I'm Back

It has been a couple of years since I wrote on this blog. I had my long-standing writing one - Jan Morrison, this crazy writing life and while I was in Labrador (at least for a few years) I tried to keep up Sojourner in Labrador.   Now I'm back in Nova Scotia and trying to figure out what my life will look like. One of the things that I'm changing is that I'm staying off of social media. I don't need to say why but that it isn't good for me. I need to communicate and consume my news in a slower healthier way for me. But I do like the connecting so for those who are stalwart they can find me here and I will make an effort to make a regular posting on here. They will be between the long rambling posts of yesteryear and the snappy one liners of fb. I will try and keep most of my writing stuff to that blog and I will not be touching Sojourner except to mine it for a memoir I'm writing of my time up north.

This will be for brief sharings of what I get up to. In fact, if I can figure out how to take control of the look and name of this - I might change it to that! I need some help because it was designed when I had a different email and it will not accept me as someone who is allowed to change things. We'll see...

Here is a picture of an art project I'm working on - Tara as Activist - this is Hannah Gadsby.

the end of this blog at least for now!

I can't keep 3 blogs going -not even haphazardly. So I'm going to say goodbye to this one for now. Please, if you find yourself here, go to my writing site Jan Morrison, this crazy writing life  www.labanan.blogspot.com or to my blog about living in Labrador called Sojourner in Labrador  at www.sojournerinlabrador.blogspot.ca
Inspired by Lee at Tossing it Out I will try to be a more consistent blogger though my track record sucks!

oh it is so beautiful out!

We had a great snowstorm yesterday...the snow is up around the fence top, drifts up to my chest. But you can read about that on my other two blogs. I'm here to report on the simple life.
just want to post that Christmas is getting simpler every year. I did my usual for the gang of friends called the Canadian Babes.  Every year I make them something for Children's Day.  This year it was wee pictures inspired by fragments of Leonard Cohen lyrics. 

 I've been sketching and painting. Taking an online course called Sketch Book Skool. Love it! Today is a snowy day - our first - blizzarding. We're all home doing little quiet things...

I'm hooking a wee rug

And I can't show pictures because it is going to be a gift and I don't trust that it won't be seen - however unlikely that may seem.

I haven't hooked for over thirty years! I'm doing the same as I did then - using wool yarn not strips. No dying or gathering or cutting for me. Why would I when there is always bits of wool around tempting me?  I knew roughly what I wanted to hook and made a drawing (after much mooching around online) and I'm having fun putting colours together. It is about 15 by 20 inches or so - a small mat, a hanging, maybe it could turn into a bag or some such other thing. It is fun to be creating and I do love how the colours pop out. No counting which is awfully nice too.

I will get back to my quilt when the snow flies. The top is pieced and the three pieces are basted. I've done some of the hand-quilting and I now know how long and tedious of a job it will be. Hopefully we will have a bigger monitor to watch flicks on (instead of our laptop) as I can quilt and watch - kind of!

Sorry I haven't been here at all - getting back into Labrador life is quite a re-entry. I might have the bends! So much solitude, walking, beauty, loneliness. I've got lots of photos on my sojournerinlabrador site (see button to right). If I seriously got into rug-hooking I'd have no end of inspiration. Maybe for my next one I'll use these photos - I'd like a crow mat.

I have not been quilting

I have not been quilting. I have not been knitting. I have not been practicing the accordion or the piano. I have no chickens so we don't have to worry about that one. Whew! I have been trying to keep my head above water, working on my novel and poetry/photo project about Labrador. The rest will seriously have to go hang for now.
My quilt looks at me. Longingly. Will be a perfect project for next year when I'm feeling the winter come on and I need something that isn't writing. But not now.

Here are some photos of wildlife. All taken by me. The squirrel was pretty scary!

In the hoop

 This is the backing, taped to the floor, then I put the batting down and finally the quilt top. I basted it all together on the floor (arggh - my knees) and now I've got it in the hoop and ready to quilt. This part will take me a long time I fear as I am slow to teach my fingers how to do this.