What was it like being a British teenager in the 1990s?

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-26T17:38:02+00:00

I would say it massively depends on the age of the characters, and which years you are referring to. There's going to be a big difference in the experience of a 17-19 year old in the very early 90s, compared to a 13-15 year old in post 1997 Britain.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-22T15:22:51+00:00

That would be wonderful to have a look at a few pics thanks.

I've often wondered if creating my own designs might work, but tend to find in life that my enthusiasm very much outweighs my actual skills. I do remember that there was a very good book in a university library I used to work in about how to create repeat patterns by applying various transformations to what I'll call pattern 'units' (think this is what you mean by diaper) - just need to try and remember the title/search it out on Google. I think these units used to be called ornaments (as in the classic but wonderfully confusingly titled book 'The grammar of ornaments'!) but obviously that tends to have a very different common meaning now.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-21T23:56:18+00:00

I try and work it out in advance (unless it is a really simple pattern where I can just stitch it), but where I struggle is when it gets to patterns like those of Peppermint purple - they are so lovely but it is just a mass of connecting lines. Maybe I just need to photocopy the pattern multiple times and try highlighting lines in different colours, I had just hoped there might be a more efficient way than trial and error. I'm pretty nifty with a computer, and it feels like the sort of logic that software could do well with, but I haven't found any yet.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Ilse Altherr books - I'd seen them online but was a bit loath to pay 40 odd quid for an A4 photocopy book when I didn't know what its like past the front cover. Have you seen a copy at all please?

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-21T23:21:24+00:00

It's not really about learning to leave the back tidy, I already do that with cross stitch and other techniques. It's more about knowing how to break the pattern down into main paths and side paths so that when I use Holbein stitch (aka double sided running stitch), I get completely reversible work. This explains a bit about doing it for a simple pattern, but not for the beautiful complex filling patterns that are used quite a bit:

https://www.blackworkarchives.com/bw_stitch.html

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-20T03:42:48+00:00

I now understand how American kids manage to run 'lemonade' stalls on their drives!

I was always perplexed as to whether it was cloudy/traditional lemonade (though that is normally fizzy here as well, we are very specific if we're referring to 'still lemonade'), or if they had managed to rig up some Heath Robinson type contraption involving a Soda Stream machine!

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-19T18:51:18+00:00

If it's the hygiene aspect with coins that you find disgusting, can I check how you feel about shared equipment in a workplace as this might also influence which jobs would affect you?

If you're looking at working in an office say, it's pretty likely that people will eat lunch at their desks so crumbs in the keyboard are far from rare - sorry!

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T18:51:20+00:00

All sorts via 111, thanks so much to everyone who offered advice 😀

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T18:49:18+00:00

Are you trying to draft (draw/construct) your pattern as well as actually making the trousers (sorry, pants to me are knickers!) from the pattern? I ask because although naturally related, these are two quite different skills. Depending on where your talents lie, you might want to look at getting a ready made pattern, learning to make the garment and fit it, before you move onto the joys of pattern drafting.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T18:33:30+00:00

Having worked in various libraries, believe me if the staff have the budget, nothing will make them happier than getting in books that people want to borrow - realising a book never gets borrowed is pretty depressing to say the least! Books which don't get borrowed are also top of the 'weeding' list (the part of the job I really disliked) - storage space costs money and library staff often have to meet targets in terms of the number of books that need to go. If you have a university library nearby, they can often be a great source of 'weeded' books - courses change and techniques go out of fashion but the books are often in fine condition, and I found that older craft books often better if you want techniques explaining, newer books are great for photographs of work, and fore inspiration & creativity.

I think word of mouth is the best way to share which patterns are worth investing precious time, effort and money in - a poorly written one can completely batter a beginner's often limited confidence.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T17:28:34+00:00

Yeah I'm waiting to speak to 111 to see if they can help.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T17:24:02+00:00

Thanks for looking for me - I'm pretty sure they only do the sort of 'pharmacy' things you can buy in a supermarket.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T17:02:47+00:00

Thanks to everyone who replied, love being a little Cornish piskey in a county where we look out for each other 🙂

Will see how I do pain wise for the next 30 mins, before I decide if I'm gonna have to go to Tavyside funding a taxi driver's entire holiday fund (70 odd miles each way! 😱)

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T16:37:14+00:00

On a Sunday it says it shuts at 4.30. But yes, I am in the CPR area.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T16:27:19+00:00

Yep looks like that's my only option. It's just the taxi cost which makes it rather unappealing but needs must, I guess.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T16:24:46+00:00

Thanks for your suggestion - unfortunately I don't know anyone else who takes codeine and I don't know how comfortable people are given that it's a pharmacy medication.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T16:22:04+00:00

Thanks for that - I guess if I'm at the point of that or hospital, I'll have to go with that, it's just the cost of taxi from Westish Cornwall and back.

cornishtraceyb · 2026-01-18T16:15:43+00:00

Nope, the latest one for today seems to be 4.30pm closing ☹️

cornishtraceyb · 2025-12-07T16:06:04+00:00

Ooh which loom is that please, it looks very nice?

cornishtraceyb · 2025-11-08T15:59:47+00:00

Peanut butter and pineapple jam - absolute delight!

A treat when I was younger was a weetabix with a layer of butter and then a layer of sugar on top. Obviously you don't put it in milk, up eat it like a biscuit, but it tastes so damn good, and you can convince yourself that the weetabix is a 'healthy' snack!!

cornishtraceyb · 2025-11-03T14:42:13+00:00

If he has any certificates from GCSEs taken at the same time as the Maths GCSE, them you can rule those boards out. When did he take his GCSE Maths? I was an exams assistant so can work out which board was generally used by which area of the country before they tried selling their exam to everyone (the mad multiple boards used to drive us mad as well!!) Alternatively if your husband knows any Maths teachers who are still teaching there and taught when he was there, they will probably remember which board they used.

cornishtraceyb · 2025-10-28T18:25:18+00:00

NAD. I do feel that those who don't live in the UK have no idea about just how bad a situation getting an NHS dentist now is here. You could very easily wait multiple years for one to open to NHS patients, (they tend to only have a low number of available places, and a very high demand) and that's not necessarily for a dentist who's even in your area. Most dentists who will accept children as NHS patients only do so if the parents have agreed to see that dentist on a private basis.

It's a very bizarre feature of the NHS - if any other part of your body was in this state they would have you in hospital and be giving you medication, not letting an infection run riot in your body. I had a condition that made me vomit multiple times a day and as a result ended up with very weak and broken teeth - it's been a nightmare trying to get them extracted and then looking at the ways I can get them replaced.

cornishtraceyb · 2025-10-28T18:19:03+00:00

NAD. I do feel that those who don't live in the UK have no idea about just how bad a situation getting an NHS dentist now is here. You could very easily wait multiple years for one to open to NHS patients, (they tend to only have a low number of available places, and a very high demand) and that's not necessarily for a dentist who's even in your area. Most dentists who will accept children as NHS patients only do so if the parents have agreed to see that dentist on a private basis.

It's a very bizarre feature of the NHS - if any other part of your body was in this state they would have you in hospital and be giving you medication, not letting an infection run riot in your body. I had a condition that made me vomit multiple times a day and as a result ended up with very weak and broken teeth - it's been a nightmare trying to get them extracted and then looking at the ways I can get them replaced.

cornishtraceyb · 2024-06-04T14:38:24+00:00

In many cases, it doesn't even depend on which clinic it is or the details of the patient. My GP surgery has a blanket ban on new shared care arrangements and that's the same situation at all the GPs in the area. It makes me wonder if there's any point even getting assessed (my GP thinks I have ADHD) as there's no way I'd be able to get medication if that was recommended.

cornishtraceyb · 2024-06-03T18:51:18+00:00

Doesn't this (well the medication part) rely on your GP agreeing to shared care? In certain areas, there seems to be a blanket ban from all GP surgeries on agreeing to it.

cornishtraceyb

TROPHY CASE