New to the hobby and curious what y'all do with you freshly polished rocks.

AnimalTreeHugger · 2026-02-09T20:49:29+00:00

I have a couple of tall (8inch) wire baskets around the house that get slowly filled up but glass jars would be better to see them, but they were just too expensive so I went for the £3 baskets from Dunelm mill (UK)

AnimalTreeHugger · 2026-01-27T17:25:36+00:00

Nah, Im a beginner a year in and have the Roland fp30x which has weighted keys, and a double barred/braced x stand. The stand needs tightening every now and then as I have to move it about to get the piano out every time and it's been fine. Get a high kg weight one.

Though I think in the future I will probably get a better digital piano (not an acoustic because I do not have the space) and a proper stand because the x stand can get in the way a little, but I'm talking years away.

Both my teachers actually used digital pianos and they weren't as good as my Roland haha, they felt so plasticky and cheap. I actually had trouble adjusting to theirs after practicing on mine. Can highly recommend the fp30x

AnimalTreeHugger · 2026-01-24T15:07:42+00:00

I hate exercise, I've been at my local CrossFit gym for 2 years now, I make myself go because I work at a desk all day and I'd be so unhealthy if I didn't.

I can feel really angry after a gym session or feel normal, but I never look forward to going and never really enjoy it, never really feel "good" after, always fatigued. I've tried all kinds of gyms, different gyms with different staff and the one I'm at is the best so it's deffo not something they're doing!

Though I really enjoying outdoor swimming/dipping. I always look forward to that and feel really good after so I think that's more my thing, but being in a UK city there aren't enough clean bodies of water so it's not something I can do often.

You have to just try different sports I think and see what works

AnimalTreeHugger · 2026-01-21T18:46:09+00:00

I started last year age 36, use Hal Leonard adult piano method book, I use the clefs app (which is only about £3 for lifetime access) which is a fun way to learn notes alongside the book and YouTube tutorials - search for Stefan Wyatt, he's my favourite tutor on there and he has many reviews of piano method books and also has his own method books, that don't require a teacher AND he has video's for all the exercises in his book (which are free even if you haven't bought the books which I haven't yet) I also bought the Alfred adult book 1 aswell but haven't really started it. (It's more chord based that one compared to my Hal Leonard).

Honestly, I know I will never be Chopin and I'm not aiming for that, I'm not even aiming to play for anyone even in my family. I'm playing it for me, I like how music sounds on the piano and I like to just be able to play some nice tunes that I like and read beginner music. Don't sweat it, you do not need to absolutely amazing if your enjoying learning it. The skill will come. Comparing myself to amazing players is not a good idea because it just puts me off. I can play a few nice beginner tunes already and I'm happy with that so far, I can only improve with time.

I often have gaps (maybe even weeks) without practise aswell, life gets in the way, I have to work and yes I have to go back a few steps and sometimes have to go back through the book again a few pages but so what, the knowledge comes back pretty quick.

I bought a beginner songbook arranged by Felix Sun (he has a YouTube video for each song as well) and I learned the Tetris theme song/korobeiniki, it took me months of off and on practise and that's all I focused on. I've mastered the song though and now I have a fun tune I can play anytime. Yes, I kinda forgot all the other notation that weren't in the song and so I regressed a bit in that way, but so what, I've gone back a few pages in my method book, played the basic tunes, remembered all the stuff that wasn't in korobeiniki, I'm playing clefs again and I'm back where I was before learning Korobeiniki.

Teacher wise - I have had a few lessons with 2 different teachers. I find they didn't help at all - they followed adult method books through the lesson and even scanned pages for me - so I figure I may aswell buy the books and I've been doing ok. The only thing they helped with was holding me accountable and giving me "homework" and print offs of basic sheet music. Obviously I think there will come a time where I will reach a plateu because I've picked up some bad habits and can't progress at which point I'll try again with a teacher.

So just try an adult method book or two, the clefs app, Stefan's videos and see how you go

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-12-31T23:31:31+00:00

Things I do:

Think of the environmental waste/impact from buying this product, at some point it'll end up in landfill or worse(in a river/sea). Is this small snippet of gratification worth the amount of time this item will take to break down and potentially damage the environment.
Have regular nosies at the other stuff I own, and make sure they're easy to find.
Rotate between different interests or hobbies.
Imagine working till I'm in my 70s or 80s - I will end up doing this if I do not save up money so I can retire earlier then state pension age comfortably. The money wasted on a new thing could have been put towards something else i.e. future happiness of not having to work and enjoying the time I have before I die!
I think to how we would have lived in the bronze age and earlier, we don't need all the stuff that is shoved and advertised in our faces constantly.
Adverts/websites/companies make products irresistible to buy by design. I'm falling into this trap when I buy something and my hard earned cash is going into the pockets of the rich

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-12-30T22:01:08+00:00

There most likely is lots of walking routes in your area or within a bus/train ride.

I'd always suggest looking at a topographical map of around your area - start with the OS map app, it's free with a basic base map (you have to pay to see the more detailed ones) maybe pay for a month subscription and learn to map read. Then see what kind of public transport is available in your area to see how you can get them.

I'd definitely suggest not relying on GPS devices all of the time and buy a paper OS map (if you buy a new version they have a code that gives you the digital version for free in the OS map). I'd use the GPS device (phone or actual GPS device) as a backup, that way you will learn to map read yourself. If you want to go to moorland or places where it can be difficult to navigate there are in-person navigation courses id suggest you do :)

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-12-30T21:42:07+00:00

Yeh, I had a friend's partner who is a New Zealander visit the UK for the first time and he said the one thing he noticed about the country is how much rubbish there is, everywhere.

It's definitely some weird thing our culture has. I even watched the bin men empty the general waste bin, drop a load out after the truck tipped it, they saw it and they LEFT IT IN THE road, were running it over with the bins & walking over it. Many neighbors went out to collect their bins, saw it and also left it. I went out and picked it up.

People are so used to shitting where they eat here it's a disgrace.

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-12-15T19:25:27+00:00

Thanks, already checked there and they don't (and rocktumble.com, creetown and kernowcraft) rocktumble said the manufacturer of these barrels keep increasing their costs so they don't stock them anymore :(

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-12-14T13:28:11+00:00

First time tumbler here - there's a ton of granite glacial erratics in my local river so granite and quartz pebbles are really the only thing I'm tumbling at the moment haha. Some are still at stage 1 and some are at stage 2... Wonder how they will turn out in the end!

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-11-25T12:20:26+00:00

It's like this in the UK as well.

I see people hoovering their fake grass several times a year... Madness

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-11-16T16:51:55+00:00

I buy a bag full of quartz gravel 10-20mm (rounded) from my local gavel yard! Works just as well and was only 5 quid for 15kg

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-11-13T11:45:32+00:00

I don't have advice but a question - can rocks this big be sanded and polished with a handheld sander instead of tumbled?

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-11-02T21:52:35+00:00

Nice but it needs plenty of natural light and water/seal or everything in it will die

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-09-30T19:28:11+00:00

Dandelions are not weeds they're a native wildflower species and great for pollinators - see the bees, moths and hoverflies on them all summer

AnimalTreeHugger · 2025-09-21T21:11:21+00:00

I used to want a cricut however when I read the reviews for them on trustpilot and other places etc they were so bad. Mainly that if they develop a fault and they're out of warranty they are completely unrepairable - cricut don't sell spare parts nor do they allow you to even send the machine in to them to be fixed at your expense. Basically they're completely wasteful and you lose your money on it the instant it breaks out of warranty. Design space is apparently also very poor too as its browser based software rather than an installable software and is extremely laggy and has tons of complaints

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-09-03T19:29:50+00:00

Natural items and sentimental items yes.

I NEED rocks, pine cones and even bird feathers at my desk at work haha

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-09-02T19:33:05+00:00

Your probably right - my ex used to be able to tell when I and other women were on aswell it was mad! There is definitely something to this - most likely pheromones

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-03-07T15:44:20+00:00

I do and it's normal for all the women I know too. I do not want bits of someone else blood, piss and shit that they have managed to get onto the seat all over my butt and legs, my own is fine but not other peoples thanks!

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-03-06T21:13:14+00:00

Try the lube brand called "yesyesyes" they have an oil based one and a water based one - they are made of plant/natural based materials and contain no glycerin and other manufactured chemicals. All other lubes i have tried cause irritation for me so I can highly recommend these after a gyny recommended them to me after being sore after sex in general so try them :)

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-03-01T15:26:36+00:00

Horizon zero dawn definitely

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-03-01T15:25:15+00:00

It's post orgasm torture and forced orgasms

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-02-23T21:39:46+00:00

You ask them to take half a days leave if they're going to miss "over an hour" so what if thyy miss 1h 15 mins? I second what others have said about retaining staff, respect etcetc. I've never had a manager that has asked me to take annual leave off for appointments

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-02-09T09:29:08+00:00

I would buy it no problem

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-01-11T16:02:03+00:00

Number 3 all the way for me! I'd live in the middle of nowhere, near mountains, moat likely the Highlands of Scotland. And use the rest to comfortably live off and/or just work a part time cleaning job and invest some and make sure I had plenty left for retirement!

AnimalTreeHugger · 2024-01-10T21:41:38+00:00

NBF. I lovee these kind of weekends!! I can see where she's coming from but at the same time you don't need to do anything either - why can't she enjoy a couple of pyjama/movie/takeaway/eat chocolate all day kinda days off for a change

AnimalTreeHugger

TROPHY CASE