I built my house as an owner builder, with all the proper permissions and so on.
When I listed “building” as a hobby when applying for a job, the interviewers were rather surprised. Their questions seemed to suggest to me that they thought I didn’t understand what was meant by hobby.
A hobby should be something you enjoy, something you do for relaxation, and presumably something that you do for no financial gain. You are allowed to enjoy your job, but it isn’t a hobby.
But no-one paid me to build my house, and I enjoyed building it. I might sell my house one day, and make a profit. Does that stop building being a hobby?
I enjoy watching plants grow, but my main interest is in constructing the big things, such as elevated garden beds, walls, and fences. This is really a follow-on from my interest in construction, when I was doing virtually all the building on my house for the first 12 years. The garden includes many food plants as well as ornamentals, and many native plants, and a small regenerated rainforest.
I have been a railway enthusiast for many years, and want to build a model railway layout when the time allows. I am also interested in the full-sized ones, and I love exploring the remains of abandoned lines.
My mother taught me the love of good food, and also how to cook. I love cooking a variety of foods and sharing it with friends. I have a great kitchen, and lots of exotic food plants in the garden — for both Asian and European cooking! Some of my favourite cuisines and dishes are:
I have played around with computer programs for many years, but have only now decided to get a formal qualification so I can present myself as a prospective employee or consultant. I have even tinkered with HTML over the years, and I have a personal Web Site at www.tony.havyatt.com.au/html. This site has undergone much work in the last month, but much remains to be done.