Christmas ABC Part 10 - S*T* - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

 

When I was a little girl, we didn't have stockings. No, don't feel too sad for us, we used pillowcases instead! My dad* was a policeman for many years, and it always seemed** he was on night shift on Christmas Eve - hence him decorating the panda (squad) car with tinsel round the aerial and a "Merry Christmas to all our Customers" sign in the back window. Ahem. His shift would finish at 6.00am, and we would be up waiting for him to get back. And then we could open our presents ... and play with them while my dad went off to get some sleep! Schoolfriends were always envious of the early start we could have, and we loved it too, but it was a purely pragmatic decision on the part of my parents :o)

 

One of Eddie Izzard's funniest routines is about tangerines (or satsumas). I love Eddie Izzard, but I missed out his last tour, as he was playing Sheffield Arena and tickets were £37 ... eeek! He was also in the middle of running something crazy - 43 MARATHONS in 51 days - you've got to admire him for that, he was a bit of a podgy couch potato before taking this on for Sport Relief. I bet his feet didn't fit into his heels after that effort ... This anecdote is getting a little Eddie like - rambling and off the point. Just not as funny. And not wearing nail varnish. Can you tell I don't have much to say about a citrus fruit? :o)

* yay! a story about my dad. At last!

** my dad worked Christmas for 25 of his 27 years in the force. Technically, only one third of those should have been nights, but it didn't seem like it!

If you would like copies of the charts, please comment below with your email address and I'll get them sent out to you. If you do stitch either of these designs, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for each one I show on my blog!

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Edited to add: As of Twelfth Night (6 January 2010) this chart is no longer available as a freebie. It may return at some point as a chart for sale to raise money for the MS Trust

 

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray