Ivica Smolec - My Hobbies

Electronics

When I was thirteen or fourteen years old, I made my first detector radio receiver, according to a circuit diagram from a book. I set a wire between our and neighbor's roof and drew it to our fuel wood shed - my workplace. The enthusiasm which I had felt when I heard a music and speech from the local radio station (Radio Zagreb), I have never forgotten. That gave me an impulse to buy a couple of resistors, capacitors and two or three transistors by my spending money. Then I started making experiments with more complex circuits and began to receive also far and weaker stations. I hadn't any soldering iron, so I've built the connections wrapping thin wires around components pins.
The radios from the shed have directed the way of my further life. For me, there were no more professions out of the electronic. I chose an electro technical high school. One excitement was followed close to another - when I bought my first soldering iron, then the first little multimeter, when I made the first regulated power supply, when I achieved to repair a TV set... Of course, I met another persons which like the electronics and we changed our experiences.
During my studies, integrated circuits of different technologies and assignments began to appear on the market. They have attracted me as a flower attracts a bee and they had to be sniffed, i.e. I had to try to use them. Ten or twelve years after the first detector radio, I made my first FM ultra short wave stereo receiver using application advices from catalogues. Everything except the HF tuner was on protoboards, so I pulled off all after a month or two of enjoyment, to free the protoboards for other creations.
I had employed as an measuring circuits development engineer and continue to enjoy in the long-lasting hobby.

A part of one of printed circuits boards that I designed

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Photography

When I purchase the necessary equipment, I'll set some of the snapshots I made onto these pages. During the last twenty five years I've used a Canon AE-1 camera, immortal as "The Highlander". As soon as possible I'll buy a digital one, and the grandpa Canon will be sent to its deserved retirement. I mostly love to photograph the nature, plants, animals, waters. I'd like all of you who love the nature to take a look at the landscapes, leaves, bills and beaks and snouts that made me feel tenderly.

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The garlic flowers

Meadow's Flowers

Plants

I have not much room for this hobby, but I like decorative plants and flowers, so I plant and sow them in front of the building in which I have the apartment. On about twenty square meters, since 2001 I have planted and sowed various sorts of flowers as same as plants with nice leaves. Behind the building, on a meadow, I planted two trees in springtime 2002, the birch-tree and the walnut-tree. There will be a plenty of shade and walnuts when they grow up (shall I be alive as yet ?). Also I've brought and transplanted various sorts of meadows' and forests' flowers, and those give me joy, when their time comes - all of them grow luxuriant and flower. My enjoyment is decreased only by a few irresponsible people (my mildest expression) and children, which break, walk over or pull out the flowers, and when they discard garbage there.

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Philately

For some time now I collect postage stamps, without speculations about their values, series, and so on. I'm collecting the postage stamps from all over the world, new as same as old ones, used as same as unused. If you are collecting them too, and have the same point of view about philately, write a word, we'll change!
To change your duplicates you can write also to Mr. Jakov Ostaric. He is collecting stamps in the same manner as I do.

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Cookery

Remind yourself: how many times did you wait for a meal impatiently, imagining fine tastes and aromas, swallowing spittle? And, how many times, tasting the offered food, did you conclude depressively that that's not that? Turkey is dry, flinty, tough, chicken unsavory, like a mud, stewed vegetables with not enough or with wrong spices, soup which has only quality given by pepper and salt... I have not enough money for everyday dinner in restaurants. Using prepared food in cans or frozen is an urgency solution (nor healthily, neither tasteful). Well, that's why I made the most of three years of my forced singles' life abroad to learn to cook by my taste. I had a dish-washer and that was crucially for my will-power keeping. It was very hard at the beginning, browned flour was burned, pan-cakes like shell fragments, meat as mentioned above, soups and stewed vegetables unsalted, over-salted, batter-dumplings like pebbles. But yet, slowly, it moved. My guests and chance travelers have begun to pay me more sincerely compliments. My first target I've hit when I've begun to make food which was tasteful for me, and the other one when my wife drew a conclusion that I cook well. Since then, that's an improving process of my skills that will never end...
What have I got with? Food which I like, on the way how I prefer it and in time when I want it. That makes me merry!

Grill preparing by my mother-in-law in Scitarjevo

The grilling is a special story, it is my great love. Especially in the nature, on a meadow near by wood or by the river bank. Of course, some things must be taken with - a small, portable barbecue tool, food, spices, accessories, ice-box filled up with drinks. With birds chirping and a water murmur environment, by the scented smoke from grilled minced-meat fingers, steaks, button mushrooms, drumsticks, potatoes in jackets, sausages..., in a beloved company , in the shadow... Oh!

Ringo and me

Animals

Till I set going to the high school I have had a dog, a little mongrel bitch Rona, dear and clever being, which enjoyed in my company as same as I enjoyed in it's. It was some kind of mixture between dachshund and German shepherd. Because of my family's moving from the house to an apartment I had to gift it to some people, I was to young to decide myself otherwise. I missed it a long time and a long time passed before another pets, more convenient for staying in an apartment, got substitute it. From this time till now you will always find by me at least a birdie, an Australian parakeet, a nymph or little Australian finches. In last couple of years a little parakeet BBB keeps me company. It has blue feathers and the supporters of DINAMO, the best soccer team in our state, call themselves BBB (The Bad Blue Boys). The Dinamo's color is blue. Once I had two aquaria - bigger one which I had myself equipped and arranged with more kinds of fishes, with water plants I have brought from rivers and lakes, with filters, an air dispersion, a water heater, a home-made thermostat, and a smaller one which served as hatchery. In those times I had learned a lot about the aquaristics. I had preparing the conditioned temperature, the light, the chemism and the water hardness for species which I've loved and hosted.
My favorites are dogs and birds. There is no dog on a street which is neither scared of me nor I am scared of it. A mutually confidence and friendship comes in the moment of meeting. A few words about birds - I plead with you for mercy on them when snow and ice cover their food and water - give them at least some wastes of bread and some water in a can. It will save many of their lives. When days grow warmer they will requite with good on the way they only can and know - with merry singing and flies and mosquitoes destroying...