Family

Donna and Ashley and Mark came for a celebration

and of course uncle Brett too

Ashley played with new toys

Father and daughter made sweet music

We all ate lots

Ashley helped decorate for Grandpa's seventieth

and even managed to stay up late

to party with all the adults

Sometimes we just kicked back

and sometimes the fourteen month old helped the septuagenarian

climb the stairs

and what goes up must come down!

Ashley decided RP Kayla needed some beautification....

with Stickers carefully placed for best effect

Job done to her satisfaction

she sat back admiring her handiwork.

precious memories

precious family time 

Autumn on the Basin

There are layers of colours between us and the North Mountain

Look the other way and the dairy herd is grazing on the flatlands

Rusts and reds bring life to bleached grasses

Turn another corner on our path

and the colours are softly waning.

I have a friend who likes dots

I like them too

especially when made by Mother Nature.

There are so many berries and rosehips this year

winter food for the deer and the birds

Turning back home

a yellow streak of silver birch

shows up against the mountain.

Did I Tell You We Stayed in a Caboose?

On the way home from Cape Breton

we took a detour to Tatamagouche

on the Northumberland Strait.

We thought it would be fun to stay in a caboose

Ours turned out to be about 100 years old

I haven't been on a modern train for years and years

but it was great going back to the time

when the railways were a vital part of the

development of this country.

Colour Choices

The threads I have been drawn to lately

are the colours of nature's last fling before the snows.

Quite a change from the

beiges, greys and blacks

of recent months.

There are still several greys and neutrals pinned to the design walls

waiting for stitches

but with winter coming on

perhaps another warmer piece will be asking to come to life

alongside the neutrals.

Hey...

...perhaps next year's daily scratchings.

But I still have time for decisions like that.

Time Scratches On

 Moving on into November

after full moons

and extraordinary high tides.

Not much to say about this
Leaf shapes woven into starry night skies
plus a leaf

machine stitched onto water soluble

from way back when.

I've changed since then. 

A sampler done oh so many years ago

sometimes feels like yesterday.

My least favourite stitch
but perhaps I should give chain stitch another chance.

The wind came up and blew high tide
right over the pier and board walk in Annapolis Royal.

Orange for Halloween of course

and a birthday celebration for the Rusty Pups.

I have always liked this little collection of

feather stitches, laisy Daisies, French knots and pinwheels.

More machine work done on water soluble.

I'm having so much fun going through boxes finding
these old samples.
It is good to look back.
We are devising a plan on how to hang
my scratchings in my small studio.
This cloth holds so many ideas for new work
that I need to have it close at hand
so that I am not reinventing the wheel
every time I start something new.

As I include these oldies in my scratchings
I am also mulling over ideas on how to record
my days in stitch next year.
This version of daily scratchings has been going on for four years now
and will be about 200 feet long by the end of the year.
It is time to change
but I am still fascinated by the idea of growing a large piece
by adding to it just a bit every day
usually as we sit and relax after dinner.

Falling Into October's Scratchings

We relaxed at the beginning of October

after having completed one trip to the Cape Breton Highlands

and we knew what was ahead....Two more trips to Cape Breton.

But also in the distance was the knowing

that a retreat with special friends was coming too.

In the meantime I wanted to preserve some samples.

Samples from my C&G days of playing with stitches.

Those above are raised chain stitch.

Starry reverse appliqué

Blanket stitch with a few French knots thrown in.

Nowadays I use blanket stitch a lot

and not one of my current versions was included

in this 1990's sampler!

Today I try to be looser, freer, less restrained....

perhaps even stitching with gay abandon!

Again from the 1990's curvilinear stitchings.

An interruption of simple running stitch

flowing rhythms

Stem stitch marching across silver cloth

I like stem stitch

I like grey

perhaps not metallic grey

Friendship

Last week was a week with friends

that started with a late, late night

watching Justin Trudeau's Liberals sweep the country.

Once the election results were in

we were able to do what we always do when we get together...

Support each other in our creative lives 

Talk art and artists and all that that entails

For the first time some of us baulked at talking about five year plans...

...and kept it down to one!

But now Margi and Judy and Val

have flown my coop.

But actually Val had to leave mid-week

because she became a grandmother for the first time.

So very thrilling!

Over the years we have been through more than art talk together.

I am so grateful to these women

Every time they come I feel renewed, re-energised, validated

and so much more.

Now I need to sit down and think

think of our talks and plans

then write to wrap my mind around things

to understand and fully absorb

for what they say and observe is important to me.

Everyone should have friends that are passionate about the same things.