[Guest]

The "What do you do for a living?" topic was so interesting that I decided to post this one now!

What are your other passions in life? And I don't mean that in a naughty way!!!

I am really into Family History and have been tracing my tree on and off since 1988, I've got back to the 1500's on one side. So far I haven't found any smurfs, so no blue blood, HA HA.

Karen

[Rachel]

Hmmmm, apart from smurfs.

I have always been into growing cacti since I was a young kid, I love growing them from seed because you never know what you will end up with. These days they are all in our green house but there have been times when the house was full.

I think most of you know I enjoy website design, that has totally evolved from collecting smurfs. Blue Imps (well Smurf Valley as it was originally known) was my first website and will always be my favourite and most important site.

Video games - I am a mean PS2 player when my thumbs are in practice.

Keeshonds - our two dogs. We have even been to dog shows in the past!

Cars - I love to drive and I love owning nice (or at least interesting cars).

[Syd Smurf]

Wow...I can combine both of the hobbies of you two Rachel & Karen. I traced my family history back and found that my family tree is actually a cactus because it was full of pricks.

[Guest]

ROFL You are tooooooooooo bad Andrew!

[steveparkes]

Well..all my hobbies are out of the 'ordinary'. Firsty, I am the UK Hula Hoop Champion (I kid you not - I can spin 87 hoops at the same time).

Then I am a treasure hunter..if any of you can remember Masquerade by Kit Williams, that is the sort of thing. The author makes a jewel (sometimes very valuable) and buries it somewhere. They then write a story, and it is upto the reader to use the story and pictures to solve clues that lead to the jewel..first to find it keeps it.

I am also a potter, and find time to make pots on my potters wheel when I can.

I also belong to a re-enactment group that recreates Roman Military life, so my pottery comes in very handy here

Any other spare time I have left, I investigate the Paranormal. I love spending time in haunted locations armed with an infra red videocamera.
(If you like the TV programme Most Haunted, you will have seen me on the last live programme)

Stephen.

[chesneysmurf]

I collect beachy things and shells and I also collect Kenny Chesney stuff.

[Rachel]

Hi Stephen, you have some very cool hobbies. I HAVE to see you with the hula hoops, 2 was my limit.
I did 'O' level pottery and used to love the wheel. A good friend of mine did her degree in ceramics so I still sometimes have a go, even made a nice house number plaque recently.

I also love the paranormal although I don't get too involved, normally just reading books and watching programmes on it, I will definitely look out for you on Most Haunted.

[chesneysmurf]

Sorry this posted more than once.

[Rachel]

Hi Lacey, cool.
Do you live near the sea?

[eggie smurf]

Wow Stephen - with all those hobbies, you can't possibly find time to work, can you??? I have enough trouble working AND looking for smurfs without wasting the whole day This isn't really a hobby more like a project with the end close in site -- planning my wedding. Only 31 days left! I will have to find a new hobby to occupy all the free time I will have after it is finally over Or maybe I can just relax and keep my sanity?!? It's a toss up.

[Syd Smurf]

Hi

Just want to say that you must live a very fascinating life Stephen. The hula hoops ability is pretty amazing as I have trouble controlling one. I also like the paranormal aspect and did live with some form of energy for a month or so when I was younger (13 years old). Most of the time I just heard a voice or got cold shivers that made me do reflex actions but I never saw anything....I think I would of died if I had. The thing that scared me the most was once when i was alone I had bangs on the walls that went all through the house, seconds apart as if something was crashing into the walls and at least once I felt like it just missed my head as it hit the wall behind me. I still don't know what that was and I am not sure my nerves could go through it again but at the same time it totally fascinates me. Maybe you could post some experiences as I would love to hear some.

As for my hobbies - well I have always been a music nut so I love going to see bands play live, dancing in night clubs (you wouldn't know it if you saw me dance though), drinking , I like playing any type of sport but only like to watch Rugby League as the others all bore me to just watch, I like making up bootleg concert CDs, hanging out with the family, sleeping in, making up games, reading, movies, going to the beach at night, travelling, partying , meeting new people for the first time, smurfs, leaving the house, staying at home, shopping...more spending money than just looking though, working on in depth projects, being with good friends and of course coming to the Smurf Community with all of you guys.

Dyar

[Rachel]

Hi Staci, Congratualtions. You will have to posts some pics here.
Are you going to have a bride & groom smurf there?

I managed to sneak smurfs onto both my brother's & sister's wedding cakes.
(We hadn't rediscovered smurfs when we tied the knot)

[Guest]

I am the UK Hula Hoop Champion (I kid you not - I can spin 87 hoops at the same time).

Can we see a pic? Please, please!!!!

I once bounced over 1000 times on a pogo stick without falling off!!!

Karen

[Guest]

Staci you could have your dress decorated with pvc smurfs, what do you think? Instead of flowers in your hair you could have a smurf! I can just picture it! Sorry my imagination is running riot!!!

[Guest]

I love dancing in nightclubs Andrew although I don't get to do it much these days! Before I met my 2nd husband I used to go dancing every Friday night and come home when the birds were waking up about 5am. I love that time of morning when everything is so quiet and peaceful and all you can hear are sounds of nature.

I went to see a clairvoyant last year for the very first time and she totally spooked me.

My husband has an interesting ghost experience. He lived for nine years in a Nissan Hut on the WW2 airfield at Staughton Moor, Cambridgeshire, UK. There were three rooms to the hut, the kitchen/bathroom was one room at the front, the living room was in the middle (his parents and sister slept here) and then there was a bedroom at the back where my husband slept with his two brothers. If the boys needed the toilet they had to go past their parents and sister sleeping, through the kitchen/bathroom and out to the outside toilet. One night my husband got up to go to the toilet and behind the settee he saw what he describes as a glowing totem pole with faces on it. He was really scared and went back to get his older brother, he doesn't know why he didn't wake his parents! His older brother came out and saw the exact same thing. Anyway, both boys were so scared they ran back into their room and did a wee out of their bedroom window rather than go past this thing behind the sofa!

I think what makes it more eerie for me is that I can visualise it because his dad still lives next to the Nissan Hut in a bungalow he built during those nine years. The Nissan Hut has been left virtually untouched with the Debbie Harry posters on the walls in the boys' bedroom, it's a bit like the land that time forgot up there! The Nissan Hut would have been used for airforce sleeping quarters in the second world war so there's obviously some history there although I can't quite make out the totem pole connection!

Have you read any Peter James books Steve? They are all geared to the paranormal, very spooky!

My favourite author at the moment is Harlen Coben, I am really into Crime Fiction! Although I have just read a Lesley Pearse book about the first settlers in Botany Bay which was really good.

Karen

[chesneysmurf]

No, I don't live near the ocean. I live right in the middle of Missouri. I do live on the lake though.

[Syd Smurf]

I once bounced over 1000 times on a pogo stick without falling off!!!

Karen

I once went iceskating and managed not to crash into one of the sideboards....and I also missed knocking over a two or three of the hundred or so other iceskaters that were there that night. An ex-girlfriend took me there for our first date.....I thought great.....what a way to impress her. In the end I think she was impressed that I didn't brake mine or anyone else's bones. She never took me there again though because I threatened to wear cricket pads and a helmet if I ever went iceskating again. In fact the Smurf Ice Skater reminds me of myself but I was black as well as blue.

Karen, that was a good story about your husband's ghost experience. I would imagine the UK with such a long and brutal history would have lots of haunted houses. We have lots of old places in Australia where you can find all types of spirits.... but we call them pubs.....I have been personally haunted from coming into contact with these in the past and recommend caution to anyone else who encounters any of these late at night.

Dyar

[steveparkes]

LOL, I'll have to scan one in then Karen

Your husbands experience sounds interesting, I've spent some great nights in some very spooky places, the most interesting being a door opening infront of me all by itself

stephen.

[Smurfboy]

Well as Karen and Rachel both well know, outside of Smurfs, besides graphic designing, I am a real big BIG Doctor Who nut! Love Vampires and real life crime drama shows, and never say pish posh to the paranormal as I see dead people allot! No kidding, we have had a ghost in almost every home we have lived in, my Great-Grandmother was a true psychic, and anytime anyone in our family passes away, their spirit always comes to my bedside to say good bye and give any last messages, even poeple close to us not related have done this! The first time I was soooo spooked I couldn't sleep for a week! Must be the Celt blood in our family or the fact my dad's ancestors were Druids?

[Guest]

Druids? I thought they were man-eating plants?! Oh no that was triffids!!! LOL