h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

(Tho I'm actually a Scot in exile.)

Just saying 'hello' to a fellow cross-stitcher. It's a bit of an addiction with me. I stitch most evenings, when I'm not on here.

We seem to have a couple of things in common - I've got a sort-of grown-up family too - and am also a healthcare professional.

Our middle one is currently in Australia - she was in Melbourne last week! She's been having a ball. Been at the University of Sydney since early March and has just finished there (an exchange type thingie). Has now joined her two best friends and is heading up the east coast. She phoned this morning to tell me that she'd just jumped out of a plane at 12,000 feet . Have asked her to tell me about these things AFTER she does them rather than before!
She's going to be spending her 21st Birthday next week on a yacht somewhere near Fraser Island.

Hope to hear from you.

I am sure your daughter is having a great time. It is a good opportunity at her age. We have a lot of British agency staff at the hospital I work at. They come to Australia and travel around, picking up work as they go. wish I had done that when I was young! never mind - it isn't to late for me yet!
I always have a few Xstitch projects on the go at once. I have been making Baby quilts lately - you never know, one of my lot may have kids one day!! My main troubl is that I keep finding kits that I can't resist!! My 20 y.o daughter has decided to learn to knit (at last). I had forgotten how hard it is to pick up the basics!
What work do you do?

I'm a Dental Hygienist, working in private practice. I love it - most of the time. I'm lucky to have decent appointment times and good prescriptions from the dentists I work with - so I can really help people with bad periodontal problems - very satisfying.

My sister-in-law up in Scotland is a midwife - she works in the SCBU.

So what ages are your other kids? My eldest is 22, middle 20 and the 'baby' is newly 17.

I too cannot resist xstitch kits. The really good ones are a bit thin on the ground so when I see a nice one I grab it. I've got piles and piles of completed work which I haven't got around to framing - including a couple of Dolls' House ones which are really beautiful. They'll be the things I pass on to the children. I did a tapestry one years ago - all sorts of different stitches to get the textures for soft furnishings etc. I did manage to get that one framed.
I'm seriously thinking about an evening class in stretching and framing - it's so expensive to get them done professionally.

Hi, back again. Worked the last couple of days. Reasonably busy - got a new little baby in yesterday. 8 weeks early, weighs 1.5kg (think that's about 3.5lbs?). So cute.

My 'kids' Kersti 30 married last April to Garry. Marcus 27 married 2 years ago to the gorgeous Erika, Tegan 20 lives with boyfriend Cameron and Jenna 18 a Uni student still living at home. Both Kersti and Marcus are into computers, Tegan is a hairdresser and Jenna is studying Biomedical Science and hopes to end up in Forensics.

I did a course a few years ago on Picture framing. Theoretically this also means that I shouldn't have too much trouble framing my Xstitch. Well, reality set in and I decided that it is much less trouble getting somebody else to do the job!!

Golly, has a year gone by?

How is life treating you?

The 'taxman' has been on our back lately! I hadn't done our company books for the last 15 months (we are supposed to lodge them every 3 months for GST purposes) so I had to put my head down and get stuck into it. Well, they are done now and are with the accountant. Hope they don't give us too high a tax bill!! The next challenge there is to make sure I keep up with it in future!

Miss 19 took up Calisthenics this year. She did Jazz and Ballet for 13 years when she was at school, missed it heaps last year , met someone at work who did calisthenics and decided to give it a go. Her first competition with it is on today. Unlike jazz and ballet we have had to make several costumes from scratch. I have never made a leotard before - I have done heaps of sequining so that part wasn't a problem. Another thing required was a rolled hem on a long, full circle chiffon(sp?) skirt. I now have finally used the rolled hem foot on my sewing machine and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be!

I think my next project is going to be joining the local Gym. I lost 7 kilo's in the first 4 months of the year, stopped going to the Weight watchers meeting and have now put 4 back on.

Sorry to be rambling and hope you are actually still around to read this

Maz

Hi Maz - lovely to hear from you

Where does the time go!

I'm fine, despite having a bit of an 'annus horribilis'. Just about everything's gone badly so far in 2004.
The kids are all well - youngest one still making serious effort to be Worst Teenager in Britain - but the older two doing really well.
The eldest has just been given a temporary teaching job at the univ where she's been doing her Masters.
The middle one got her honours degree and has another year at univ to get her practising certificate.

Sounds like you've been really busy with the sewing machine. It's great to master something you thought was going to be difficult.
My machine hasn't seen the light of day for many years, sadly.

Hope your daughter did well in her callisthenics competition.

Congrats on the lost 7 kilos! Isn't it a bu**er how easily it goes back on once you get to our age!
I've managed to lose about 14lbs since Christmas and am having to be really careful about keeping up with the exercise.
Coming back from holiday in Portugal with food poisoning helped shift a few pounds - but is not to be recommended as my tummy is still trying to sort itself out

Take care
T