Tuesday, 21st July, 2026

I need a hobby that I can do easily from home, in the evenings or whenever that doesn’t involve spending lots of money, using computers, and could be done in small periods if necessary. Like gardening or running. I like some gardening, probably some maintenance jobs, like last night I was out until 10pm digging out a huge bush from our front lawn. Was very satisfying, but there are only so many things to dig out. I like cutting the lawn but some parts are boring, like trimming edges or weeding pavements…

I’m sick of wasting time on reddit or youtube on the computer. I did dig the bush, have a shower, make a cup of tea and get some ice cream and watch a couple of youtube videos before going to bed. But once I started watching videos I could’ve got sucked into loads but I was tired and went to bed.

Maybe I should start running…everyone who does it seems to love it but it just seems boring to me. Perhaps I should dismantle the computer, then I’d find something else to do.

I think the general miserableness is because I’m tired. Didn’t always sleep that well on holiday for various reasons, and then back to work, late nights, lots of activity, still means I’m tired. Tends to trigger general moaning. Having said that I do want to clear out somethings…even books…I’ve got some I’ve bought and haven’t read and will never read and I’m not sure I’m even that interested. I’ll keep ones I’ve not read but think I still might, or that I think the kids might read them one day. Yes, I could buy or find the ebook version but there’s no discovery of books on shelves for that. Although is that a thing of the past and these days there so many other things to do, no-one will look on the book case for something to do. I’ll try and give a few to my friends but some are weirdly specific and I don’t think anyone would want them….like An Introduction to Error Analysis…

Setup the apple keyboard and iPhone stand to continue this entry. Makes me think about the Neo, and imagine some world where this office is actually a tiny library, with a big comfy chair, foot stool, standing lamp and a small bookcase with half a dozen books to be read. Perhaps the armchair also could access the ham radio gear. I could sit with the laptop on my lap for trifling computing but then it gets tucked away on a shelf. Perhaps also it needs a little side unit for the print to be kept. Perhaps finally making use of the nice cover the HP Tango has, so it looks neat until you want to use it. I could get the entry level iPad to use this way. Seems excessive to buy one when I’m always trying to not have more stuff.

I caught up on my transaction in Actual Budget, and went through my process looking at monthly summaries. A very long time ago I used to write myself monthly summaries of what was spent. A table, then I think I used to do a top ten expenses that month. I upgraded a dokuwiki install as now it supports markdown, and decided to make a section for money and to repeat this effort. I just wrote up May and June, I didn’t do the top 10 (only just remembered that now) but did look at the categories that looked higher than normal and then looked up the transactions for those in Actual budget to make a little note of it. Extra things just seem to be stuff like “booked a hotel for holiday”, “car needed new brakes”, etc. Not really revelations of insights, but I quite like seeing what it was that wasn’t normal…except there’s never a normal month…always something. I should try and continue it. It hardly took anytime. I had a blog post from 2016 of tracking personal finances, and I’ve started a draft of a 2026 version. I should finish that.

The turntable spins again but I do want to get rid of some more things. The Lego trains are prime targets, it’s just a bit of work to get them photographed and packaged up nicely. There must be more stuff. The computers are somehow involved in this clear out. Somehow I can’t think of anything to clear out that’s mine but the house is full of stuff. Maybe some Switch games no-one plays? But those all just fit in a tiny case. Maybe some radio clutter could be tidied up. Or boxes of cables or whatever is in the garage that’s related. A few radio things I could sell that I just don’t use. I bought them for antennas or something but can’t really use them now as no-one likes the big antenna poles in the garden, so they just sit in the garage waiting for one day when I can….which is surely 20 years time when we move house to downsize as all the kids have (hopefully) left. But am I just going to sit on it for so long? Or maybe some portable setup from the car, which I have done before but it’s not exactly convenient. It would be nice to have a quick car setup for some POTA sites but I dunno. I should probably sell it and then whenever the time comes that I can setup something permanent like it at home, then I’ll buy it or perhaps something better then.

I only need my KX2 and some wire and a nice hill. That’s what I really like. Even thought about getting rid of my home radio setup. All I do is chase a few SOTA activators on 40m, maybe 20m if friends go overseas. I do like that still, and maybe it’s not too much to keep - although my wife hates the wire in the garden, and 3 years later this “temporary” setup is probably grating a little. Perhaps I should take it down and then setup a wire in the loft or around the edge of the house…somehow…

I don’t think I’d mind if the house is still busy with stuff if it’s not mine, I’d know I’d simplifed my stuff.

I do like the idea of a reading room…I mean library. I’m torn on getting rid of the computers as others like to use them for work, homework, play… maybe they could live in the “play room” instead. Really this is all some effort to make myself a room to hide in, that’s not freezing in the winter (like the garage). Although there’s working from home considerations…not that I often work from home…and I could work in the play room. In fact I only work at home when absolutely necessary, so maybe that’s not a big deal. Have to think on this.