Contents - Chapter 1

 Hobbies

 Jump to Hobbies

A lot of my hobbies fit in with an interest in data collation and classification.

Which in not surprisingly comes from my personality to a large extent.

Psychometric tests in the past for work suggest that I am predominantly both data and ideas. 

Building web sites is a combination of art and logical application of data.

Even more so with database and content management solutions. 

Family trees as a hobby involves a lot of research but also a huge amount of data management. Expand that to include an element of history and the thought process widens to include how the facts of a person fits with the socio-economic circumstance of the time and location.

More time is spent on the computer after pressing the shutter release button on the camera, on the library and post production, with the possible exception of some wildlife photography involving sat in a hide for days on end, but that is not something I do, yet. 

Indoor hobbies

Family Tree - Internet research and collation

Photography - Collation of the photos, add keywords, location, titles and captions together with post production

Computer and Tech - Building computers from the components and using them for work and pleasure, including developing websites. Also creating and developing databases and spreadsheets. Sometime very complex, which then drifts into the realms of Work.

Creating a smart home also falls into this segment

Outdoor hobbies

Gardening - design, planting, pruning, and weeding as well as moving the lawn.

Photography - Often of places we are visiting, so links to the activity of Travel. Sometimes at an event, or specifically just to take some photos. Also links to the interest in Natural History.

Natural History - Wildlife. From creating a wildlife friendly garden, to being a member of RSPB and going bird watching, to choosing holiday / safari destinations that are wildlife centric.

Motoring - Driving is a pleasure for me. Some very long distance, in a multitude of different modes of transport

Contents - Chapter 2

 Events

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Contents - Chapter 3

 Activities

 Jump

Generally speaking my activities do not include running a marathon, completing in a triathlon or iron man event, nor playing football, rugby, or cricket. In fact none of the above, or anything remotely similar.

I have been known to go on walks, but most of my activities are more sedentary.

Holidays are definitely an activity, but they are covered, or will be, on my travel site.

If motoring is an activity, I like that, along with vehicle repair and restoration. Together with motorhome conversions. Is that a hobby or an activity, or both.

Arts and crafts, I also consider to be an activity, which in my case I include house renovation and decoration.

Another activity is completing jigsaws.

I think you have got the idea, not very active in a traditional sense.

 Indoor activities

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Outdoor activities

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Contents - Chapter 4

Environment 

Jump to Environment

The environment is potentially a huge subject. 

Conceptually it can be a terrarium or even smaller, up to the whole world.

Even things as small as a virus have an environment.

I have looked at this subject as two sections.

The first the wider environment, and the second the environment at home.

Environment at home

It is important how we use the environment around us. In the past it has sometimes been more about abuse that use. We are now more aware of the environment around us, in several different ways.

the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates
the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.
In this section, I look at not the wider environment around us nor climate change, but our home. Of course the wider environment impacts the local environment of our home, and the things we do within it, hopefully in an Environmentally Conscious manner. In and eco friendly and sustainable way.

Contents - Chapter 5

Friends and Family

Jump 

Parents and grandparents, on both sides have sadly passed.

Family is depleted.

However, further afield family is slowly growing, with new finds courtesy of the Family Tree exploration and research.

Friends go back to school days, people from work, and those met along the way of life.

I have friends with whom I travelled over 40 years ago. 

There are also friends I have lost contact with and those that are no longer with us.

Contents - Chapter 6

 Work

I am retired now, an am thoroughly enjoying it.

Whilst a relatively short period of time, a significant element of my work was the time I spent travelling. First travelling overland through Asia and then working for Encounter Overland leading expedition groups through Asia and Africa. Travel is such an important part of my live that it has it's own section.

Go to my Travel page to select which Travel Site to jump to.

After my return from Africa, and a period of holiday, I started to drive a truck. I had a HGV class 1 drivers licence but I was only driving a four wheel rigid Refrigerated truck delivering frozen foods to shops in the South London area for Findus Foods, which included Birds Eye. That lasted a few months before I decided to return to my career within the Civil Engineering industry. 

My career in Civil Engineering spanned over 40 years. Starting as a student at Hatfield College in 1972 and officially ending when I closed my company, Ivan Hurst Consulting Ltd, and retired in 2019. My company was officially dissolved on 27 August 2019.