Hilary Smith

Breakfast in Finland, July 2005

I've been living and working in Brighton (or Hove) since '95 when I arrived to take an MSc at the University of Sussex. As many students do, I've stayed on afterwards to keep enjoying Sussex life and being so close to the beach. Richard and I have sorted out the flat we bought a few years back and here's a few things I enjoy doing now DIY isn't top on the list:

Paper crafts - fiddling with bits of paper runs through some strands of the family. I am having lots of fun selling my cards too. Baby announcements seem to be the biggest earner this year.
Walking - We plan to walk the Ridgeway from Avebury, Wiltshire to Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire soon.
Cycling - I got a new bike for my Birthday and we've done the London to Brighton bike ride 8 times now.
Camping - Richard and I met in France working for a camping holiday company so it was inevitable we'd get on with this shared enthusiasm. We have branched out into small tent camping either hiking with it or cycling. Our BBQs are something special though and for that we do big camping with the car. Last year we took a tent to Finland and hired a car from Tampere. It was a fantastic holiday where I learned about the Moomins.
Sewing - I have inherited my Nan's and Mum's enthusiasm for making things using a sewing machine. I make lots of things, most recently some cute little felt bootees for Imogen Humphrey. They're hand-sewn.

I work in Informatics, University of Sussex in user-centred design, using my psychology and computer science background.