Who we are and what we do

Anyone who uses a table saw is tops in my book. LOL I know this is a needlework NG, but I never fail to be impressed with the MANY skills of people. In the very early days of NGs, like when there were less than 3000, a woman was providing information on using interfacing; she was the Assistant Dean of Chemistry at a university. Working as an engineer, everyone in my department was shocked at a baby shower to learn that I actually made the cute baby sweater. People have such strange ideas, prejudices, about the needle arts.

I am 43 years old and been married for 25 years. Have three young adult sons, one of whom is soon to be married, another living with his fiancee and the youngest recently got his own flat, so we find ourselves with an empty nest, although we have two dogs and five cats, all of whom are spoilt rotten in place of the kids

I have been cross stitching for around 17 years, although I must confess I have only taken the needle up again in recent months after an operation on my spine and quite a long break from stitching of a couple of years.

Now I have got back into it again, I wonder how I could ever have stopped doing it in the first place, although time is a factor and at present I have plenty of that whilst recouperating!

At the moment, I am adapting a celtic style chart to make a wedding sampler for my son and his fiancee. Since they only started planning the wedding in late April and the date is set for 1st August, I don't have a lot of time, so am kind of glad to have the time at present to devote to stitching < lol >

They are having a medieval style wedding with all guests wearing costumes of the period. It's going to be sooo pretty!

DH and I live on the central south coast of England. This part of Dorset affords us wonderful views over the Purbeck hills as well as the open sea :-)

I have a passion for genealogy and have been researching both mine and my husband's family history for around 15 years now, so I have certainly mastered the basics of that hobby too!

I work part time in a newsagent shop and DH has recently changed his job from Senior Management to become a bus driver! Quite a change of status, but also a lot less demanding and stressful, so better for his health. He's never been happier :-)

That's a little about me and my family. I'm pleased to be back within the group again and look forward to chatting to some of you on here!

Tracy

Are you anywhere near West Bexington ?

About 40 miles away on the outskirts of Poole Harbour :-) You know the area?

Tracy

Not very well, other than Dorchester, Australian friends retired in West Bexington. Lovely house looking out to the Channel, nice scenery. Very nice village with lots going on all the time. It seems one is always very busy in those villages.

Was Weymouth Dorset ? In navy days I grew to know Weymouth quite well as frequently David would be on a ship that called in there and I would drive down from Pompey for the chance of some time together.

I would recognise Poole china though. lol

Yes I agree, the villages are pretty in scenery and views. The whole county is beautiful, although being Dorset born and bred, I'm slightly biased

Weymouth is indeed in Dorset, just along the coast from Bexington as a matter of fact, although of course with MOD cuts, you would hardly notice the existence of the Navy there these days :-(

Funny that you should drive down to Dorset to visit your husband whilst in Her Maj's navy. I used to drive down to Pompey to visit my husband when he was on board a ship in Pompey when he was in the Royal Marines lol

What a small world :-)

Tracy

David was always on ships and I spent a great deal of time in the married quarters in Eastney. My backyard backed on to the RM playing fields. I remember once sending my son to his room for some misdemeanour and when he didn't ask for absolution went up to see why.

He was sitting up in the window watching the Marines practice their motorbike pyramids etc and having a grand old time. He and his friend frequently had nice cricket teas too by dint of wriggling under the fence. They used to fire those guns which I hardly heard in the end and the RM band practiced outside my window. My BIL tells me those married quarters are all private dwellings now.

Now that's going back to the early 60s so a bit before your time lol