In this busy day and age, our own personal time is incredibly important. Be it time to ourselves, with loved ones, family or friends, it's precious, especially because it's often time outside busy working lives. But what can we do with this personal time of ours? At Hawkins we love a good hobby, we think they're really important for our own personal well-being. A good hobby can be a stress reliever, it can make you happy, keep you fit, help creativity and help you meet new friends. Basically hobbies rock. Here are a few we like the sound of.
Taking up a new sport: Cycling has seen a huge resurgence since the London Olympics. Any trips out in the car at the weekend can be met with groups of MAMILS (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) cycling in packs. And if it's so popular, why not join them? It gets you out of the house for a few hours exploring and meeting new people. You don’t need the flashy bike or the lycra straight away, just a decent bike and helmet, and lots of bike shops host weekly rides so grab your wheels and get peddling. Hockey has also seen a surge in popularity post Olympics. If you haven't picked up a stick since school or have no idea what hockey is, lots of clubs run Back2Hockey nights where you can learn the basic. Hockey is a fast paced, energetic sport, with a great social aspect too, win.
Home Brewing Beer: This is a mini adventure in chemistry and physics. Through trial and error you can hone your craft. It requires relatively few pieces of equipment, and the start-up knowledge can all be found online for free. Be prepared for potentially putting on a bit of weight however with this hobby, with all that lovely, lovely beer.
Beekeeping: Combining danger with sweet, sweet honey, beekeeping has gained in popularity over the years as our little buzzy friends are endangered . You'll feel like an everyday hero once you don your protection suit and get your own hive going. Plus you'll have guaranteed gifts for friends and family for years by way of pots of honey. Check out the British Bee Keeping website for tips on getting started.
Camping: Yes really, camping. This ticks off a wide range of skills like exploring, building, map reading etc. All you need is a basic tent (obviously), a sleeping bag, a torch and some beers to make it through the night and maybe a friend so you don’t get scared. Check out the App WikiCamps to find yourself a decent campsite here in the UK incredibly easy.
Meditation: Don't laugh, we're serious! We're pretty sure that everyone who works for a living could use a little relaxation, and a bit of meditation is ideal. All you need is ten minutes, a quiet room and your phone or laptop. Meditation doesn’t have to mean yoga pants and eye watering poses, it's just about giving yourself some head space, which we don’t think is a bad thing.
