than the other?

A: Because there are more gooses on that side.

It's called goose-spreading

Are you in Scotland has he gone haggis spotting?

YANBU.

Whatever strategies you use to survive his endless twittering on are perfectly legitimate IMO.

Frog hunting??

Nominated for classics as this has made me laugh so much, especially
the indignation of a certain poster 😂

Geocaching?

Whether it is or isn't, good work OP!

@FlatteredFool

Nominated for classics as this has made me laugh so much, especially the indignation of a certain poster 😂

Me too 😂

@SoupDragon

He does love your flapjack though SoupDragon I might make him some today to appease for the horrible bullying he is entirely unaware he has experienced

I am withdrawing my permission for you to use the recipe because you are a horrible nasty bully.

😉

Ooh can I have your flapjack recipe too please? I love a flapjack

Owls

Ooh can I have your flapjack recipe too please? I love a flapjack

If you use advanced search for the word Flapjack and posted by me, you'll find it. It's what I have to do every time 😂😂

If you come across the version that lists extra sugar as an ingredient, just leave that out.

Mudlarking?

I think your husband and I would get along great! My poor wife (I'm also a woman) has to put up with my many obsessive hobbies, currently very into mushroom foraging which she also enjoys, but previously have been very into orchids, then aquariums. She jokes that I have basically been a middle aged bloke in a woman's body for many years.

@Bryterlayter1

Mudlarking?

I think your husband and I would get along great! My poor wife (I'm also a woman) has to put up with my many obsessive hobbies, currently very into mushroom foraging which she also enjoys, but previously have been very into orchids, then aquariums. She jokes that I have basically been a middle aged bloke in a woman's body for many years.

careful, you saying what your hobbies are is outing don't you know?

I am afraid I don’t think this is particularly pleasant, if I’m honest. I think if a man did this to a woman, the attitude on MN would be quite different.

There is a bit of a sense of belittling/ridiculing him and having a good old laugh at how gullible he is/how silly you think his hobby is. There is also a flavour of “aren’t I very funny and clever to have thought up this wheeze so I get left in peace by my silly, annoying husband” that I am not all that keen on. It’s the intent/attitude as much as the fooling him in to going out “on a wild goose chase”- it was for your benefit (time alone) and amusement- you’re having a jolly good laugh at his expense. All a bit mean-spirited IMHO. I’d be a bit hurt if my DH did this to me. I mean I wouldn’t end the relationship or anything dramatic but I would be a bit hurt and expect it not to happen again.

If you genuinely wanted him to get back into his hobby, I think there were nicer ways of doing it. I don’t think it’s particularly amusing and I don’t think this is something you should do to someone you love and respect- unless you both have a habit of playing practical jokes on each other. Even then, I still find the slightly ridiculing tone of the post unpleasant.

Was going to suggest a UFO-spotter/UFO-ologist but the point about children being too noisy suggests otherwise [Spoilers] unless they are like the 'A Quiet Place' extra-terrestrials.

I love this!! You are a genius OP!

Plot twist: The "hobby" is upskirting and OP really missed the memo.

gooseygooseywander you are an absolute legend

Can't - children to look after. What a shame. It's not a child friendly hobby, the children are too noisy

Is it dogging then?

My guess is its otter watching. We’ve got a few of those folks round here.

Why is encouraging someone to do something they enjoy mean?
If she had said you had seen the rarest goose in the world in an inaccessible place and locked him out of the house... that would be mean.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Why is encouraging someone to do something they enjoy mean? If she had said you had seen the rarest goose in the world in an inaccessible place and locked him out of the house... that would be mean.

Encouraging someone to go cycling (if they like cycling) is not mean. Telling someone that if they go cycling right this second, they will get an amazing cycling prize (when there is no prize) is both lying and mean.

Missing the point, but I envy your DH's passion. I don't have any hobbies that I can lose myself in like that. I'd bloody love to. I think that'll be my new goal: find my passion.

Back on point: does he hunt for oysters? I saw a lovely film recently about people doing that. And you used the word "profitable".

If you read the OP, you'll see that the DH doesn't care that his DW isn't interested, to the point that he plays videos of goose hunting in bed with the sound on. If the OP weren't dealing with this with humour I think you'd see he's getting his just desserts.