By Maria Bellotto – @thecashmerediaries

With its crisp weather and lengthening days, spring often brings the best intentions and a desire to indulge in new hobbies and pastimes, often outdoors. Leaving behind the dreariness of the winter months, the Gou Gous start dusting off tennis rackets (badminton for vintage lovers), bicycles and butterfly nets (how chic!).

And if you’re looking for a new divertissement for the months ahead, read on. We’ve prepared a catalogue of hobbies and pastimes tailored by Gou Gou just for you.

One of the most popular hobbies among Gou Gous of all time is tennis. And if not for the discipline itself, if only because it offers an opportunity to gyrate in pleated skirts, piqué polo shirts, canvas shoes, and swing rackets with embroidered initials.

If hand-eye coordination is your thing, we recommend exploring the noble art of badminton, if only for the feathered shuttlecock, which is just too chic!

Suppose you love vintage and beauty and are somewhat nostalgic, with a fair amount of manual dexterity and excellent eyesight. In that case, you will not fail to appreciate strictly hand-embroidered handkerchiefs and blouses, so why not try this now almost-forgotten art?

Very little is needed: a canvas, needle, coloured threads, and patterns—if you are a beginner, use printed cross-stitch canvases. Flowers, kittens, initials—you will surely find your favourite subject and be ready to embroider in the sun, sighing with each stitch. Indeed, everyone will believe you are thinking about the most profound concepts. Little does it matter if you are just cursing yourself for not jumping into tennis.

What could be more old-school than a good game of chess? Bonus points if you’re in a public park, on tables with built-in chessboards, and you’ve brought your precious wooden pieces from home.

After all, the basic rules are not that complex: you have to learn who can go where and be careful not to get eaten. And you want to add the satisfaction of yelling “checkmate”? Not to mention the coolness points this discipline has earned since the successful Netflix series starring Anna Taylor-Joy and all those delightful Sixties looks.

Don’t shake your head; it doesn’t matter if you can’t draw a circle. The beauty of watercolours is that you can make patches of colours that look good together and pretend it’s a moorland landscape at dawn with fog.

Joking aside, whether you are an accomplished artist or a chaotic stain maker, watercolours are satisfying even without technique and require minimal equipment. Besides, the idea of perching ourselves somewhere and pulling out paints and a drawing pad with a brooding air triggers our exhibitionist side.

Forget the embarrassing diary you kept in sixth grade that is still locked with its gold padlock somewhere in your childhood bedroom. It’s no longer time for initials framed by hearts and dedications in coloured markers- the diary is back in vogue.

From jotting down your thoughts or keeping a list of things and people that made your day better (or worse, depending on your mood), a diary is a loyal and discreet friend. It will never reveal to anyone your undignified crush on your classmate in fifth grade. Unless it is broken into, which is very likely if you are not an only child.

Don’t make that face: running can be a very satisfying hobby and a healthy one (just watch out for traffic!). Sure, if you’ve never tried it before, it can be scary, but after you take your first (quick) steps, you’ll discover how satisfying it can be to grind out mile after mile.

Equip yourself with running shoes, fluorescent tracksuits, and a motivational playlist – the road is all yours. Or the treadmill, if you don’t trust running in the city.

Gou Gous, whether you are a sportsperson, a lover of beauty or a subtle strategist, indeed, there is a hobby out there waiting to fill your free time (or, better, completely obsessing over it for a few months until you move on to the next one).

Sometimes, we feel a little stuck with the fear of starting something new and stepping out of our comfort zone, but don’t worry: the first time, fortunately, is just that—the first time! After you get acquainted with your new pastime, we are sure you will have a great time embroidering, kneading, playing tennis, and runn… no, on running, we do not guarantee anything!