Blog | Jenny Watson

Procrastination – tip #1

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Posted in productivity, travel 12 Comments ↓

OK, I lied. There is no tip, just an admission:

Here I am writing a blog post when I should be:

Working on the draft of my next book.
Reading the first chapter of a friend’s new YA manuscript.
Mailing my nephew’s long-overdue birthday present.
Doing my taxes.
All of the above…and more!

Instead, I offer you a selection of photos from our trip home from Saskatoon:

Derelict house

Snowplow

A reminder that we’re in Canada

Wildlife bridge

Runaway lane for trucks

Avalanche shed

Information centre – Golden

Alright, alright, you want a tip?

Try using Trello to keep track of all the things you should be doing.

Update: Nephew’s present mailed, chapter read, and some small progress on my book! Taxes – gah – that can wait until another day!

Cheeky squirrel

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Posted in boatbuilding 3 Comments ↓

When you’re a backyard boatbuilder and you don’t have a garage or shed, you have to get creative. Which is why, if you look out our kitchen window, you’ll see a workbench, and the bits and pieces of plywood, which will one day become our John Welsford Navigator sailing dinghy – all set up on our deck.

But right now, you might also see this cheeky squirrel.

It’s nest building time, and Mr. or Mrs. Squirrel has decided that the newspaper under our can of epoxy will make the perfect nest lining.

When Patrick took this photo, the squirrel was sitting on the workbench, looking at us, paws tucked up, as if to say “Me? I’m a good squirrel, really! Aren’t I cute?” I know what you’re thinking – squirrels are just rats with good PR – but if you’d seen this cheeky squirrel shredding newspaper and then carefully folding it into his mouth, I think you’d have to agree – the PR is working!

Don’t believe me? Check out this video from BBC’s Wildlife on One:

Road trip to Saskatoon

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Posted in travel 6 Comments ↓

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always liked road trips in the car. I was that kid who would leap out of bed at 4am to wake up the rest of the family so we could hit the road by 5am for our annual trip to the big smoke. Not a lot has changed since then, except now we try to make it in time to catch the 5pm ferry off the Island on a Friday evening, to eke out our holiday and make every minute count.

There are lots of things to like about road trips – talking with your fellow travellers, watching the world spin by, listening to audio books, seeing things you’ve never seen before, experiencing the unknown and unexpected.

Not every trip is a smooth one. Sometimes you’ve got a sore back and you can’t sit still for more than an hour or two at a time, sometimes your parrot decides he’s had enough of the long drive and screams his head off until, in desperation, you cover him up and say “Birdy bedtime, birdy bedtime.” And sometimes the car breaks down and you end up sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck and feeling grateful that you’ve finally done the sensible thing and bought yourself a down jacket so you don’t freeze in the 90 minutes it takes for the truck to arrive.

But this trip wasn’t one of those – fortunately!

Good weather, clear roads, and the Subaru hummed along after a fresh oil change, wheel alignment, new exhaust, reservoir filled with washer fluid good to -45° C, and a brand new set of Nokian winter tires.

Morning view in Kamloops

Snow shed to protect from avalanches

Best bakery in Revelstoke

On the way into Drumheller

Golden prairies

Sono Nis celebration and book launch

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Posted in prove-it-josh No Comments ↓

The Sono Nis authors with Diane Morriss

Coffee in hand, of course

Books for sale

Happy shopper

A few of my local writing friends

(Photo credits: Sue Andrews, Karen Autio, Kathy Brown, Patrick Wright)

One thing I didn’t anticipate about my book being published, was the opportunity to meet and get to know other authors published by Sono Nis Press. So when Diane asked if I’d like to be part of a group launch, of course I said Yes! And then the icing on the cake, was Diane deciding to come out to Victoria for the event too.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous (yes, that’s me, Anxiety Girl – have you seen the cartoon on Facebook?) about meeting Diane and the other writers in person (maybe they wouldn’t be able to understand my accent or… I don’t know what I was thinking). I might be a social butterfly on Facebook, but in person I’m pretty quiet.

As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. We had a fabulous dinner at Camille’s in Bastion Square, and then the next day celebrated the launch of five Sono Nis Press children’s books. The event was held at the Vic42 studio, next to Discovery Coffee, with treats from Cottage Bakery & Cafe.

I thought you might like to meet my fellow authors too:
Karen Autio – SABOTAGE
Monique Gray Smith – TILLY
Kristie Hammond – TING TING
Sylvia Olsen – SEBASTIAN SASQUATCH

Thanks to everyone who came out for the event!

Giveaway closed – thanks to everyone who entered!

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Posted in prove-it-josh No Comments ↓

Thanks to everyone who entered my Goodreads Giveaway! It was fun to see the numbers climbing, especially over the last couple of days, and encouraging that so many of you are interested in Josh’s story.

Goodreads sent me the names and addresses of the two winners this morning–so I’m just off to the post office to mail them now.

Thanks again, or as we say in New Zealand – Ta!

Goodreads Giveaway

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Posted in prove-it-josh No Comments ↓

Hey guys!

I’m doing a giveaway on Goodreads, so if you haven’t got a copy of Prove It, Josh yet, make sure you enter to win—and, of course, tell all your friends!

If you’ve already bought a copy, Thank You!

And if you’re wondering if there is anything else you can do to help make the book a success, could you consider writing a review on Goodreads or Amazon?

Merci! Danke! Gracias! Thank you!