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Great Ways To Relax and Enjoy Your Spare Time

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During our adult lives there are a lot of plates we have to spin. Whether it be working then coming home to cook dinner for the family, or it’s looking after the kids and managing your fitness and social life. Adulting is hard and there are times when we will get stressed and fed up. 

If you are reaching a point where you are feeling stuck in a rut in life, it is important for you to find ways to spend your free time wisely. Enjoying the time you have outside your job is so important, and today we have some ideas of different activities you can try your hand at. 

Try watercolor painting 

Watercolour painting is one of the most relaxing hobbies you can ever try to do. You don’t have to be an amazing artist to enjoy painting, and once you start allowing colours to run on paper, you will feel an immense sense of relaxation and relief from your daily life. Consider joining an online class to learn how to paint watercolour, or find YouTube videos that show step by step paintings that you can follow along with. Painting is something everyone should try at least once, so take the chance to try it yourself this month. 

Bake a cake 

If you are in need of a sweet fix and you are up for a challenge – baking a cake can be a great way to bring out your creativity and also teach you a fun new skill. There are so many fun cakes to bake, but this one is a great option and will be a winner with everyone:

Black Forest gateau 

Ingredients: 

  1. Line and grease 2 cake tins and preheat your oven to 200C. 
  2. Melt the dark chocolate and allow to cool completely. 
  3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth and light. 
  4. Beat in your eggs until the mixture has doubled in size. 
  5. Add the chocolate and stir. 
  6. Add your flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and fold gently into the batter. 
  7. Add half of the batter into each pan and then bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
  8. Cool completely. 
  9. Whisk together your cream and icing sugar. 
  10. Lay one of your cakes down and poke holes in the surface. Add half of your kirsch directly into the sponge to flavour it with cherry. Add half of your jam on top, then half of the cream. 
  11. Repeat the same steps with the second sponge. 
  12. Finish your cake by adding some fresh cherries on top for garnish. You can also shave some chocolate and add this on top for some extra pizazz. 

Have a hot bath 

There is nothing quite like enjoying a hot bath when you are tired and stressed out. If you need a little bit of tlc this week, take the opportunity to run a bath with some Laura Mercier creme brûlée honey bath, some salts, and a lovely bath bomb. Buy yourself bath tray and set up your favourite show on your laptop, have a glass of wine, and let the stress melt away. 

Enjoy online gaming 

One of the best ways for you to escape from the stress of life is to enjoy some online gaming. Online gaming can be a great way to discover new friends or keep in touch with your current ones, and using Centurylink internet to power your gaming session will ensure you can play for hours and hours without lagging or dropping out of a session. Consider enjoying a GRAV online session and join a crew with your friends, taking on heists and missions in Los Santos. 

Do an at home manicure 

If you are looking for a simple and fun job to do this weekend, consider giving yourself a clean and shiny manicure. There are some amazing nail polish colours out there at the moment that are ideal for the autumn season such as Barry M spicy mango and Essie sweater weather. Use fake nails or paint your own and enjoy a brand new look for the winter season that will make you look classy and beautiful. You can even go one step further and try making your own ombré look by applying two colours to your nail and then using a fry brush to mix them together in the middle. This might take a little it of practice but it will look amazing if you pull it off! 

Enjoy pruning shrubs 

If you have a garden at home that needs to be prepared for the winter, one simple job you can do this weekend is prune your larger shrubs back ready for the colder season. Hydrangea and other large shrubs will need to be pruned to keep them tidy, and this can be a relaxing job that gives you some fresh air on a sunny day. Make sure when cutting to always cut just above the node to promote growth once spring comes around. 

Host a dinner party 

One of the great ways to enjoy your time this weekend would be to host a themed dinner party for your friends or family. You can do anything from Halloween to Christmas or even Harry Potter. Enjoy making a fun themed menu and decorating your home for maximum effect. Dinner parties can be a great way to settle down and it will give you a challenge that is fun and new. 

Play an instrument 

Looking for a new way to relax this weekend, why not try playing an instrument? If you have ever played an instrument in your life but you have neglected this as you grew up, now is the time to make a change and discover your love for music once more. If you are a newbie, this can be a chance for you to learn a new skill and enjoy your spare time doing something completely different. Sometimes the best way to relax is to change up your routine and this can be a great way to discover a new hobby. 

Make a pizza at home 

One of the ways you can relax this weekend is by enjoying a pizza making session with the family. You can make your own pizza dough easily on a Saturday morning and then in the evening set up a pizza station with sauce and toppings so that everyone, even the kids, get to make pizzas to their own liking. This pizza dough and tomato sauce recipe is perfect for your pizza night and will soon become a staple in your house: 

Pizza dough 

  1. Add your yeast, sugar, and water to a jug and leave for 15 minutes to bloom. By the time you come back the mixture should be fizzing. 
  2. Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl and then add in the yeast. Mix to form a loose dough and then turn it out onto a floured surface. 
  3. Now you will need to knead this dough for 10 minutes. The dough will start to come together and get smoother during this process. 
  4. You’ll know your dough is ready when you perform the windowpane test. Take a little bit of dough and stretch it out. If you can stretch it enough to see light through it and the dough doesn’t break apart – this means it is ready to go. 
  5. Place in an oiled bowl and cover. Leave for 2 hours to rise. 
  6. Once risen, punch out the air and then separate into 4. Leave for 20 minutes before you roll out onto pizzas and cook. 

Tomato sauce 

Every good pizza needs an amazing tomato sauce and this one will always be a winner. 

Ingredients: 

  1. Add oil to a pan and add finely chopped onion. Sweat for 5 minutes until the onion starts to look translucent. 
  2. Once done, add your garlic and stir for 1 minute. 
  3. Add your herbs and stir for 30 seconds before adding tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce. 
  4. Add your tomatoes and bring to the boil. 
  5. Add a spoon full of sugar and simmer for 20 minutes. 
  6. Blend until smooth and season to taste. 

Watch a movie marathon 

Have you been putting off rewatching the entire Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy? Well now that Spider-Man No Way Home is about to come out, it’s the perfect time to catch up on the classics. Watch a movie marathon this weekend on a cold rainy day and get yourself some popcorn and nachos to snack on. This will be a great way to relax and let your stress melt away.

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