List five things you do for fun.

I’m back with another Questions and Answers post, this time focusing on things I do for fun! I’ve written a fair bit before, such as in my 30 before 30 conclusion post (read here), and life lessons post (read here) about how important I think it is to be able to do things just for fun. It’s really easy in this age of constant monitoring to feel that we have to be ‘productive’ all the time, and I still grapple with how to separate fun from productivity. I’ve come to accept that sometimes I won’t be able to, and that’s ok too. I’m quite a progress-driven person, and I like to feel that I’m achieving things. Not necessarily things for other people, or that other people would necessarily be able to describe as genuine progress (!), but at the very least for myself. So with that caveat, here’s a list of things I do for fun these days!

1. Play with my daughter. This is a new joy I have discovered, and while it’s certainly kind of work as well (we shouldn’t dismiss the unpaid labour of childcare!), I get so much pleasure from doing it that it doesn’t always feel like it. In the lead-up to having a child lots of people tried to prepare me for how difficult it would be: how little sleep I’d get, how anxiety inducing it is, etc. But no one really prepared me for how incredibly fun and adorable it is. Getting to spend time with my partner watching our little girl learn new things, explore, hear her giggle and see her smile is just the most fun in the world.
2. Live comedy. Ok, so this has had to take a little bit of a back seat this year, thanks to point 1! This is the first year I’ve been in Australia (and it’s been on) that I haven’t attended any gigs as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. But comedy gigs are great fun, and we’re lucky to live in a city that has great comedy all year round, so I’m sure it won’t be long until I’m back at another gig. Some of my favourites over the years have been Josie Long, Aaron Chen, Tim Key, Mike Wozniack (who we saw when we were in London last year), Melanie Bracewell, Lloyd Langford and Anne Edmunds (who I’ve seen both individually and in their joint show)and Lizzy Hoo.
3. Reading (and watching) Agatha Christie stories. Anyone who has even glanced at my reading summary posts (What I read in 2023 here, What I read in 2022 here, and What I read in 2021 here) will see that I have a real soft spot for Agatha Christie. I think she’s been my most-read author for the past three years, or at least very close. Miss Marple will always be my favourite of her characters, and I love watching the various adaptations (Geraldine McEwan is my pick of the Marple actors), but I’ve branched out recently with some Poirot, and a Tommy and Tuppence, as well as a few other of hers over the years, like And Then There Were None. Despite their often rather grim subject matter, there is something light and escapist about her works, paired with a strong sense of nostalgia for me, both personal and for ‘the old country’. They’re often very funny too, so all in all a great package for quick, easy and fun reads. I’d extend this entry to reading in general, but if I want something specifically fun to read, I’ll usually reach for a Christie.
4. Eating! Maybe this doesn’t really count as a hobby, but if I look at what I enjoy doing in my spare time, exploring new places to eat would definitely have to be on the list. Melbourne is a brilliant city if you’re a ‘foodie’, and it’s super easy to find exciting new places to eat. If I’m at a loss to do with a weekend, I’ll often just scroll through Instagram and find a new bakery, cafe, etc and head out. I wouldn’t say I have a particularly refined palette, but I’ve always gained a lot of pleasure from eating delicious things and trying new flavours. I’m not someone who you could describe as ‘eating to live’, but nor would I say I exactly ‘live to eat’ – more that I think eating can be one of life’s easiest little pleasures, and one I’m very happy to indulge.
5. Walking/Hiking. The thing I am most likely to get up to at the weekends, regardless of the availability of cafes etc, is a good walk. I think the British like to believe that this is a uniquely British thing, but really I think people all over the world love to get out into nature. There’s something just so good for the soul about getting out into the wild and fresh air. The majority of my travel is planned to be in places good for walking, and I’m lucky to live in a part of the city with lots of beautiful countryside in easy reach. The image in this post is from a recent walk in The Grampians/Gariwerd National Park. I come from a very outdoorsy family, and I’m excited to now be introducing that to my little daughter. Lots more hiking adventures to come!

This list certainly hasn’t been comprehensive, but I have tried to be honest! There are lots of other things I enjoy, like visiting galleries, exploring historical buildings, writing, knitting, etc, but if I had to really boil it down to just five things I’m most likely to spend my free time doing, it would be these five things!

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What would your five be? I’d love to hear if we share any, or what you’d choose instead! Please do share in a comment, and thanks for reading! You can read my other Q&A posts here.