Lots of Time, Nothing to Do

United Kingdom
July 11, 2019 4:22pm CST
It is unusual for me to post more than one discussion in a day but it's probably tomorrow somewhere! Following on from other discussions, including interactions about the lack of entertainment where I live, I thought I'd share something with you. The town where I live does not have much in the way of things to do. There are a few beauty spots. We have parks and a canal. They're OK if you enjoy nature walks (which I do but not all the time). Yesterday, I took my youngest son (Mini) to Explorers. It's not in our town but in a village next to our town. The village makes claims of being the largest village in England (but that really depends on how it's measured). I used to drive Mini there. I would drive home, get some jobs done, and drive back again. Since the beginning of this year, I've not had a car. There is a bus to the village, especially in the evening, they are few and far between. The last bus leaves the village before Mini finishes Explorers. So, without a car, we walk to the village and back. It's around 45 minutes each way. That's not too bad but there is nothing to do in the village for the 2 hours that Mini is at Explorers. On occasion, I have walked back into my town and back to the village. Yesterday, I knew I needed some shopping. There wouldn't have been time to walk into the town, get shopping, get it home, and walk back to fetch Mini. There was too much time to just go to the shop in the village. The village, considering how small it is, has several shops and pubs. Most of the shops were already closed but there are a couple that open later. I didn't want to get shopping and carry it around for two hours so I decided to go for a wander first. I had taken my camera with me as I intended to take some pictures, I just hadn't decided the subject. During my journey around the village, I took various pictures. There are lots of plants around the village. I walked through a jitty or two (I think jitty might be alley way in other dialects). I noticed that there was a familiar smell to the jitties. It reminded me of wandering down random alleys as a child! The smell was instantly recognisable. I don't know if there is a certain plant or type of material common to such places that has a certain smell. Perhaps it was just me. On my wander, I took some rather random pictures. I have included my favourite one here. I have no idea what it is other than something growing on a tree! I don't know what it is about the picture, I just like it. So, when I say there is nothing to do around here, that's not entirely true. You can go for walks! Do you enjoy walking? Exploring? Taking photographs? Have you ever been surprised at the enjoyment you've had out of something unexpected? Is there much to do or see where you live?
8 people like this
8 responses
@ilocosboy (45157)
• Philippines
12 Jul 19
I enjoy running, yesterday I had 15 kilometers run in my route, I'm exhausted but feels good.
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 19
I thought about running but just the thought of it tired me out! I once did a Race for Life (which is a local charity run). I walked it as I was too overweight to run at the time. I decided I'd do it again and run when I lost weight. I then lost weight but discovered that running was still not for me!
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
14 Jul 19
@ilocosboy I just don't enjoy running. I am motivated to do other things, though.
1 person likes this
@ilocosboy (45157)
• Philippines
13 Jul 19
Maybe you just need a running body that can motivate you.
2 people like this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
11 Jul 19
I love walking if I can and yes taking photos
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 19
I used to go walking far more often. I don't get to do so much now but I'd like to start doing more again. Do you have specific places to walk to or do you just wander? When I used to go for walks with my dad, he'd ask where we were walking to. I couldn't seem to explain that we weren't walking 'to' anywhere but just going to for a wander to wherever our legs took us!
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 19
@amadeo I like to explore. I think I've been everywhere in the town where I live, and quite a lot of places in the next town, village, and city. I've started exploring another place where I often go on weekends away. That's quite a small place but I might venture a little further next time I am down there.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
12 Jul 19
@pumpkinjam I try to find different places to walk.Or just walk on my sidewalk here
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jul 19
One of the things I enjoy about walking is that you get to see your town or city from an entirely different perspective than you would if you were driving or taking a bus. Since you are obviously moving at a slower pace, you noticed things you have never noticed before. It's pretty fun to discover new things about your community that you never knew before.
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 19
This is very true. When I was driving, I'd often see some lovely views but not be able to do.more than glance. It's nice to take pictures and enjoy the surroundings a little more.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jul 19
@pumpkinjam Sometimes driving can involve new discovery. Every now and then I'll turn down a road I've never driven before, and just see where it takes me. I've discovered some wonderful neighborhoods, and also some parks I never knew existed! So it can be quite an adventure.
@LindaOHio (155961)
• United States
11 Jul 19
Nice picture. I like taking photographs.
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 19
Thank you. Is there a particular subject to your photographs or do you just go with the moment?
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
14 Jul 19
@LindaOHio I think we might have days when we get more pictures of the cat than of anything else!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (155961)
• United States
12 Jul 19
@pumpkinjam Anything in nature. When we had dogs I took a lot of pictures of them. I can't get around now; so my photo ops are limited.
2 people like this
@Janet357 (75656)
11 Jul 19
i like walking. is that a cherry tree?
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
11 Jul 19
I honestly have no idea what kind of tree it is. I'll have to go back once the fruits have ripened and find out!
2 people like this
@Janet357 (75656)
12 Jul 19
@pumpkinjam am.wondering if the fruit.is edible. i.like the picture.
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 19
@Janet357 I'll have to see if I can find out.
1 person likes this
@Nakitakona (56302)
• Philippines
24 Jul 19
Yes, I do enjoy walking which my daily routine form of exercise. And taking pictures, I always bring along with my mobile phone with built-in camera.
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
24 Jul 19
I miss my smart phone. The one I have does have a camera but it's so slow and not very good! I will often take my digital camera out but my tablet actually takes better pictures!
@jstory07 (134393)
• Roseburg, Oregon
25 Jul 19
I love walking around and taking oictures. I love sharing those pictures to.
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
25 Jul 19
Me too. I like seeing other people's pictures. My eldest son recently came back from a cruise. He took some wonderful pictures. It's also nice to look back on some of our pictures years later, and remember where we were and what we did.
@arunima25 (85265)
• Bangalore, India
13 Aug 19
It's more exciting to explore and find out what to do when there is nothing much to do. I love such places that are peaceful and serene and you have nothing much to do there.
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
14 Aug 19
I do like exploring. The village I was in at the time is very small, though, so there is not really anything left to explore that I've not already seen! Perhaps I need to walk a little faster so that I can explore further while my son is at his Explorer group.
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
14 Aug 19
@arunima25 I think the only changes the village has seen in 200 years has been a change of pub landlord! I'm there for two hours at a time most weeks so I am running out of things to discover!
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (85265)
• Bangalore, India
14 Aug 19
@pumpkinjam It's good to visit the same place again and again. Sometimes we fail to notice few things in our first visit and discover it later. Places also change with times.
1 person likes this