Birdwatching is a new hobby for us – can’t wait for Spring!
. . . . .
Many years ago, when the boys were little, they loved watching the Wind in the Willows television series. Pete and I did too – the humour was dry and subtly tongue-in-cheek, with priceless lines like…“Badger, if I stop hammering, Toad won’t have a gondola..”
In one scene, Toad’s eyes glaze over as he becomes entranced with a new obsession, and Badger deadpans to Rat and Mole, “I fear, my friends, another enthusiasm..”
That line has become a standing joke in our house – when I get excited about something (which happens often, as you might have noticed), Pete refers to it as a new enthusiasm.
I don’t mind at all, because I believe that actively seeking enthusiasms – finding things which interest us passionately – is one of the great secrets to lifelong happiness. We encourage it as much as we can in our sons, and all four of us have our own areas of interest. Amongst other things, Pete finds enormous pleasure in the garden and his fish tank (which is currently being overhauled) and Big Boy continues to write prolifically (if you’d like to read one of his very early works, the link is here, and the password is “story”).
I bounce between experimenting in the kitchen to birdwatching to visiting museums to jewellery making to hunting down clay pots. I collect cowboy boots, obsess over Turkish plates and explore new culinary cuisines. We don’t travel much, but we do visit the world via our dining room table…
I spent a month perfecting our dumpling recipes. We ate SO many of them!
My latest enthusiasm is American-style BBQ – ironic really, given that we don’t even own a barbecue – but I love the hype and excitement around it, so I’m madly reading books and watching BBQ Pitmasters. I’m mixing up spice rubs and trying to replicate results using my Römertopf – it’s enormous fun even though I know the finished dish can’t possibly be authentic (Pete has drawn the line at buying a $10K barbecue “pit” – we play financial controller on each others’ hobbies).
I pull the pots out of the oven and critique them in my best Myron Mixon Southern drawl – “hmmm…can’t see a smoke ring on this ‘ere piece o’ butt..”
. . . . .
In our family though, the title of King of Enthusiasms belongs to Small Man, whose interests over the years have included passionate studies in card magic, voice acting, chemistry, 1950s films, grey wolves and now linguistics (to name but a few). He’s currently teaching himself foreign national anthems and belting them out at the top of his lungs in the shower (I can’t begin to tell you how much I adore that boy).
Small Man showing off his card flourishes…
. . . . .
As Pete and I enter our fifties, we’ve noticed that amongst our peer group, those who have hobbies and pastimes that they pursue with great passion are undoubtedly the happiest.
Our lovely neighbour and friend Nic, who began weaving just a few years ago, has become an accomplished artist, with her woven natural fibre pieces now on display in several galleries. You can view more of her works on her Instagram feed…
One of Nic’s amazing creations… © Nicole Robins 2014
Nic’s husband PeteV, a successful lawyer, is currently completing his Masters in Astronomy. He takes the most incredible deep space photos…
M20 – The Triffid Nebula © Peter Velez 2014
Our old friend Kevin runs ultra-marathons, Maude crochets 3D sculptural pieces out of locally spun wool, and darling Dan is a skilled photographer, quilter and costume maker…
Dan’s daughter in the too-cute-for-words Alice costume that Dan sewed from scratch for her… © Dan Collins 2010
. . . . .
I’ve just read the draft of this post to Pete and he offered this: it takes a certain outlook on life, a way of viewing the world with an open mind and excited eyes, to be able to seek out and explore all the wondrousness that life has to offer. Many people automatically dismiss anything they regard as trivial or wasteful or childish or unimportant. Which is a great shame, as it means they might not get to have the wonderfully bizarre dinner conversations with their children that we enjoy with ours!
What are your enthusiasms? I’d love to hear about them!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
So – why am I not surprised that you (who so frequently inspires me) hang out with such inspiring friends. xxx
Amanda lovely, you always inspire me too! I can’t believe all the things you fit into your schedule! :)
I reckon new enthusiasms keep the world spinning! I’m starting a food photography course this week. Fun, fun, fun!
Woohoo…enjoy the course, Misky! Look forward to seeing the future pics! :)
Enthusiasms make the world go round! Life would be so boring without them. I find those of you and your friends contagious.
My latest one is making lip balm and salves. I would also like to try making liquid soap. Shampoo and toothpaste is on the list too.
An enthusiastic post!
Manuela, I tried making lip balms once – it was great fun, but I ended up with so much on my first attempt that I haven’t tried again! :) I used cocoa butter and beeswax, what are you using? And homemade toothpaste – how cool is that? :)
I used coconut oil, almond oil, and beeswax. Plus some Vitamin E and peppermint oil. I can share mine with family and friends. Might make some small Christmas hampers as gifts.
I love enthusiasms! Here at the Waters house, “We are all about the manias.” The Wonderhub has built five ukes, four guitars and a banjolele this year. He is also helping a couple of retired gentleman on their guitar projects. He takes lessons too and explores a new musical genre every week. The Boy is mad for cosplay and makes wonderful fantasy armor and weapons. My current manias are oil painting, jewelry making, collecting books on the Concord writers, cooking and writing but my life long enthusiasm is paper toys. :-) Hugs from Maz.
Maz, there is a long standing joke in our house that my gravestone will carry the inscription “Harness the Mania!” It’s been my catchcry for a very long time – I reckon you just go with whatever has you completely hooked at the time, and get as much out of it as you can before it wears off! Have I mentioned recently how much I adore your paper toys? I’m sure I have.. ;-) Lots of love to you and your gorgeous fam.. xxx
Love this post! I just graduated and I’m looking for something new to sink my teeth into (as of right now, it’s looking like it’s going to be learning everything I can about Star Trek). But, I’m also looking for something more to do, too (maybe working on my Italian…).
Also, if you’re getting into BBQ, you may want to check out a book called Low & Slow. It’s a great step-by-step cookbook.
Ha! We’re all lifelong Trekkies here (well Pete, Small Man and I are, Big Boy’s quite disinterested). Which series is your favourite? I like Voyager, but lately I’ve been watching quite a bit of DS9. Small Man is a traditionalist – he’ll only watch the original Kirk/Spock/McCoy series! Thanks for the cookbook tip!
I’ve actually only just finished the OG series, so now I’m making my way through Next Generation, and then I have all the other series to work through! It’s daunting, but so good that it’s worth it.
I love what you say here – I can relate to it so much! We too have plenty of “enthusiasms” and even if some of them don’t last so long we have fun when we try them out (mushroom foraging, sushi roll making, crochet, house renovations, liqueur making, chicken rearing….to name but a few) life can only be enriched by the experiences! Now….can Little Man teach us the words to the Spanish National Anthem as my Big Man is convinced it doesn’t actually have words?!
Chica, you do realise that in order to ask him, I had to explain what I’d written on the blog about him, right? ;-) Anyway, he said there were no official words, then he started humming the tune..hahaha
Wind in the Willows – have never seen the movie/TV series but oh, how I love that book – still have a lovely copy of it which I dip into every so often.
Rachel, the tv series is an absolute treat and quite faithful to the book. Here’s a snippet:
Celia this is exactly right. We in our family have too many enthusiasms to name but we do talk each other’s ears off about whatever they might be at the moment. Mine at the moment is understanding the gmo debate and the hubby’s is Russian history at the time of the last czar. The kiddo has meanwhile dragged him to the store so she can make more felted animals to join her menagerie. Life is never boring if you have the ability to get obsessed.
Aneela, I love it! “Life is never boring if you have the ability to get obsessed” – I’m going to borrow that line! :)
I absolutely love the term ‘enthusiasms’. It perfectly describes my approach to life. And Pete is exactly right. To keep oneself open enough to allow new enthusiasms is a wonderful thing! At the moment I’ve dragged out the scrapbooking materials to finish a scrapbook for our daughter that I started 5 years ago. Some enthusiasms hibernate for a period and then come back again. I also enthuse over making jewellery, painting, writing, and recently finished taking a photography course. Reading and cooking are almost always present. Love small boy’s singing of national anthems! Your friend, Nic’s weaving is magical, too. Lovely post Celia.
Ardys, I’ve never been a scrapbooker, but I’ve had so many friends who’ve absolutely loved it! I’m a bit rubbish with scissors and used to cut heads off photos.. :) And you’re absolutely right – I’m always revisiting old passions – it’s a wonderful thing!
Lovely post, Celia. Your Small Man has so many interests and talents. As do you all. When I was very young I was in a pantomime of Wind in the Willows. I loved it. Such a great story and you have reminded me of it. That Alice costume is amazing – someone is very ‘enthusiastic’ with the iron! xx
Charlie, my friend Dan rang me when she read this post and said, “you’ve left off at least half a dozen of Small Man’s interests” and she was right – he’s had SO many over the years. And yes, she’s a pedant with her costuming, and that includes the ironing bit! :)
How wonderful when you take a philisophical look at things, in this case ‘enthusiasms’. Mr Tranquillo and I indulge in quite a few. He collects old sheet music and guitar music books. He plays guitar well and piano a little; but the music is just a hoarding thing. I collect women’s work-hand embroidered tablecloths and antique textiles. Enthusiasm for fabric drives me insane. I am not a hoarder as such but a preserver. Gardening is another obsession. It’s too big and so I need help, trading cooking and good food for gardening. There are more.
Great to hear that big boy and small man have a healthy taste for exploring their passions.
Francesca, I had to walk away from sewing as a hobby when it looked like I might get buried under a pile of fabric! For a long time I sewed all the boys’ clothes, but then they got older and really didn’t want something I’d pieced together from found scrap (mind you, it was best quality scrap!). I thought about quilting once, but friend said to me, “if you do that, you’ll never again be able to throw away a scrap of fabric larger than a 15cm square”. That was enough to convince me not to go down that path!
Love that you can trade for gardening help!
And completely off-topic – I served fish curry up for dinner last night, singing “fish curry, fish curry, fish curry” to the tune of the theme song from “Daktari”. I said to Pete, “I bet only Francesca would know what I’m talking about..” :)
What a beautiful post! I’m currently finding my true enthusiasms I think. I’m falling back in love with spinning but rarely find the time to spina significant amount, I’m getting excited about cooking once again and finding my calm in walks along the beach.
Clare, it sounds like you’re just having the most wonderful time with baby E. I’m so glad you’re finding time to do the things you enjoy – sometimes that first year with bub can be all consuming! :)
I would love to hear those national anthems echoing through the house. I have bursitis in my heel, so I am not out and about as much as usual. My current enthusiasm is cooking. I am trying things I have not tried before…what fun.
Long live enthusiasms!
Deb, I’m sorry to hear about your foot, that must be very painful! You’re a wonderful cook! Your travel posts and magnificent photos are just the best!
What a fantastic inspirational post, Celia. I am sure that you responsible for inspiring and enthusing many, many people.
Christine, that’s very kind of you, thank you! Hope all is well! xx
Celia (and Pete), I love your approach to life… I cannot imagine not being childish, or not looking at the world with wondrous eyes… we still do that… big kids the pair of us. Great post, love, really great!
Darling, you and Peter have the most wonderfully whimsical outlook on life! How many people have a hot air balloon come down outside their front door? :D
I never run out of enthusiasms! At the moment Japanese cooking, understanding Asian flavours, knitting in linen, learning to divide my indoor plants.
Ooh Rose, Japanese cooking is a new one to me! And can I just say – LOVE your dishcloths – we’re still using them! Thank you! :)
Celia you are a truly amazing woman and I have to say I love enthusiams too! I’m currently making silver jewellery which I’m selling a bit of and have just taken up somatic movement which I plan to teach to people so they can move more efficiently and without pain. Keep seeking enthusiams and writing wonderful posts!
Sue, good for you! I used to adore making silver chainmaille, but had to give it up because it was really too hard on my hands. Have you seen the Urban Maille website? It’s got such stunning pieces and nice (but exy) kits…
http://www.urbanmaille.com/
My 10 year old son loves doing that card shuffling trick like the photo above too. I think it’s amazing. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane
It’s an impressive trick, isn’t it? :)
great post celia..and i couldn’t agree with you more that enthusiasm and happiness are linked..i don’t think i’ll ever run low on ‘enthusiams’..it’s more a matter of what enthusiasm i’ll enthuse about at any given time!
Jane, it’s a bit like that, isn’t it? And nice to have a choice of things to get excited about! :)
Love hearing about your enthusiasms – I have a partner who constantly has new enthusiasms in musical genres which is sometimes tiring but often fun. As for me I get enthusiasms in baking and craft but they do tend to peter out – though my sourdough enthusiasm is still going strong!
Johanna, enthusiasms come and go, I guess the important thing is that new ones keep popping up! :)
I like “enthusiasms”…much better than “madnesses” as I describe mine. Bees, chooks, fermenting stuff….puppies, beeswax candles….there is always a new madness that enters the house and collects the rest of the family in its wake and makes our busy lives even busier. We dine out on the stories as our friends laugh with us at the crazy stuff we get up to. It’s all good. I like Pete’s quote at the end.
Sigh. You and I spend a lot of time chasing down enthusiasms together, don’t we? But it’s a wonderful thing! :)
I do so enjoy your enthusiasms, dear Celia! I share some of yours- baking and cooking, making jewelry, reading, and clay pots. I love herbs and making wreaths and gifts with them, teapots and the collection of them has filled several cupboards- plus I have a thing for yarn- I love to knit but I love to collect skeins of yarn for my stash. There are just so many more enthusiasms that I am caught up in- most of them drive my husband crazy!
Heidi, I can completely understand collecting yarn – I used to knit, and it was just the feel and the colours and textures that I found irresistible – more so than the finished knitted product. My friend Maude has found the most fabulous local mill here in Australia and mail orders a lot from them –
http://www.bendigowoollenmills.com.au/
Enthusiasms? Why [or should that read ‘how’?] live without them? ‘Wind in the Willows’ for you . . .’Winnie the Pooh’ for me :) ! How can you be born with a name called ‘Eha’ THAT far back and not be called ‘Eeyore’ . . . and learn to be part of the magic??? Altho’ I harrumphed very loudly when a would-be boyfriend called me that in the Sydney Uni final year Medical Journal!!! As for you my treadmill changes almost daily . . . and teaches SO much, and is SO much fun . . . . I would hate not to be me . . . . :) !
I’d hate for you not to be you too.. :) Sounds like you have a wonderful time, Eha, and you’re not the least bit Eeyore at all! :)
Love, love, love it Celia! What is life without enthusiasm, quirks and whimsy? BigJ is fascinated with WW2, MiddleC knits everything- she’s moved on from mug cosys to wrist warmers for my hand therapist, littlej creates amazing things out of metal, and I spend my time teaching the cat tricks and cooking, cooking, cooking. We rarely watch ‘real’ TV as a family, it’s all weird and wonderful documentaries, QI or Mythbusters. Sure does make dinner conversation fun and definitely bizarre to outsiders though :)
When it comes to bbq, we make the best ribs you could ever taste- rubbed,cyovaced, braised, then grilled…mmmmm. I sure wish you guys could pop by for dinner :) xox
Sigh, can you please send BigJ up to talk to Small Man? He’s bending the ears of the History teachers at school about WW1 and 2. And QI and Mythbusters are big here too. Aren’t the bizarre dinner conversations just the best thing in the world? :)
Small Man is welcome to bend my BigJ’s ear all he likes! He is now banned from war documentaries until I’m in bed and don’t have to watch. There is a twitter feed that is a daily ‘real time’ commentary of the war that he might enjoy too, BigJ loves it
Curiousity is a fantastic quality. I know some people that have no urge to learn anything new (and yes I’m related to them!). BTW I sometimes call hubby Mr Toad :D
Ha! He’s not at all Toad-like! :)
Celia, we’ve been inspired by your blog particularly the dumpling recipe. there’s always dumplings in the freezer. Have you refined your recipe or is it still the same. Love reading what other people are up to. Like to travel and enjoy all the food/travel shows
Paul, thank you so much! I ended up with two recipes in the end – the pork one and a vegetarian version – both links below. My mother also makes a fabulous chicken mince version which I’m going to do next! :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2014/03/16/my-dumpling-recipe/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2014/03/18/vegetarian-dumplings/
I enjoyed your post. My enthusiasm is quilting. I always say “Quilting is not a hobby, it is an obsession”! Love the woven basket; gorgeous work!
I’ve seen some AMAZING quilted works recently – good for you, because that’s a hobby that takes so much patience! It’s one I actually avoided, because I knew I’d have ended up with a room full of scraps! There’s nothing quite like the “promise” in a piece of fabric, or the search for the “perfect” fat quarter! :)
I would adore a boy who belts out national anthems in the shower too… really made me smile!
I was encouraged in my hobbies and collecting from a chronic hobbyist/collector mother (as with the cooking and gardening). After a child- and teenagehood of dabbling in every kind of creative pursuit, I had left a pile of leftover supplies in my wake. I was at Mum’s for our regular Tuesday-night roast when I had 10 minutes to kill before she dished up. I pulled her collector dollshouse books off her shelf. Now here was a way to satisfy my need to try every kind of creativity for the one application! All of the old materials were pulled out again. And I learned new ones! I’ve done it all – painting, pottery, woodwork, metalsmithing, glassblowing, every kind of fabric craft from sewing to needlefelting – all in miniature. Becoming confident with mini powertools meant it wasn’t such a leap to the fullsize ones to renovate my fullsize home. And I learned so much about social history, architecture, interior decoration through the ages. Best of all, it satisfied the need to ‘own stuff’, as I can have everything I have ever wanted, just shrunk down!
Jacqueline, how fabulous to be able to do everything in miniature! And it helps to solve the problem that all we “enthusiasts” have, which is where to store all our materials – when they’re on a small scale, it’s much easier to contain them! :)
Lovely, lovely post. My enthusiasm has lain dormant for so long and is just starting to reawaken. Carpe Diem say I!
Hooray! Good for you, Cindy! And would love to peek in your kitchen whenever you want to join in! xxx
What a great post Celia! You bring me back to a conversation I had with my sister in law when I was pregnant. Will had given me a pasta dryer (drier?) for Christmas and she said ‘haha as if you’ll have time to make pasta when you have a baby.’
While I haven’t made pasta recently, I still make bread and heaps of other things from scratch as you know. I do it because I love it. If I didn’t love it then no I wouldn’t make time for it but I do and I will.
Recently I have: planted a much bigger vege garden, constructed and painted some backdrops for the blog, made mini herb gardens out of formula tins and am working on an eBook (or 10!). I ALWAYS have an enthusiasm and from now on that is exactly what I will call it. How wonderful.
I hope Ollie can catch some of it. Will’s would have to be golf and gardening and a bit of house DIY which I never expected until we had our own place. He loves it!
I also love reading but haven’t quite squeezed that in recently but that hasn’t stopped me perusing cookbooks and magazines late at night. I’m also starting to brainstorm ideas for Ollie’s 1st Birthday (yes I know it’s 6 months away).
I always wonder on the weekends if some people get bored. I never seem to just sit down and do nothing because I always have a little something I’m working on and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My latest enthusiasm is my Thermomix though. It’s rather special! I think I will start making fancy marinades soon.
I could comment all day on this subject! There’s always a list of things I want to learn more about.
Claire, you are one of the most enthusiastic people I know! Isn’t it just wonderful when we make things with our hands and then we have the enormous satisfaction of seeing the finished product? I used to always say, if I can make just one thing a day, then it’s been a good one! :)
ps sorry I took up so much screen space!
Not at all, I would have loved to have read even more! :)
Love this Celia. You and your family have such a diverse range of interests and things happening in your lives.
We have just finished reading Wind in the Willows to our children and they loved it, although I thought it might be a bit too old for them. Some of the humour really is hilarious and quite adult.
As you know I love to bake and experiment in the kitchen, grow vegetables, play with wood oven cooking, photography, I collect certain old bits and pieces and the list goes on. There is always room for new enthusiasms though…thanks for reminding me x
Jane, I must email you – we’re thinking about a wood fired oven and could use some advice! Reading about your enthusiasms on your blog always brightens my day! :)
Love this post Celia. Wonderful. I loved, and still love Wind in the Willows as well. It has become a hobby over the years to collect old copies of the book. My other hobby – swimming – has expanded this year to become “dawn winter swimming.” The colder water (by our standards) is both a little confronting and addictive, rounded out by the fading stars and the horizon hues.
Craig, you will laugh – I read your comment out to Pete and he said, “he’s swimming in the dark?” :) I’m going to look out for old WITW books for you from now on! Hope to see you soon! xx
I agree whole heartedly! I love exploring ways to do new things and once mastered moving on to another. I’m about to embark on perfecting gyoza, perhaps I’d better check out your recipe! I would love to learn butchering and sometimes drive home a different way because I get bored (I live 4 blocks from work). That basket weaving is stunning! Cheers
Maree, I’ve never made gyoza, I wonder how the filling differs from our Chinese style dumplings? I’m interested in butchering too, but I know myself well enough to leave it alone – I’m a klutz and I’d probably injure myself! :)
What a wonderful post! We all need passions in our lives. Watching our boys be so incredibly enthusiastic about something is heart warming. My next kitchen adventure will likely be biscuits. It’s time to work on my Southern cooking and I have three boys who adore biscuits. Besides, they are the perfect vessel to hold my recently made jams!
Gretchen, I think your biscuits are what we call scones! If you do make some next week, you might want to join in with the International Scone Week bake? :)
Essentially they are the same. From what I understand the biggest difference is that scones contain an egg while a classic biscuit does not. American scones tend to be covered in frosting and taste rather sweet. The advantage of making them myself is controlling the sweetness, among other things. So what does one need to do for International Scone Week?! I certainly wouldn’t object to baking scones, my boys wouldn’t either!
Gretchen, International Scone Week is something Joanna, Heidi and I made up four years ago (so it’s basically just a bit of fun). During the second week of August, anyone who wants to bakes scones and blogs about it, and at the end of the week I do a round up post with photos of everyone’s creations. Please play along if you wish, it’s great fun! :)
Here’s some history…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2013/08/04/international-scone-week-2013/
I love this post Celia. I agree with you, the happiest people I know are those with deep interests or hobbies. I love Alice in Wonderland – how cute is that little girl. Nic’s woven natural fibre work is incredible. I have taken up dress making this year. It has been enjoyable but very challenging. It is engineering really but with fabric and i don’t have that kind of brain, but I am persevering. I get more and more interested in astrology as I get older. That photograph is fantastic. You might like the post I wrote about my husbands photography day at the British wildlife centre on surreyKitchen. I have just posted my IMK for August – very excited about my second post. It is lovely getting to know you better. Have a wonderful week. Emma.
Emma, dressmaking is such a skill – I’ve only ever really sewn simple clothes or used stretch fabrics, but I understand what you’re saying, it took me ages to figure out how to sew pants together and not end up with one leg stuck inside the other! So nice to have you joining the IMK family, thanks for playing! :)
Goodness you have a talented bunch of friends, the weaving is so impressive and what a gorgeous little Alice costume :) When I have time my enthusiasm is paper crafts and knitting (very basic scarves, nothing fancy but I find it fun) although I am known to have a few unfinished projects! My big kid husbands enthusiasm is lego ! :)
Stefanie, my friend Nic the weaver had the best knitted piece on the other day – it was a neckwarmer knitted in a bobble stitch. I don’t think it was knitted in the round, but rather it was a straight piece that had been joined into a tube. It was very beautiful!
And re papercrafts, have you seen my friend Maz’ website? It’s the best collection of printable paper toys ever.. :)
http://thetoymaker.com/
Here’s the post I wrote about it some years ago…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/12/04/papercraft/
Oooh, and I think you might like this too…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/11/26/paper-dragon/
Celia thank you so much, what a wonderful site my niece will love this. I’m always trying to find fun little things to do with her, these paper toys are perfect! Love the dragon!
Yes, I can see a smoke ring on this ‘ere piece o’ butt.
My enthusiasm is gardening, trying new crops and especially experimenting with different growing conditions. I may succeed or I may fail but always learning something from the exercise.
Norma, I’m always so impressed by how well your garden grows! And love your experiments! :)
Very uplifting to read.
Thank you!
Lovely post Celia, I too am an excitable girl. I want to try so many things.
Hahaha…”excitable” is too tame a word for you, G! It’s lucky you don’t live closer or we’d both be broke, we’d be out chasing down new things all the time! :)
Loving your post – that woven art piece is amazing :) Happy Tuesday!
Thanks Renee! Have a great week!
Amen sister! My husband and I have been married for 31 years and our boys are growing out of the house (our first just got married this weekend – YIKES – what an experience!) We have both enjoyed finding new enthusiasms of our own and ones that we share. My husband read something that said couples that try new experiences on a regular basis are happier together. He tries to make sure that we do that.
Lynn, congratulations on your son’s wedding, how wonderful for you! I think you’re right – Pete and I have our separate interests, but we do try and stay involved in each others’ enthusiasms as much as possible!
What a wonderful word enthusiasm is. You and Pete are so right about having interests and enthusiasm in your life. To be honest cooking and baking are some of my new interests. Until l became vegetarian and started studying natural medicine l wasn’t that interested in food. Now l cook all the time, grow my own vegetables, make my own bread, soap, candles, am learning to sew and will soon be getting our own chooks. You can imagine what a treasure your blog is to someone like me Celia. I also like reading the responses. They are all an inspiration to me;-)
Jody, thank you! The comments to this post have been an absolute joy to read! I’m so glad you’re enjoying everything so much – chooks are an absolute delight to have!
Nice snap on the lovely bird! Mine would be a lot of things, including food, travel, photography, trying out new things, and a lot more! Nice article, Celia!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thank you – you know you’re one of my photography heroes Jules, so I’m always so chuffed when you comment on one of my pics! I was so pleased with that shot of the swallow because it came out with so much detail – I can see his/her claws! :)
I absolutely love enthusiasms and could not live without them and could not agree with you more about how much happiness it brings into life! As the children return to school next week, I have one work project lined up that I am very excited about as well as a long list of other fun things to do. It makes the move into darkness of fall all the more bearable as we work on our projects in the soft candlelight.
Laila, you’re so wise, I think that if you live in a place where it’s going to get dark for part of the year, then having hobbies and passions is a good way to combat any potential gloom. I had a friend years ago who lived in a place that basically froze and shut down for six months of the year – she started making chainmaille silver jewellery. What projects do you have lined up?
Your ‘enthooosiasms’ are infectious Celia. Our favourite line from Wind in the Willows is “pooop pooop” – uttered by Toad after he has been tipped out of his “life on the open road” horse-drawn enthusiasm by a motor car – which becomes his next enthusiasm! Your post on confit was so interesting – it makes sense that it’s primary purpose is to preserve food and then it’s used pretty much as a rich condiment. I guess my passion at the moment is making sourdough bread. I recently bought the Bourke Street bakery’s Bread and Butter Project book – I’ve read it from cover to cover. I love the feeling of the dough and just about everything about the whole process. You’re surrounded by such ‘un-boring’ people Celia – I particularly like the wonderful woven basket.
Jan, you KNOW how happy it makes me that sourdough bread has become your passion, right? How’s Princess Patsy going? And I actually don’t think there’s such a thing as boring people – sometimes it just takes a while to figure out what makes them spark.. :)
Actively seeing new enthusiasms is the secret to keeping your mind young and sprightly as well Celia. I have a failed crafts cupboard (soon to be re-titled “failed enthusiasms cupboard” after this post) where all of my “new enthusiasms” go home to roost for the duration until I can get enthusiastic enough about them all over again to revisit them and perhaps to complete them, but then they wouldn’t be in the failed enthusiasms cupboard now would they? ;). I think that it’s important to be a glass half full type person as well. That way you can see the possibilities and don’t talk yourself out of the fun before you jump into the deep end and start adding to that failed enthusiasms cupboard ;)
Fran, I think you need to rename your storage spot the “retired enthusiasms cupboard”.. :) After all, they’re not failures, they’re just on temporary hiatus! :)
Great idea Celia. I will be sure to mention that to my kids the next time they are teasing me about it ;)
You have wonderful enthusiasms, you will be sure to live to 100! I have also just posted an IMK post for August – thanks for hosting :)
Thanks for playing, Danielle! :)
Work has taken over my enthusiasms for far too long. 2014 is the year all that changes. Small man does sound interesting and fun as do you all!
Small Man is the most interesting of us all. We never know what he’s going to come up with next! :D
I love the Wind in the Willows. I still have the book that I won as a prize in primary school.
I must tell the G.O. that’s what they are – enthusiasms. We have a house(s) full of them. Old bottles, old crockery, old pictures, old furniture, old kookaburras… and my lifelong enthusiam of books… which triggered our most recent enthusiasm – reviving our affection for Johnny Cash :)
Hahaha…you forgot to mention the motorbikes, ED! :)
[…] be passed over by new ‘enthusiasms’ (new word from the wonderful Celia’s funny post). They are sometimes seized upon in a sudden frenzy, only to be placed back on the shelf. In this […]
Celia, you have just described the essence of my being. I have so many ENTHUSIASMS (it has to be written in caps!) that I never have enough time. I want the spare time of all those other people who don’t do anything except maybe watch TV. I personally don’t think that counts as an enthusiasm. I have had very bad health for the last two years and the only thing that has kept me sane and optimistic is my quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery and cooking. And blogs like yours. Through these interests I have made some great friends to play with. Also, my daughter is a social worker and she says the happiest and most well adjusted elderly people she visits are the ones with hobbies. It keeps you young.
Thanks for the great post. As you can see, it really struck a chord with me.
Judy, I’m sorry to hear about your health, I hope you’re on the mend now. Thanks for taking the time to leave such a fabulous comment! :)
Oh Celia, my friend I love all of your posts but I REALLY love this one for so many reasons. First I love calling these enthusiasms because if you can’t be enthusiastic about learning new things then what a dull person you become. I’m laughing though because over here there was a program starring Larry David called Curb Your Enthusiasm….very funny shows which my daughter bought all the DVDs for my husband because he’s a dead ringer for Larry David.
I have so many things that I love trying and sometimes get out of control with buying up supplies to try something new only to find that I don’t enjoy it after all but at least I know for having tried. When my daughter was a competitive figure skater I used to make all of her dresses & really loved doing the competition dresses because of all the crystals & sequins that I’d sew on by hand. They were definitely works of love & I couldn’t believe a neighbor who once saw one & heard me talking about making it and said “well SOMEBODY has too much time on her hands!” First how rude, but secondly who is anyone to tell me how I should spend my own time? Why would it bother them so much as to make a comment?
But Celia….really? You don’t have a BBQ? They can be so very cheap over here, especially at the end of the season. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t have one because it’s just such a part of summer life (well winter in my case too since I still love a good BBQ’d piece of meat even in a snowstorm). We’re going to have to talk you into getting one….and when the electricity goes out you can still cook!
Diane, we really do need to think more about the bbq! I was toying with a wood fired oven, but that seems such hard work and a lot of money (not that bbqs are cheap, at least not over here). I can just see you sewing all those sequins on Niki’s dresses – they must have been amazing!! :)
I remember when I was young that my father built this brick grill for my mother. That was before the gas fired grill which you can regulate temp. He put a grid for the charcoal, then built up more brick layers for the cooking grid on top. Of course the gas fired is so much easier but frankly I don’t think you get the same flavor as with wood or charcoal. I’m betting your boys could come up with something for you…they’re so creative.
Celia, reading your post made me feel enthusiastic about so many things… opportunities and curiosity and having the wherewithal to follow up… the diverse ‘enthusiasms’ at your house and those of your friends. (And mine!) Love this. And for more late-breaking BBQ news… here’s a blog I follow from Minnesota (my home state, of all places) that offers wonderful BBQ recipes and insights (albeit a challenge to read sometimes with white letters on black background, but I know you’re up for it!) called Patrons of the Pit. http://patronsofthepit.wordpress.com/about/
Ooh, thanks for the link, I’ll have a look! I do think it’s fabulous how obsessed they can get with bbq – it’s almost a religion in some parts of the US! :)
P.S. Your son’s story was enthralling. Exceptional writer! Made my heart pound and my brain ‘wonder’…
Thanks so much Kim. Stupidly proud of him, I am.. :)