Leisure can be a pleasure time (From Barry And District News)

Leisure can be a pleasure time

AS THE days get longer and the nights get lighter, people in the Vale of Glamorgan might find themselves at a loss as to what they can do. The weather warms, and you feel you want to do something. But what?

It doesn't really matter what you do. The key to enjoying your spare time is making the most of it.

Whether you stay at home or get out and about, you can always find some interesting or entertaining way of spending your time.

Take the home, for example. Home entertainment is now big business, and that means more choice than ever before. Still, the most popular form of home entertainment is the television, with the bonus of technical developments, such as super definition flat screens and stereo sound to add to the attraction.

And with its companion, the video recorder, there is now no need to be stumped for the evening by uninspiring programme schedules. Your local video shop will have hundreds of films, with something to suit every member of the family.

Music is a popular way to unwind after a stressful day in the office, and the best sounds around will sound even better on a compact disc player. Sound quality and ease of use are compact discs' biggest selling point, with none of the scratches and crackles to which records become susceptible.

Finding a new interest can open doors you never knew existed. Choosing a new hobby does need careful consideration. If your idea of enjoying the fresh air is watching telly with the window open, there's not much point in taking up orienteering!

If, on the other hand, you want to get into training for a marathon, you'll need something more strenuous than a ballroom dancing class. Expense comes into it, too. Some sports stretch your financial resources more than your muscles.

Golf is a pleasant way of relaxing. While some people say a game of golf ruins a good walk, others take up this gentle exercise and really find an avenue of enjoyment.

But it can become something of an obsession if you're not careful, and joining a club can make it one of those expensive pastimes. Squash seems to be the favourite for keep fit addicts. It's fast and furious, working up a good sweat. But those who prefer something slightly less strenuous could try badminton or tennis.

You can enjoy the social scene too by joining a club, where you can happily shed a few ounces on the courts and spend a pleasant hour in the bar afterwards putting the ounces back on again.

Health clubs are the obvious places for those who are worried about their shape. A good health club can offer a range of facilities, most of them fairly painless, and along with good advice, a lot of clubs will devise a personal fitness programme for clients.

The instructors in the leisure centres are trained to assess your needs and put you onto the right path. Apart from making sure you lose weight and tone up where you want to, it also helps to prevent injuries.

But despite what you might hear, or even think, fitness is not next to Godliness, and there are plenty of worthwhile pastimes which are enjoyable without being in any way strenuous.

Photography, for example, is one of the most popular hobbies, and there are plenty of evening courses widely available for beginners, with many camera clubs in most areas.

Again, it can be expensive, but the equipment fanatics bristling with hardware don't necessarily come up with the best pictures. Your local library can provide books on techniques, and it could be fun just walking around picturesque places while looking for a willing subject. If you don't fancy a countryside stroll, friends and relatives will no doubt be keen to offer their children for portraits. If you're really brave, you can even try telling Rover to "say cheese."

Further education courses are a useful start to learning something new and are well worth the money in most cases. Nowadays you can learn almost anything from arts and crafts to academic subjects. Barry College is an excellent place to start looking for interest. Or, if you want to try something more on a part-time basis, St Cyres School offers night school classes.

If you prefer to confine your leisure activities to home, one way to save money, and make your friends envious at the same time, is to take up knitting - making your own jumpers, cardigans and even dresses, at a fraction of shop prices.

Knitting doesn't have to be difficult, and as long as you can cast on and off and do simple knit, purl and rib, you can use your imagination and careful choice of yarns to make a garment that you'll never see anyone wearing. You'll find books for beginners at the library, and as your knitting progresses, you'll probably find that you can abandon patterns altogether and create clothes from basic shapes.

If you don't quite like the idea of the clicking of knitting needles, try your hand at sewing. It may cost a bit more to start this hobby. Materials are available from haberdasheries, but the machines themselves vary in price. Sewing gives you the chance to make anything from clothes to furnishings.

There are literally hundreds of things that you can do in your leisure time, so don't waste it.