Beyond sourdough: the hobbies that helped readers cope with lockdown

During lockdown, my husband and I have taken daily walks in the countryside that have kept us sane and given us a break from the monotony of confinement. Along the way, I have collected stones to paint. Looking for ways to engage the five-year-olds in my class (and missing them a bit too), I painted each stone to look like them and used them to make videos, games and to tell stories. The children loved them and it made some of their lessons a little more meaningful in what has been a challenging time. Anna Clow, 52, early years teacher, Lyon, France

Growing vegetables in our suburban front garden has kept us going. A huge laurel tree blocked the light in our front garden so in the first week of lockdown we pulled it down and levelled out the ground. Little did we know, that was the start of a new addiction for propagating and growing vegetables, which now has some dig for England wartime undertones. We have planted broccoli, kale and spinach with squash, tomatoes and chillies waiting indoors to go into a soon-to-be delivered greenhouse. Life in lockdown has been stressful at times, but watching little seedlings emerge has kept us sane. Anna Baatz, 36, charity worker, Salford

I decided that now would be a good time to learn Welsh. I was born in South Wales, but my maternal grandfather was the last in our family to speak the language. In a working-class household, Welsh – be it language or accent – was seen as a barrier to success. I study online for 30 minutes to an hour every day. Having heard the language from an early age, I find the pronunciation relatively easy. I have also discovered the beauty of simple words, not so much their meaning as their sound, the way they flow, and the poetry of remembered rhythms. Roger Moore, 76, retired academic, New Brunswick, Canada

I taught myself how to juggle when I was 13 or 14 and hadn’t thought about it since, but our one-year-old has a little ball pit and one day I picked up three of the balls and tried to juggle to distract her – and I’ve been doing it many times a day ever since. Juggling instantly puts you into a state of flow by taking up almost all of your brain capacity. It’s also perfect for people with a baby. I can do practice sessions of 30 seconds if she is fussy. Plus, she thinks it’s funny. Martin Wilson, 41, instructional designer, Spain

A colleague and I were joking about taking up balloon modelling and in the spur of the moment, I ordered some balloons and hit YouTube for inspiration. It’s surprisingly nuanced, and different people have quite distinct styles. I’ve made a monkey up a tree on a desert island, a sloth, lion, tiger, koala, rabbit, bear, flamingo and this morning it was a quizzical mouse sitting on some cheese. There’ve been lots of disasters and exploding body parts, but it keeps me busy in the evenings and gives me somewhere to channel my madness. Sarah, 43, local government worker, Manchester

I had tried (and largely failed) to make pasta from scratch in the past. With restaurants no longer on the menu, I decided to take a more serious stab at it. I still had most of a pre-lockdown bag of 00 flour at the back of my cupboard and, with the help of YouTube, was able to make some much better dough than before – and different shapes, too. Encouraged by my success, I ordered a pasta machine and have been enjoying using it – although I have now run out of flour. Zain Odho, 36, NHS clinical scientist, London

I passed O level woodwork in 1965 and although I’ve made a few stools since, lockdown has awakened a passion which had gone unrecognised for years. With the help of my best friend giving me 100-year-old oak planks and the gift of a circular saw from my son, I have been producing one piece a week, including three stools, a shelf with an unusual support, and a shoe rack – all done without plans and mainly recycled timber. They will all be gifts for my family. Andy Yates, 70, Stockport

I’ve toyed with learning for years but when lockdown started I thought I’d finally try to learn the concertina. In my pre-purchasing fantasy, I saw myself practicing diligently for an hour a day but between teaching my school classes online and trying to keep some homeschool structure for my own kids, the hallowed hour has somewhat diminished. But I have learnt to play Silent Night and Happy Birthday, so I’m still quite pleased. Hannah, 40, teacher, Brighton

I was in a toy shop with my son before lockdown and picked up a Duncan yoyo. It sat on a shelf until boredom kicked in, and now I can’t put it down. After repeated failures – including one broken string after a particularly vigorous throw – I can now do Round the World, Walk the Dog, the Elevator, Rock the Cradle and the Brain Scrambler. It has taken me back to the joy of a childhood spent playing with real, physical toys, and I have now invested in a new €20 model that will hopefully take my yoyoing to new heights. Mike Warren, 39, Belgooly, Ireland

With time more elastic and ever-hungry kids, I’m travelling the world through pancakes. Flat or folded (Pönnukaka – Iceland), upright or torn (Kaiserschmarrn – Austria), they make excellent use of a potluck larder. Bring on the buckwheat flour for blini (Russian) or stick to spuds with latke (Jewish). Soon I might try cachapas from Venezuela and Colombia, if I can get hold of some maize flour. Sweet or savoury, an elegant treat or an everyday essential, there’s no end to the ways you can eat them. Plus, they’re cheap. Becky Matthewson, writer, Kent

After a few weeks of lockdown I wanted to let some creativity out, so I risked a trip to a local sewing shop and bought a handful of thread. I cut up an old bed sheet and began embroidering with the TV on in the background. It has taken away so much anxiety and given me something relaxing to focus on. Louise Davidson, 30, NHS dietician, Kent, currently in Norway