Hear me out alec has 3 hobbies he sticks with. 2 were developed pre sandbrook and one post.
Gardening, baked goods decorating and photography
Alec started gardening in sandbrook because it helped him relax. He had quite a green thumb and took pride in it. It certainly made tess and daisy happy having fresh herbs and veggies in the backyard to pick and eat.
After broadchurch when Daisy went to live with him, she encouraged him to pick it back up. At first he started with a windo planter only growing herbs. Eventually he moved to a bigger planter and started growing veggies again. Sometimes when he has too many he brings them to the station and gives them up freely to his Co workers. They're not sure if its alec or daisy growing them at first. Until one day PC Bob catches DI hardy kneeling over a plot in jeans and a tshirt clearly planting something. Snaps a picture and runs off. The next day the office shows small appreciations by talking about how they used something alec grew. Or how his mint was so fresh in their tea. Their boss was slightly nicer that month.
Alec showed intrest in baked good decorating when Daisy showed intrest in baking. She'd make stuff and then hand it to him to decorate. With time he got pretty damn good at it and turned it into a minor hobby. (He's good enough people assume they were bought at a store)
I'd say in broadchurch Daisy kept baking during weekends and encouraged her dad to decorate again. So he did. It started off small with cookies. He'd bring extras into the station, or allow daisy to give them to friends. Sometimes he'd give a baggie to Miller, who'd hand some to the latimers. Either way rumour spread that someone in the Hardy household was rather gifted with decorating. Some people thought they bought them some thought it was all Daisy. (Miller of course knows it's hardy as she visits often) one day at work someone was commenting how much better store bought cookies look these days and how it was nice Alec would bring them, Albeit odd.
Alec in a mildly annoyed tone responds saying "uh excuse me, I decorated those and my daughter baked them" then stormed into his office slamming the door. The station is stunned to say the least. This info spreads through broadchudch and someone actually asks alec to decorate a cake for them. Daisy takes their money and convinces her dad to do it.
Daisy and Alec spend time together during these baking decorating moments. This is why Alec enjoys it so much cause he can talk with his daughter.
The photography came after daisy moved to broadchurch. She noticed how lost her dad seemed at times. She worried about his health. He was always stressed and could never settle in the moment. One day she found a small old digital camera in a yard sale and bought it. She gave it to him as a gift and recommended he snap pictures of the day to day life of alec hardy, as a way to ground himself
At first he thought it was stupid, but one day he decided to take a picture of maybe his desk, or maybe Miller's shoe as the two of them sit outside for lunch. He kinda enjoyed it so he kept going till eventually, he put a drive together with the images he'd take. Daisy has full access and occasionally prints and frames them. She puts them around the house. The images are nothing to gawk at bur alec has a small sense of artistry with them.
Daisy brings home a 2 week old kitten and convinces alec to help care for it. At first he's appaled but with time he really ends up liking the cats company. Especially when Daisy visits her mum and he's alone. He never gives the cat a name nor does he spoil it. Daisy has given it a name but it never responds to her. So it doesn't matter.
The cat ends up growing smaller than expected and enjoys sitting on alecs head and shoulder.
One quiet weekend at the station alec convinces jenkinson to allow the cat in his office while he works. Because it hasn't been feeling great and daisy isnt home to watch it.
This is the day Miller learns alec has a cat. When she walks into his office to hand him her finished paper work only to see her boss typing on his computer with a cat on his head.
She just stares and Alec stares right back before barking "what do you want millarh?!" To which she throws the paperwork on his desk and mumbles "there's something on your head sir" and leaves with a huff
After this, Miller starts bringing alec cat toys and cat treats time to time.
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