the shiny bubble

Self portrait Thursday - week 7 of 2012!

2012-02-16T23:24:00.001+01:00

Hooray, the first self portrait of 2012! I really just forgot to do them once I couldn't upload pictures and then continued to... shame on me! That's going to be different from now on. So here it is:

I'm not actually sure... I think I just wanted to draw stars... I'm jumping from light to light... you could say that the stars are the ideas or projects or goals I'm working on.
Or probably the many many people I'm meeting at the moment - every day of my two weeks in Switzerland is full with coffee and dinner dates - that's a good thing about living abroad. When you are home, everyone actually takes the time to come see you.
I hope your day held some shining star-moments for you, too!
Good night ;o)

How I've been living sugarfree for nine months

2012-02-15T20:28:00.001+01:00

It's been almost nine months now since I started a sugarfree diet in May 2011, and I thought it was about time I updated you about what's cookin' chez yaga.

You can read my first summary after a month of going without refined sugar here.
I also wrote a more general article and guide about going sugarfree here.

6months sugar free. Talk about smug.

How the decision to go sugarfree has affected my life so far
Looking back now on these days in May last year, I smile and I'm a bit tempted to give myself a pat on the back. Going sugarfree has definitely been one of the best and most lifechanging decisions I made in my life.

As I said in my last post, I feel phisycally lighter and more energetic. I did not lose a lot of weight, but I feel I have gained flexibility and body consciousness.
My mind feels clearer and more balanced.
It is easier for me to handle mood swings and depressive phases, although they still occur.
My PMS has definitely changed character. I am still sensitive, whiny and complicated in the days before my period, but this is nothing compared to the instable, aggressive, self-destructive mess I got myself in before the switch to a sugarfree diet.
I have almost eliminated foodcravings from my life. I used to have cravings and think about eating maybe 80% of my waking time before the switch. Now I am much less emotionally attached to food. I mostly eat when I'm hungry and if i have cravings I am more able to identify the root of them and react accordingly.
I am able to make much more conscious and healthy food choices. My diet has improved when I met Trev and he reintroduced me to cooking actual meals and the idea of a nutritionally balanced diet (I used to live from readymeals, sandwiches and pizza delivery before that), but it again got a bazillion times better since last spring.
This has to do with the fact that I am now able to read my body's language of reactions when it comes to food. I learned what foods nourish my body and give me energy. I have begun to get a feeling for a balanced diet. I get immediate feedback from my body if I eat low-quality food or food that my body can't handle well (like dairy - veganism will be a topic of my next diet post).
Oh and I almost forgot: I have not had a single migrane attack since last spring.

When I look at this list I totally feel like it was so worth the effort!

What my diet looks like now
In the course of learning to listen to my body's likes and dislikes of certain foods and the fact that we lived with a couple of vegan and dairy intolerant people, as well as my ongoing research about food production has led me to the conclusion that a vegan lifestyle is what I'm aiming for.
Thus, if ever possible, my diet avoids milk products and eggs (I don't have a problem with honey) as well as meat and sugar.

Slowly, I am also beginning to experiment with reintroducing some kinds of sugared food into my diet. I'm eating white bread, for example, and in the rare occasion of ordering fries, I will eat the ketchup. I am not quite sure yet if and how exactly this will affect me. I still feel like I'm lightyears away from the state of being able to have an occasional cookie and then leave the rest of the package in the cupboard untouched.

Problem's I've had during this period
I definitely don't want to tell you that I have gone through these nine months without eating even a morsel of sweetened food, cravings or binging. Oh yes, all of this happened.
Once, for example, we had chinese takeout and I ordered sweet and sour and after I had eaten every last bite of it Trev said: "You know that they definitely put sugar in that sauce, don't you?" I was devastated. It seemed obvious, then, how could I have not thought about it? And I had eaten it all... I felt very bad. ^^

Well, it happens. It also happens that I have occasional days - mostly linked with my period or a stressful situation - when I feel like I'm back at square one again. I'm pacing back and forth in front of the fridge, wishing something sweet would appear in there by magic to soothe my horrible, horrible cravings. I'm eating all kinds of weird food like mustard on toast, pure tomato sauce and handfuls of almonds trying to find the one thing that will make the feeling that I had to eat something stop, and it just doesn't help.
Christmas has also been a though time, and I admit I've had an occasional cookie, although I was surprised at how well I held up (I had planned on giving myself an 'out-of-jail-free' card for that time but felt I didn't need it in the end).
So yeah, it wasn't nine months of totally sugar free.
It just happens, it's part of the game.

It also totally happened that I caved in about two weeks ago and begged Trev to bring me some choccolate cake because I had been dreaming about choccolate cake for two nights in a row and I just really, really needed a choccolate cake date.

AND it is totally true that I ate at least five lindor choccolate balls today. And a big spoonful of cheese potatoes.
Jap.

I don't regret these episodes, though. They teach me a lot. First of all, it's ok to let go sometimes. Sometimes it's not my body that needs food, it's my soul. And whilst it should learn to thrive from other things than food, every once in a while I feel like my soul and I should totally go for a choccolate-honeymoon. :o)
It still confirms though that I still can't do moderation. It just doesn't work. Once I started, I CAN NOT stop myself. Even if it makes me feel sick. My body speaks very clearly to me in these situations. My gurgling, cramping stomach, the sicklish feeling in the back of my throat and the horrible ache in my head are screaming at me to stop.
And I just can't.
If I needed any more motivation to cut it off again, the creepyness of this situation would totally be it.

Valentine's day thoughts

2012-02-14T19:00:00.000+01:00

Listen children to a story that was written long ago
'bout a kingdom on a Mountain and the valley folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure buried deep beneath a stone,

and the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own.

So the people of the valley sent a message up the hill

asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom: "With our brothers we will share

all the secrets of our mountain, all the riches buried there."

Now the valley cried with anger; mount your horses, draw your sword,

and they killed the mountain people, so they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure, on the mountain, dark and red,

turned the stone and looked beneath and "Peace on Earth" was all it said.

~On this Valentine's day, think about what love you can give to heal the world~

Sshh - I'm writing a masterplan!

2012-02-13T18:00:00.000+01:00

In the past week, inbetween trying to find a flatmate for next month, babysitting and having my sweet sister as a guest, I didn't really get much time to think and organise.
I am a person who loves to have an overview. Making a plan motivates me more than anything else. Having things all lied out in front of me, neatly ordered by topic or importance, marked with different colors... add some cute stickers and I'm totally in!
I also really really need time to do this. To sit down and think, write down endless lists, then make lists off these lists and order those lists in neat folders. Some things need a big page to be written down on. Others are snippets of thoughts, philosophic insights or just personal ramblings that go into my diary. Things that will be used often or very simple to do lists go in my carry-on notebook. To do lists for computer-related things I write on desktop stickie notes. Webpages I want to look at more closely one day get filed in my favourites.

So a 'planning and thinking' session is jumping back and forth between different mediums, sometimes closing my eyes and just thinking or meditating, sometimes writing or typing furiously. It's something I do with fervor and is totally sacred for me.

That's what I've been doing yesterday. Amongst other things, I wrote down a spiritual manifesto, invented a couple new rituals, created an outline for my spiritual life and wrote a blogpost about my diet.
Quite a productive day, I would say.

The thing about planning your life? You have to accept you will never be finished. As long as you live you will be adapting, changing, rearranging, writing down new dreams and plans... it's a wonderful firework.
I've created an impormptu altary of gratefulness to remember myself that it is not about putting the last tick on the list, but about enjoying the process of achieving all the wonderful things you wrote on that list.

What plans are you excited about or what dreams for your life do you have these days?

Why family and homes are amazing!

2012-02-12T16:35:00.000+01:00

Holdriooh, here I am in Switzerland! ^^ Jack Frost sure has made an appearance here, but there is snow, and that makes me feel like at least we get something for enduring the cold: Everything looks pretty. I love sitting at the kitchen table at my parent's place and see tiny snowflakes peacefully float down in the streetlight in the evening, or looking over the misty outlines of the forest in the distance in the afternoon, and watching the sunrays dance on the white bark of the birch tree across the road.

snow in switzerland

I've had a very busy period since we moved to Montpellier. I was trying to make sure I made the most of every moment of my stay. Me and France, we have a history. A history of childhood memories of glorious summers, spent camping in the south. A history of heartbreaks, first loves, and the bittersweet times when a childhood's magic world turns into something you point at on a map. A history of falling in love all over again, making new memories and creating new magic.
It has been my dream to make this place in the world my home and to be able to speak French confidently for a long time.
Now that it has become reality, I suddenly felt a lot of pressure to make it as good as I possibly could. It has been fun, organising language exchanges and starting to build a network, trying to hack my way into French culture, trying to find a job... but also tiring and a tiny bit frightening.
That is just how it has to be and I wouldn't want to change a thing, really. But now that I got some distance I realise that I needed a break quite badly.
I have been worrying about a number of things - too many to be worried about at the same time. The worry drained me and made me much less productive than I could have been.

busy

When I arrived home, I was surprised by how utterly at home I felt. Everything is so friendly and welcoming here. I know every corner, every tree around here... this is my territory, my homeground. The flat, still the same rooms, the same furniture... everything so cosy and warm and embracing.
And of course, the people, my family. My parents have always been utterly (sometimes riddiculously so) supportive of me and I was never in doubt that I could fall back on them if there was a need. I also did, a few times and I have always felt grateful for it.
But it seems like this time, it was just exactly what I needed at exactly the right time, and it seemed to me that I have never been so deeply moved by how blessed I am in this.

peaceful

I have been rid of a very big load on my shoulders by my parent's generous offer to support me financially until I find a job - money issues have been heavy on my mind for a couple of weeks. Trev has supported me a lot for the past few months, partly because it was his delayed graduation that had made it impossible for me to take a steady job this summer, but mostly just because he's the sweetest guy in this world. But he'll be up in Scotland having to support himself and another flat next month and I'm starting to feel bad relying on him so much and had planned to be independent again by March.
Sadly, there is not much happening in my life jobwise atm and I started to feel stressed and pressured. Well, now I don't have to, anymore and I feel very grateful for that.

Talking about money is awkward, isn't it? It's weird. I don't feel like I'm poor but I'm used to living with little and want to keep it that way. I don't feel like money is something I don't want to talk to you about. This is about my lifestyle and how it works. And sometimes, well, it doesn't work so well. ^^

I just needed to get this out of my head.

I think, next week it will be time for another big post about my diet. It's been almost nine months since I went sugarfree, and there have been some other changes, too.
Don't miss it. You can follow me with Google friend connect or on facebook to be informed of new posts.

Happy Sunday!

Ice affairs

2012-02-09T19:00:00.000+01:00

Even though it is not as bad as the stories we hear from Zurich, the cold weather has reached us here in the south, too.

This poor plant in a pot on our terasse got iced in when some id* weird person left on a sprinkler during the night. This is what we found the next morning.

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when I get to Switzerland tomorrow... I'm already wearing all my clothes here, and it's supposed to be even colder up there. I think I will have to stay inside and huddled under a blanket all day.

Wait, that's pretty much what I do here, too! It'll probably have to be two blankets. oO
There is a fountain down in town that got frozen over, too. I saw a little girl that wanted to try and walk on the ice, but it was realy only thin... luckily she got saved by her dad! :o)

I'm having my ritual on the 25th and I'm already shivering when I think about it - not because I'm nervous but because I imagine how cold it will be... I had planned on wearing something pretty, but I guess I'll just make it into something as warm as possible.
Oooh! I'm off to make a cup of tea!

Retro treasures from the beach

2012-02-08T22:44:00.000+01:00

We didn't find any pretty shells, but we brought a bottle of sand and many pictures, and even more memories.

Although it was frosty and windy, we kept our spirits up and enjoyed our little adventure! :o)

Floating

2012-02-07T22:58:00.002+01:00

It's been a whirl of a week so far.

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday.

On Sunday, Trev and me went to the Fleamarket to get some bikes.

the Bye-Bye-Bike

the Cool Bike

We got a good deal for both of them, although the Cool bike is most probably a stolen one... it's very well kept and I paid, like, nothing for it. The byebyebike was less value for money, but even cheaper. It's a bit too small for me and doesn't have good brakes or working gears, but it's driveable and I wanted it mainly to give it to my sister/guests, and to drive myself when I'm out with Trev who can use the cool one. After he leaves I might sell it on.

Sunday afternoon a friend of mine invited us to a crêpes party at her place and it was the first time in ages I had a conversation with a group of French speaking people. I think I did quite well.
Sunday evening we picked up my little sister at the trainstation. She's staying the week and on Friday we're going to Zurich together, for my dads birthday party on Saturday.

We went out yesterday and had good fun

and good cocktails

We went to a rockbar which is one of the coolest places ever because their theme and music is so well chosen that all of us like it - me, my sister, Trev and my dad!
And later we had cocktails at a pirate-themed bar. Who doesn't love pirates?

Of course, I haven't really got any work done and I feel a bit disconnected with all the things I still have to take care of until end of the month. I'm a bit floating in a between-space at the moment.

Today was one of these days that is hard and good, in the way that lots of things happen all of a sudden and you get very confused and it's hard to make decisions, but you have to, and you struggle on but you know that this is the storm that leads onto the time when things just fall in place.
I've started to look for a flatmate for March so I can share the rent with someone when Trev is gone. So today my phone was ringing constantly and I was trying to explain to people in French what the conditions for the contract were etc. A couple already visited tonight and there's some more coming over on Thursday.

But tomorrow, we're planning on a nice day out at the coast. I won't think of anything else and just enjoy the time. There's a time for planning and there's a time to let go.

I hope to get back with beautiful pictures tomorrow! ;o)

Weekend links

2012-02-05T18:58:00.004+01:00

I've been saving some links for you to check out!
First, I'd love to share this really inspiring video, I hope it will bring you some motivation to start into the new week full of energy.

I found a very interesting and inspiring blogger who lives and travels with her family in a caravan in Australia. Go visit her at Living The Simple Dream.

I've also been a bit sluggish with my workouts in the past week so I've been looking for some inspiration on the web and came across this fun quiz: What's your running Style?

Lastly, I've been treasuring that one for a while but haven't really had the mojo to start yet, but it might be just the right thing for you: A website that helps you write every day, it's a great ritual to boost your creativity and productivity (in any field). Visit 750 words.

I hope you've had a good weekend and haven't suffered too much from the cold... See you tomorrow!

Merry Imbolc

2012-02-03T21:29:00.003+01:00

Imbolc is a pagan festival that celebrates the very first signs of spring. Depending on the region, that would be ewes giving birth to lambs, snowdrops pushing through the frozen earth, even the first of some milder days.
Imbolc has many forms and faces, and as always, it doesn't really matter what the name, what's important is the overall feeling of relief and hope as the days get perceptively longer. In some countries, people braced themselves for the last tough period of winter, when all the stored food started running out and new crops couldn't be harvested yet.

Today people celebrate groundhog day in the U.S., it's the season for Fastnacht.. rituals that want to make sure winter is driven away and summer is going to be good.

Imbolc is often celebrated in honour of Brighid, the three-fold goddess of creativity.

I have been a bit sick-lish during this week, so I didn't get out to buy some new candles for the celebration as I had planned. Instead, I made do what we had at home and set up an altary for Brighid in the livingroom, next to the sanctuary-bed.

I didn't really do a big ritual... just some praying and meditating, that's what I was capable of... I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed, it seems like I've taken on some big goals for this year and I have to simplify. I was praying for help to organise it better so that I would not feel like I was drowning in to-dos.
In my meditation, I met Brighid in a beautiful garden. She was wearing a plaid shirt, overalls and wellies, and she had a very foul language. She reminded me a bit of a hobbit-lady. ^^

Anyways, it seems that even the smallest amount of effort is opening barriers these days and I think I made another good step towards getting it all in order and actually move forward.

This Sunday, my little sister is coming to stay with us for a week. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'll be busy until then getting some things done.

I hope Brighid grants you inspiration and fruit-loaden orchards for your efforts these days!

My favourite days

2012-02-02T06:30:00.000+01:00

Some days, when there is nothing pressing to organise, I steal some sweet hours during the afternoon.

I drag out all my sketching utensils and make myself a nice cup of tea.

I doodle and scribble.

I study and I write down ideas.

I soak up the sun until the shadows start creeping over my notepad and it gets chilly.

Or I sneak in a few minutes of coloring on the sofa.

Winnie is always my companion.

Sometimes I even feel free enough to pull out the painting supplies.

It is easier to go on working on a piece than to start a new one.

Sometimes I need a full day just to get started on something.

I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but I'm clumsy and I smear it everywhere.

But when I'm finished, I feel exhilarated.

This is the work that matters, the work that makes my heart sing and my soul glow.

Artist days are my favourite days of the week.

In defense of the French motorist

2012-02-01T17:56:00.000+01:00

Or: A piece of what I've learned from living abroad

When I told my mum I was going to get around the city here by bicycle, she was very worried. She told me to get a helmet (well, she does that all the time, she knows her duties as a mother ^^) and to be "really, very, extra careful, you know how the French drive, sweetheart!"

Well, when you learn to drive in Switzerland, every other country is basically a huge, chaotic mess as soon as you get on the road. At some point you just have to accept that you have to either grow steel nerves or keep away from the steering wheel when you're abroad.

Here in the south, traffic is really approached in a very different way than I am used to.
Rules are used as guidelines and people obey them if they have an exceptionally good day.
Otherwise, the French are of the opinion that every driver has his own head and eyes and should use his common sense rather than blindly follow a set of static dictations.

And what can I say - it works! Yes, traffic is chaotic. People are parking everywhere. Cars are going down one way lanes the wrong way if the fancy takes them. They leave their vehicles in the middle of the street to go and buy some eggs. They honk whenever it seems fit (it does often).

But they are incredibly far-sighted drivers, they know their vehicles, they are patient and they consider everything that moves in the streets a 'partner in the crime that is traffic'. ^^

I have never been stopped for and urged to cross the road (standing in the most unconvenient places) so often like since I've lived here. I have seen a car stop for a ragged old dog who was busy sniffing a pizza box in the middle of the street and patiently waiting until he was on his way.

And whenever I am on a bicycle... I feel safe. Much safer than in Zurich with its speeding, stressed and utterly self centered drivers.
So, yes, even if they take my Swiss passport away from me for saying this: Order is not everything. There are other things than rules that make the world go round.

Drive safe! ;o)

Out and about

2012-02-01T00:32:00.002+01:00

Wanna see how it looks around where I live now? I often see interesting things when I go for a quick walk in between painting and writing job applications and I take my camera with me!

PS: The pictures weren't all taken on the same day... it's just always SO sunny down here! Sorry for bragging but I can't stop it, you know, I've been living in a place where bad wheather is default for too long. :o)
PPs: Loool, oh irony! Today when I went into town I got caught in a big downpour and later on it snowed! ^^

Hope you'll enjoy some rays of sunshine! ;o)

The dreaming sanctuary

2012-01-30T22:31:00.000+01:00

We've been having a cleaning day. We've been chasing dust bunnies and shaking out rugs, scrubbing pots and pans and running after bubbles.
I've been spending my nights on the bedsofa in the livingroom because it is more comfy than ours and I've found I wake up less and have more quiet nights that way. I've also been very productive during the days and the bedsofa has been turned into my working-dreaming-planning-lounging sanctuary.

All sparkly clean! What a feeling to settle down in this space in the middle of the cleaned, aired flat, incense burning, lighting some candles... I really like that it is cosy and soft and warm (as opposed to working on the floor), but I can still spread my stuff all around me, and I'm next to my painting nook and the window.
So tonight I got out my diary and notebooks and scraps of note paper and all my planning and list files on the laptop, and I had myself a big dreaming and goal setting session.

This is what it looks like when I work! ;o) Colors and pens everywhere, teacups, and Teddy and Pinkerton are my assistants.
(I've been experimenting with a new picture editing program... ^^)

Do you have a vision or list of things that you want to achieve in 2012?
Here's some of the things I've been working with:
- Tal Gur's design your dream year
- Live your Legend's goal setting and action workbook
- Resources from the Home Life Simplified's 52 weeks to simplify your life challenge

Happy Monday to you all! :o)

Yaga's list of must read 'classics' - 2012

2012-01-29T18:25:00.000+01:00

One of my goals for 2012 is to read at least one book a month from this list of 'classics' that I have put together. I thought it might be fun to share it.

This is a personal list. It is not meant to be complete. It only contains books that I have not read yet. There are many more that can be considered world literature and that I have either not thought of yet or that I have read already.

If an author as written many famous books, I have usually selected one or two of the most well-known or recommended. The titles are written in the languages that I intend to read the books in (mainly German and English, sometimes French), if you want to see the complete list with information about the year each book was published and the original language it was written in, please give me a shout.

Some of them, more to the end of the list, are modern books that I put on so I wouldn't forget that I wanted to read these, too. I do consider all of them quite must-read books, though, so maybe they are interesting for you, too.

If you have any suggestions of books to add to this list, please do contact me!

(Fat means I'm currently reading this)

Brothers Karamasov -Fyodor Dostoewski
Crime and Punishment- Fyodor Dostoewski
1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Im Westen nichts Neues - Erich Maria Remarque
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
The Great Gatsby - Francis Scott Fitzgerald
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Narziss und Goldmund - Hermann Hesse
Siddharta - Hermann Hesse
Das Glasperlenspiel - Hermann Hesse
The Catcher in the Rye - Jerome David Salinger
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde
The Sea-wolf - Jack London
Call of the Wild - Jack London
Walden, or life in the woods - Henry David Thoreau --> DONE!
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes
Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Jenseits von Gut und Bös - Friedrich Nietzsche
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
L'Etranger - Albert Camus
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
Paradise Lost - John Milton
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
To kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Emma - Jane Austen
Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin
Doctor Zhiwago - Boris Pasternak
One hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
The old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov,
The Hound of Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle
The big Sleep - Raymond Chandler
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Der Besuch der alten Dame - Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Der Richter und sein Henker - Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Effi Briest - Theodor Fontane
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Radetzkymarsch - Joseph Roth
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Buddenbrooks - Thomas Mann
Konferenz der Tiere - Erich Kästner
Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth
L'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être - Milan Kundera
Das Kapital - Karl Marx
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Der Zahir - Paulo Coelho
His Dark Materials Series (The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, The Subtle Knive, Amber Spyglass) - Philip Pullman:
Narnia Series (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Return to Narnia/Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and his Boy, The Magician's Nephew, The last Battle) - C. S. Lewis
Sternstunden der Menschheit - Stefan Zweig
Schachnovelle - Stefan Zweig
The difference Engine - William Gibson, Bruce Stirling
Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours - Jules Verne
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Millenium Series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who played with Fire, The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest) - Stieg Larsson
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Man who mistook his Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks
I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
Out of Africa - Karen von Blixen-Fineke
Le Malade Imaginaire - Molière
Timm Thaler - James Krüss
Die Judenbuche - Anette von Droste-Hülshoff
De Goali bin ig - Pedro Lenz
Spiegel das Kaetzchen - Gottfried Keller
For whom the Bell tolls - Ernest Hemingway

What are you reading at the moment?

Come on in!!

2012-01-28T18:07:00.000+01:00

Oh my, oh my! It's been two and a half weeks since we're here and I haven't been able to show you our place. Can you imagine how that bugged me!!?? I'm dying for you to come and take a house tour, so come on in!

Our entrance aerea is small but functional, the only thing that's missing is a coat rack. But then judging by the weather we've been having, I don't think we'll need coats for much longer! :o)
Let's turn right to the livingroom.

As you can see there is plenty of space, for mine and Trev's obsessions. The easle is doubling as a sheet music holder for the moments in life when I need to caress my cello. And the cupboard behind it is dedicated to my painting supplies. It feels so great to have a place where you can just sit down and start the work.
Through the livingroom we can have a peek into the kitchen:

Yum, cooking in progress! :o) What I absolutely love about this place is that almost everything is getting recycled. We have to take our glass up the road to a container, but we have special bags for the compost that we can deposit in the garbage containers and there is a collector for cardboard, paper and pet right next to our entrance.
Do you wanna go out on the balcony? The sun is shining, you won't need a jacket. ;o)

We're the lowest flat in the block, but it's still a bit elevated and our balcony looks out on a big terasse space in between the block complex that forms a horseshoe shape around it. You can see the trees of a tiny park in the background. If I would live here for longer, I would totally start a rooftop garden up here! ;o)
But for the moment, I am looking forward to have some kitchen herbs up here, and we're enjoying the occasional late breakfast soaking up the sun:

(The plants are fake, although quite good looking ones, I must admit. ^^)
Both the kitchen and livingroom have window fronts towards the balcony, but because of the angle of the flat, we actually only get direct sun into one corner of the balcony for a few hours in the early afternoon. I'm not unhappy about that... I know what temperatures are waiting for me in summer!
Let's go back to the entrance, then you can have a quick look into the bathroom:

It's both bigger and much warmer than the one in Glarus! ;o) Doesn't have a bathtub though. Definitely a minus in my book.
On the lefthand side of the entrance is the sleepingroom. Don't be shy, I cleaned it up for you. ;o)

Cute, isn't it? I still can't really imagine the amounts of clothes somebody must own to fill the wardrobe space available in this room. After we made all the weird decorations of the late proprietor dissapear in the depths, there was still way enough space for all our clothes and lots of other stuff.
It's mostly functional, although I found space again for a little altary and we put up our own decorations and it feels very peaceful.
There is a little balcony on this side, too. It doesn't get any sun and looks out on the walkway and the school on the outside of the residence, so it isn't a place to linger, but we hang our washing here.

I hope you like our little space, isn't it quirky and cute, and very personal already? It's great fun to live in different kinds of places... I love making a place my home.
Don't you wanna stay for dinner?

Clean eating challenge

2012-01-27T15:20:00.000+01:00

I'm linking up with Sometimes Sweet for her clean-eating challenge that starts Monday 30. This challenge is wonderful if you need a little motivation and a kick-start for healthy eating habits. It's very open as to what you define as your clean eating.
It could be that you cut out sugar completely (even fruits, bread, pasta and such) like Danielle there is currently doing (be sure to do good research though, she's backed up by a doctor!), or you could just decide to ditch fast food for a week.
There'll be a linky and I think it will be a great circle of girls to help each other out, share inspiration, tipps and recipes. I'll certainly do that, I've been planning some more detailed posts about my eating habits for a while now and this gives me a good opportunity.
So stay tuned and fill your fridge with healthy healthy stuff!! :o)

See ya, pumpkin! ^^

Light on the horizon

2012-01-26T14:09:00.000+01:00

Yip Yip, you won't believe that, but I'm writing this with the real blogger editor! Trev kindly lent me his laptop for a wee while, mainly because I needed to access my cv, but I'm sneaking in some blogging. ^^
It's such a great feeling to see my signature pic again there at the bottom!
So whilst the bliss lasts, I'll just upload some pics from the past weeks and make up for all the words I've blabbered out during that time. ;o)

Leaving the snowy Swiss mountains

The little ones are all set for traveling

What a difference! 18°C in Montpellier

Sunshine everyday

Sushi abundance

Lovely couchsurfers welcoming us

French breakfast on the terasse

Weird, totally random pic ^^

Art

Sneakpeaks

We're happy! ^^

There, I hope that was a little bit of catching up...
I think, there will be quite a lot of exciting things coming up in February/March... Stay tuned, you will like it! I'll keep you up to date!

Much love

Things that inspire me today

2012-01-25T21:38:00.000+01:00

- Pie in the sky by Johnny Cash
- Meeting a new friend.
- Reading French teenage magazines on the toilet
- Finding a trick that makes blogger recognise my enters as line breaks - no more html typing. Still no pictures though. :o(
- Looking at my pretty cello in the corner
- Unrolling my brand new all ecologic very affordable yoga mat!
- Listening to long missed music on my iPod whilst walking through the city.
- Cooking up new blog-goodies for better times! ^^
- Dreaming about places to go and things to do.

Diamonds and Stones

2012-01-24T22:29:00.001+01:00

"Some Days are Diamonds, some Days are Stones." ~ John Denver.

I always think of that quote when I'm a bit down. It's a bit like the wise man who says "this, too, shall pass." There are ups and downs in life and nothing is forever. Only, I'm not sure if the stones would be the ups or the downs. Me, I think I'd prefer a smooth and lovely pebble to any ol' diamond.
Well, whichever it is, I've been having a rough day. It actually started yesterday. I'd been having such a great weekend realxing and I felt like I really recharged my batteries, and then I started the week off feeling tired and unmotivated and overwhelmed. When I got back from running in the evening (which I dragged myself to), I discovered that somebody had stolen one of the bicycles that a friend has lent us whilst he's away. Superbugger!
The rest... well it just all feels like a bit much and I'm quite sure that's because of my mindset. Take this as an example: In the afternoon I felt like I really needed to get it out, but I thought I wouldn't post a big rant on my blog, so I typed it (quite slowly on the touchscreen of the ipad - because I was too lazy to use the real keyboard) all into the writing app - and then halfway through apparently hit a key that says 'erase everything and don't save and don't ever give it back'. Boum.
That's pretty much how I feel about my whole life at the moment.
Diamonds and stones, diamonds and stones. I hope the shiny things will come my way soon.

Things I'm loving today

2012-01-23T23:02:00.001+01:00

- Pajamas- Mango for dessert- Writing in my supercool new diary- Feeling inspired and passionate- Meeting Godesses- Getting inspiration for a story I've had in my mind for a year and didn't know how to continue- Running-date with the sunset- All organic incense sticks- Starting a new painting- The boy in cuddly sweatpants

A relaxing weekend.

2012-01-22T20:25:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, I've been kept from blogging by thinking about blogging too much. No joke! I was in a bit of a nostalgic mood lately and I've been thinking about writing about my two only best friends I've had. I'm not a person to make best friends easily. That's ok though, I'm way too clumsy and easily stressed out to maintain many parallel friendships, so I don't. I'm not best friends with these people anymore, but I sure miss them from time to time. Like on Friday, I was thinking on what to write about them on my walk home from the city. But then I decided I shouldn't post it, because it seemed so sentimental. Maybe I'll do it some day when I'm not soaking in nostalgia. ^^
I've been feeling a bit worn out by this week, organising all the language exchanges and getting confused between three languages every day, along with other things to think about, working out and not sleeping too well has taken its toll from me. I just kept feeling more and more tired, I had headaches all day long and I felt flu-like pain in my limbs each evening and had a sore throat even though it never turned into a cold. So I decided, this weekend I'd take a break from everything.
I slept in real long yesterday and today, I've been lounging around all day, reading in the sun on the balcony and such. Then yesterday afternoon we went into town to check out some shops we'd found interesting during the last week. I discovered a big arts supply shop and bought one of these artist plates with a thumbhole to mix paint on. I can't say what the word would be in any language atm. ^^ It's been on the list for a while. Normally I use a piece of cardboard or the lid of a glassjar or my hand, but the first two are not so handy, and since I've taken to experimenting with oil colors, those leach through the cardboard and the paint certainly isn't so healthy on my skin, so I'm excited about that new tool.
I also got a French SIMcard - after a lot of waiting! But it was worth it. Then we went for cocktails and beers and discovered the 'street of cool places' - I believe every city has one. That one is certainly gonna be an object of more exploring in the future. Several cool shops (Rockabilly!!), bars, brunch-places....
But we went to an Indian Restaurant for dinner, and it was phantastic! I even ate dessert... oO It's hard to find good vegetarian food here, and vegan is even more difficult. So atm I'm not completely strict when we eat out, but I'm trying to track down the right places. :o)
Today I finished the first book of my booklist (H.D. Thoreau's 'Walden, or life in the woods'), then read some background about it on wiki, talked to my family on the phone, did my finances, dyed my hair (brown, with henna, nothing interesting, but it feels good) and went and took some pictures of the trees behind our house. I'm on a mission to get acquainted with the trees and eventually other plants around here, so I took pictures and then I sketched their bark and silhouette, the leaves and fruits (as far as there were any, it is, after all, only January) on my notepad. There will be more investigations online, but so far I have an idea of what they might be for quite a few of them. It feels good. :o)

What feels good in your life? I hope a lot! :o))

My morning routine, my bed, my hair.

2012-01-19T15:48:00.000+01:00

I have quite the morning routine these days.
In the mornings, I get woken up by the bell from the school next to our apartment complex. The outside area of the school is right in front of our bedroom window, so at 8am., when the kids start pouring in, there is not much sleep to be had anymore. I mostly stay in bed, cuddling in and enjoying the warm for another half hour, that's when the doorbell of our neighbours starts to ring. They are a married couple who look after six kids every day during the week. Around 8.30, the first parents will drop off their kid. After that, it's constant bell-ringing and chatter in the hallway for about two hours. That's when I'm getting up. I put something warm on and I sit on the livingroom floor for 15 minutes, meditating.
Then I check on Trev. If he is still sleeping and doesn't seem to want to get up (or if he has worked late the night before), I'll get dressed in tracksuits and go to the bakery. Most days I walk, sometimes I take the bicycle. On th way back, I munch one small bit from the end of the bread. It is my little treat that I look forward to and it is the part of the bread that tastes most delicious, but only if you eat it in secrecy. ;o)
If Trev is waking up (like today) I'll ask him if he can go and get bread.
Then I switch on the iPad and I put on the yoga video of the previous day on the 21day yoga challenge. Today it was standing poses. I like the teachers and I like standing poses, but they are really challenging and I get tired. After that I wake Trev or I wait until he's finished his mornig workout and we eat breakfast. I'll clean up the kitchen if it's my turn and tidy up the rest of the apartment, like give the toilet a scrub, put away laundry, pick up clothes from last night, air the cover and make the bed.

That's pretty much my morning routine atm. After that it's either off for conversation dates, or hanging out at home like today. Some days feel more productive, because there is an outcome, like the painting to show off from yesterday. Other days I do more thinking, planning, researching... like today. It feels like I haven't really done anything - although I swear I haven't been surfing mindlessly except for breaks. I guess I'm writing this down so I know it myself. :o)

I don't sleep so well atm. The first few nights I couldn't sleep because of all the unfamiliar noises, I had to check out if any of them was a threat to my rest, or if they were just normal things. The radiator in our room is broken and can't be switched off, and it makes gurgling or dripping noises all night. It gives me a hard time when I want to go to sleep. The bed is harder than I'm used to, with springs in it and some nights it hurts my hips when I lay on my side. I then turn from one position to the other and can't really find any way to be comfortable. But I think I've got used to most of these things now. I just still have troubles going to sleep, but then I have times like these. The thing is, I get woken up in the mornings (which is quite ok, because I like to have a routine that includes as much of the daylight as possible), I can't catch up on sleep. I also seem to have lost the ability to nap during the day, even if I feel nauseous and headachy from tiredness. I just can't get myself to lie down and rest when there is so much to do. I'm afraid I will fall into being my lazy, tired self and never get up and get interesting, exciting, creative and wonderful things done.

Duh, so be it then, there's people who live with a lot less sleep than me. ;o)
My hair is getting longer, and I'm looking forward to when I can put it in a ponytail again. The sad thing about it is that the purple is washing out. I won't dye it again for a while, I bought some brown Henna powder yesterday to get it to an all natural color and then it will stay like this for some time.

Now I think I will go shopping as long as the sun lasts... I've planned for some yummi vegan risotto tonight. Wish me luck! ;o)

In which I ramble... again.

2012-01-18T20:34:00.000+01:00

I really finished that painting I talked about on facebook today. Whoot whoot, it makes me really happy when I look at it in all it's finishedness. It's a big painting and it has so many elements I was intimidated by until I used them for this project. It also gave me a very big surprise, and it was a something like my anchor for settling into a life here. But I'll show and tell you more when there can be pictures.

No pictures has turned this blog into a bit of a random. I actually like that I can just ramble on about daily things to you without feeling guilty of not posting anything 'meaty'. I like to babble, sometimes. ^^
I'm saving a lot of the more serious things for later, so you can look forward to some very nice and be-pictured posts whenever the Gods decide to give me back my charger. (Sorry for whining yet again, you can probably tell by now I am veeery impatient). So don't give up reading here just now. ;o)

What else from today? I felt tired. I worked out. It made me feel worse. Well, you can't always win.

The package that arrived from my parents yesterday had christmas presents in it: Two new nightshirts and three pairs of tights. I really needed new ones and had wished for one of each from an environmentally conscious company (they are so expensive I couldn't have afforded them myself), and they bought me so much! I am thrilled! I want to run around in a nightshirt and tights all day now. They are really comfy. :o)

How are you guys? I haven't been able to respond to any of your comments, but I'm always so happy to hear from you, and I visit your blogs, too! *Wave*
Yum, I think it's chips and salad for dinner tonight! Talk later! ;o)

Sherlock Holmes and the Scary Bitches ^^

2012-01-18T09:57:00.000+01:00

Wheep, I wanted to check in yesterday, but it turned out to be a hard one. Not *the* hard, but full of things. I went out for lunch with a lovely couchsurfer and talked with him in French for about two hours. Now, there are different people who have different styles of talking, and I am a person who adapts strongly to the attitude of whoever sits opposite me.
So this guy was a very lively talker. Not loud, or emotional, mind you, just very lively, changing topics fast, bringing in a lot of ideas, also making my mind jump from point to point. It resulted in a veeerry interesting and genuine and althogether lovely conversation
BUTTTT....
Man, was I exhausted afterwards! I then went shopping, half way on the way back I realised that the back tyre of my bicycle is completely flat. I still had to go and find the post office to pick up a parcel (lovely Xmas presents, thanks, parents!!!), went to get garbage bags at some community center and then hauled my load home.
Once back I felt really physically wasted and I was almost suspecting I had picked up the flu somewhere.
I cuddled up on the sofa with my doodling pad and a cup of tea for a while. But it was my running day... Running when you're sick is not the best thing. But not running and then it turns out you're not actually sick also sucks.
So... I put on my running pants. They have a little lable on the side of the leg that says "Scary Bitch". And when you are wearing pants that say you're a "Scary Bitch", it's actually hard to *not* go running. ;o)
Well, I had a feeling that working out would either make me feel worse and make the sickness come out completely - or it would make me feel better. Luckily, the latter was true. As soon as I started I felt better and I was very proud of myself.
Then I baked really good pizza for dinner. I have decided that I need to learn to cook more, and better, so I'm trying to take it in turns with Trev now. After all, I will be living here allone for a while and I don't want my nutrition to go down the drain just because my personal chef is not around.
So yeah, I'm making pizza and pasta and stir frys at the moment, but I'm confident I can try my hand at more complicated things soon. ;o)
Then we watched Sherlock Holmes which was very sad because it was the last one and I might have cried a little, and I also punched Trev on his piercing (by accident!!!) in a very romantic moment - duh! I'm just so clumsy!

Well, all in all it was a great day and today I have another lunch date scheduled with a French girl, so I better get out of my pj's. ;o)

Doo-Dah-Day.

2012-01-16T22:11:00.001+01:00

Yesterday was a Duh-kinda day. I felt cranky, whiny, frustrated. Restless, cold, could eat all the time. Back aches.
Some of you will roll their eyes now and say "Same old story." But well, I just don't ever seem to learn. It's the same every month, it just kinda sneaks up on me. At least I get a nice moment of relief when I realise why I'm feeling so crappy.
Then I went and opened my diary and next to the lines where I had scribbled "Why can I never be happy?" and "Nobody really cares for me here." I wrote:
"It's all good, don't believe any of this shit, I got my period."
Duh.
Then I started painting a new picture and felt better. I also wrote two mammuth blogposts about significant stuff that I'm quite proud of. But I won't publish them yet, firstly because it's a pain to use the html editor for blogger on ipad and insert every end of the line and paragraph code by hand, and secondly because I can't insert any pictures and really long blog posts without pictures are just really a pain to read.

And today was a Dah-Day, with a little spring, because I knew I was on the upside of the wave again, and I went and had a cup of tea with a lovely girl and talked French with her (wasn't as bad as I had feared), and then got a bicycle. I can only keep it until end of the month, but it's a start. ;o)

I'm wishing so badly that I'll get my charger cable in the mail soon so I can use my laptop again... meh me. >.<

Weekend links

2012-01-14T19:03:00.000+01:00

Hey, wanna have a peek into my bookmarks? It's always interesting to see what other people are up to, so I thought I'd share with you where I hang out on the net these days.
Blogger/ipad (they're the best pals!)have decided they won't let me add pictures to my posts anymore (I can't upload anything from the pad but before I could at least steal something from the web.), so we'll tell them 'screw you!' and you'll just go and look at the links, ok?

- Happy Cow This page finds you vegetarian, vegan and vegfriendly restaurants - all over the world! Trev is taking me out for dinner tonight, so we'll try one from the list (unsurprisingly, there's not many, down here in the South where people are fond of their sausages and think that fish is a type of vegetable).

- Fluent in three months: Can you believe this guy learnt how to speak 8 languages fluently in 9 years? And he's conversational in more. Currently, he's trying to get fluent in Mandarin in 3 months... oO I'm working hard to push my French, so I find it very inspiring.

- Pretty Zoo: Pretty Zoo is one of my muses on the web. When I feel a bit art-weary I take a break on this blog and let myself get excited by all the inspiration.

- Talk to the trees: Likewise, talk to the trees is my go-to feelgood blog. I like Rachaels gentle approach to beauty and her fearylike pictures. She is also an amazing artist, so get your creative juices there!

- d'blogala: Dawn is an art journaler and whilst I have never really warmed up with this technique, I'm just in love with her whimsy blogdesign and her beautiful creations. Maybe art journaling is for you? Go see what masterpieces you could end up with!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Just for remembering

2012-01-13T15:43:00.001+01:00

Sitting on the balcony on a weekday in January, in short sleeves and a skirt, letting the sun warm me.
Paper and pens in front of me, sketching, working, creating. Feeling the small steps I take from an idea steadily towards the finished project.
Looking at my work and realising that, even if it is not as perfect as the work of those I admire, it is the expression of my need to share my inner worlds and stories, and therefore is a beautiful and legitimate work of art that defies any comparison.
Bliss.

Trees make everything ok.

2012-01-11T20:16:00.000+01:00

I've been SO productive these past few days!
I can't believe how much of a difference it makes to have more space. I really am content with little, but being able to have my painting supplies in their own dedicated cupboard, with a chair and the easle next to it is heaven. I've been working on a painting and some sketches and lots of stories.

I've also explored running routes in the neighbourhood and found a decent park to turn my rounds in.
A funny thing happened there. The first few days here I got really anxious and insecure. I suspect it was a mixture of the aftermath of the tension over Christmas, the coming down from the stress, the exhaustion from the moving and then anxiety for the future; would we find friends? What if that French thing really doesn't work anymore and I just can't speak more than two languages at a time? Will I find a job? Is it gonna be nice to live here?
And all that Jazz. I just didn't feel at home yet and it all scared me a bit. Then I went for a walk one day, I went into the park. I felt the grass under my feet and I started to look at the trees who were like strangers to me. I could recognise about a tenth of them. I went and stood with a fir tree for a long time. I stroked its bark and felt the familiar patterns under my finger. I felt the comfort of talking to a tree, its rootedness and the silent security that life is good if you only have means to grow down for water and grow up for sunshine.
When I went home, I was happy. And from that moment on I thought of this place here as home.

Well, I'm trying not to overdo things in my euphoria, as I know I tend to do. I'm making my lists and try to keep them simple, taking one thing at a time, doing my best to enjoy the freedom that I have now to form my life exactly as I want to. To learn when I want, create when I want, relax when I want, work out when I want.

I'm eagerly waiting for the charging cable of my laptop that I left in Glarus and which should arrive soon (!!!?) by mail. Without my own laptop I feel like only half a person. :oP

New year's resolutions - part 2

2012-01-09T21:27:00.000+01:00

I actually can't believe I'm writing down my new year's resolutions - the sun is shining outside and it is at least 12°C... it feels like April, or October, but certainly not January!

But every day is a good day for new plans, so here we go!

Mind and knowledgeI generally enjoy learning new things and I feel keeping my mind and spirit challenged is a very important part of keeping myself happy. Currently, I'm working hard to fill up the immense gaps I have accumulated in my common knowledge.
I'm keeping a list of things I come across in my daily life - in discussions, in articles or on the internet. Usually some of the questions or topics will group together into a bigger theme. For example "Lenin", "Marxism", "October Revolution" result in me sitting down for a day or two and trying to understand the history of Russia. There are a lot of things out there to know and it would take too much time to go into big details for everything, but I'm constantly working on it and it is actually quite awesome how interesting it is - didn't feel like that in highschool!

Since I've been doing this in the past year already, it doesn't count as a resolution, but I've made two more specific ones that I hope to be able to keep quite easily.

- Read at least one book a month that is considered a 'classic'. I have made a list of books that I haven't read yet that I think one should know as they play an important part in our cultural background or are important witnesses of times and events to remember. If you're interested I can publish the list as soon as I can use my laptop again. But don't be shocked, the list is much too long to work through in a single year!

- Try at least one new activity This one is a bit tricky, as it is not only a matter of motivation and time, but also money, to do most of these things. But I would like to try a new hobby. These things have been on my mind:

- Some kind of dance: Rock'n'roll, swing, jazzdance or maybe another try in bellydancing
- A sewing class - learning to make my own sewing patterns for clothes would be great
- A new form of martial art. I have missed it ever since I stopped swordsfighting and I would like to find a more 'popular' martial art that suits me (I have tried Judo and Jiu Jitsu but didn't like it much).
- Rugby - It's almost like a martial art, isn't it?
- Volleyball - I absolutely love this sport but have never made it into a hobby - quite sad actually.
- Rollerderby - I've only seen this on youtube so far, but it looks so fascinating and I think rollerskates are SO cool!

Spirituality

I still need to have my initiation ritual and I think this will be the next big think I'll be planning for. The whole moving has made it a bit complicated, because since I want my friends to participate, I'll need to have it in Switzerland. But it will definitely happen.

Personal
- Visit at least 5 new places in Europe. I have made a list of places that I really want to go to, but I'm not sure if I will make all of them, finances will have to decide that. There is definitely a lot of exploring potential around where we stay here, so I'm confident I will make the five anyways. This is my wishlist of places to see this year:

- Prague
- Santiago de Compostella
- Talinn
- Helsinki
- Rome
- Ljublijana

I know it's six places, but Ljublijana doesn't really count, because I've been there before. ;o)

- Go to Australia Trev has been talking about settling down there as long as I know him and I never had much doubt that I will like it there. As we are moving closer to that point in our lives (well, not very close yet, but still closer than before ^^), we're talking more about it and I figured I should like to see the place for myself first of all and decide if it is really so wonderful. So we have some kind of downunder holiday in planning towards the end of the year.

Blog
Jap, I've thought about the blog, too. There is always a certain duality in my blogging. On one side, the joy of blogging for me is much about sharing what is dear and important to me at that very moment, it is a kind of online diary. On the other hand, I do like structure, and I like to have a goal or vision, a sense of meaning in the things that I do. And my life and personal thoughts are not so outstanding that it would be meaningful to put them on the interwebs for everyone to see. I do like writing, I like sharing my experiences, and I'd like to inspire and help people who feel similar to me about life.
So what I want to have is a kind of theme and structure to the posts that give the blog an identity. We've seen where it leads if I try to stick to a publishing schedule. It doesn't work, it puts me off. So a structure that still allows me to share personal thoughts but gives the reader a feeling of meaning behind the whole website would be the best.
I don't have a masterplan for this yet and I'm not quite sure where to begin, but I have ideas and I'm working on it.

Do you think this list is way too big? Oh you blessed, ignorant person! How lucky for you that I didn't share my secret to do list for this year that contains at least another ten points, from becoming a photographing pro to designing a tattoo down to world domination. Muahaha!

Thanks for reading!

New year's resolutions - Theme song

2012-01-08T20:52:00.000+01:00

So here it is, this brand new 2012. I always get a bit amazed at new years. It's funny, I should be used to it. I get new year twice a year. My spiritual year ends and begins with Halloween. It has always felt right that way, and not weird at all. And I still get amazed every time, by the sparkly new thing that is lying before me, the opportunities, the maybes, the plans, the energy, the redemption. I do get amazed easily, it has to be said.
Well, maxabella has asked what our word for this new year would be. You know, something like a motto, or a theme word for this year, something easy and short that helps you keep in mind something that you want to work on.

My word would becompassion.

It encompasses everything I've learned in 2011. It was the answer to the questions I started this last year with.
Am I a good enough person? - Practice compassion and you will always be more than good enough.
Where am I going in this life? - As long as you choose the path of compassion, every destination will be the right one.
How do I find energy and confidence to pursue my goals? - They lie in compassion. Compassion for yourself and the world.

And most importantly: What is the meaning of life?
It's compassion! Whoever brings love into this world will not have lived in vain.

I am still so moved by the blessing of these truths and the fact that I have found them after such a long search, that I get teary eyes whilst typing these phrases.

So, for 2012, the motto, the meaning, the tool, the goal, will be compassion. I will strive to let love and passion glow in everything that I do, every impact that I have on this world, everything that I do to myself.

It's gonna be a good one! :o)

New year's resolutions - part 1

2012-01-07T21:44:00.001+01:00

Woohoo there, or coucou, as we French say *lol*
So, our lovely landlady was here today to sign the inventory. I was a bit nervous about how she would react on the fact that we had already taken some of the art down and replaced the carpet in the livingroom with a cowhide. I didn't know how close to her heart the things in the flat are (which used to be her mothers - the first thing we did was take down the family pictures from above the sofa... it's just a bit weird having strangers looking down on you when you have tea.)
But she was completely cool with it. In fact, one of the first things she said when she arrived was that we should feel free to change anything we want. She also said that all the things in here are really old and she just doesn't have the time to get rid of them, so we shouldn't worry if something breaks. Well, good to know, I would say.
So we went to work and put away the last of the things that we didn't like and put up some of our pictures. Not all of them yet, but it feels more 'us' now around here. That also has a lot to do with the fact that I put up the altary. I think I should write a blogpost about all the different altarys I've had in my life... that would be quite funny. This time, I found an old shelf meant for plants on the balcony. It works really well.

Well now, back to topic: Have you made any new year's resolutions? Many people tell me they don't because nothing comes out of it anyways. But I love making plans for the new year and thinking of great things that I can do with myself and my life in the coming time. Some time between Christmas and new year I always sit down and make a list of things that I have achieved this year, an then I draw up a plan of things I want to change in the coming year. It's great to look at the plans from the last year and see how much further I've come since then.

So, for this year there are a few things that I have cooking and I will set aside at least one more blogpost to talk about them. For now, I would like to link you to two interesting challenges that will start soon and that might interest you. I'm definitely participating and it would be nice if some of you came along on the journey.

The first one is the 21-day yoga challenge from yogajournal.com that starts this coming Monday. You can choose either a beginner or intermediate program and you'll receive daily emails with asana practice, recipes and tips. There's three goals involved in this challenge: 15 minutes of meditation a day, one vegetarian meal a day and one session of asana practice (that means the actual gymnastic thing) a day. You can choose to follow all three of those goals or only one or two, just as you like.I haven't exercised since we got back from Britain and I really miss challenging my body, so I'm absolutely grateful for this little boost of motivation. I know that once I've got my body moving with some yoga positions in the morning, it will be easier to exercise, because it'll want more.

And then there's the Simple Living Pledge, by Kanelstrand. It starts in February and there's nothing in there that I haven't been working on for a while, but I always like to get inputs from somebody, and it's great to share the experience with a group. So if you are interested in making your live a little simpler, more frugal and sustainable, calm down a bit, spend more times with activities and people you enjoy, you should go and have a look at this.

Thanks for checking in here, and have fun making your own plans! :o)

New year, new home

2012-01-06T19:16:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone!How have you been this first week of the year¿ Me, extremely busy of course.We drove back up to the mountains in Glarus on the 1st, then packed all our stuff into the car. We left the little house in the mountains with quite a heavy heart. Especially Trev has really enjoyed our time up there and it was not an easy goodbye. We had to leave really early because I had to be in Zuerich at 10am to hand over my flat. It went all well and I'm really glad to have found a good friend who loves the little space as much as I do.
We still had some stuff up in her attic though and even though -kind as she is- she offered to keep it until we had found a more permanent place, we wanted to take it with us and leave the space clean for her. We didn't have any chance to pile those things on top of all the stuff we had packed already, so we drove all the way out to my parent's place, dumped our boxes onto their parking space, and then went back into town to fetch the rest. Back at the parking we sorted through the things and found we could fit in a few more, the rest we packed as neatly as possible and left at my parent's place (bless their hearts!).
Then we made sure we had all our paper stuff together... if you move from Switzerland to an EU country you have to have a list of all your things, with weight and how much it is worth, address and signature on all three copies of them, and receits for the more valuable things. And your housing contract of course... well, it's so complicated and you can't get any real information on what's expected from you anywhere... so we made the list, but we didn't weigh or estimate the price of all the things. Even like that, and owning the little that we own, it was quite crazy. But I was really frightened that they might make problems at the border - I never trust buerocracy!
The next morning we got up at half past4 and said goodbye to my mum, and by 5am me, Trev and my dad were on our way south.
My dad - the nicest man there ever was - was driving down with us so I had somebody to share the driving with, and so we didn't have to return to Zuerich with the car. The journey went well. We passed the border without a soul in sight. We arrived in Montpellier about three hours ahead of our schedule. Our landlady sent her very lovable cousin to hand over the keys. Unloading the car took us about ten minutes and there we were: In our little flat in the south of France.
It feels so weird to live in another country. If you would have asked me before, I would have said I know France quite well. I spent most of my childhood summers very close to here. And still, now that I actually am here to stay - at least for a while - it all feels much different and very big and a bit intimidating at times. We treated ourselves to a nice dinner in town that evening. The next day we spent mainly unpacking and we went to buy some basic things. In the evening, Trev cooked a great dinner and today my dad left to drive back to Switzerland in the early morning.
This evening now almost all the things are unpacked and stored, most of the decorations and weird art from our landlady has gone down and the space is waiting for our own decorations. So you see, it has all gone just as well as one would wish for. Now it's a matter of getting settled and starting to feel at home.
I hope you had an exciting start into the new year. I am typing this on Trev's iPad which is not really comfy, but I just can't find the charging cable of my laptop... So pictures and other things might have to wait for a while until I can use my own laptop again.

Lights on!

2012-01-01T20:11:00.000+01:00

Wishing you an enlightened 2012 guys!!! I hope it started out great for you all, with lots of love and new chances!
I've been very fascinated with light in these dark times, so here are some of the most interesting light-pictures from this month for a bright start into the new year.

I wish you that there will be lots of lights to be found in your life in this coming year!

Hair friends

2011-12-27T15:55:00.000+01:00

Haha, it's funny when I see pictures of my hairstyle on pinterest... I guess it's time for something new! ^^

Self Portrait Thursday - week 51

2011-12-23T16:18:00.000+01:00

This is me with some candles that I've lit for the projects in my life that I want to tend to and make from small flames into big fires in the coming months. :o)

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!

Some more Yule pictures

2011-12-22T13:38:00.000+01:00

Our improvised altary on a hat box. ^^

This is what the scene in front of the window looked like yesterday at nightfall, as we were waiting for the dark.

And this is what greeted me this morning:

Phew! Another year where the sun hasn't died, but is reborn. :o) Hooray for sunny days! I think I'm gonna take the plunge and go for a run in the park now.

Here's some pictures of my yule-styling. When nobody around you celebrates, you have to make the day special for yourself somehow.

Tonight it's the whole family outing to the theater. I'm curious as to what awaits me in terms of British comedy...

Yule

2011-12-21T23:52:00.001+01:00

Even though it's only small and simple, we've improvised an altary and a little celebration for the solstice. And we'll bear with the world as the longest night wears on.
To you all a blessed Yule, happy Hanukka and a very merry Christmas!

The place to be

2011-12-19T16:59:00.001+01:00

The place to be on a long, dark and dreary winter afternoon in Britain is, of course, a pub.

A pub is something like the British's public livingroom... they go there to meet up, eat, read, work, watch TV, play games...
So a good pub, of course has to be homely but spacey, serve good food (most importantly chips!), and, of course, good beer.

For people like me, a good pub serves mulled cider, offers free wifi and a quiet corner to do my evening knitting. ;o)

I think I can get used to this solution for the dark and cold times. Cheers!

Pictures from London

2011-12-17T15:00:00.000+01:00

I don't know what it is with me and Britain, but every time I've been here the weather has been favourable. Sure, it rains from time to time, and it is often grey. But most days have moments of sunshine in them, and then you can see everything glow. It is almost as if the world here is more able to enjoy these precious minutes of glorious light.
I won't lie, I also love the drizzly, grey evenings in the city, when London seems to dress up as Ankh-Morpork and you're walking in a cliché.

I couldn't help myself but I've really only selected my absolute favourites this time.

Southbank

British museum

Christmas lights

Happy Weekend everyone! :o)

Self Portrait Thursday - week 50

2011-12-16T15:00:00.000+01:00

This nasty cold has been creeping up on me like I've never seen it before. Normally I feel it coming for a day and then - wham! There it is. But this time I really believed I could hold it off until yesterday. Then I woke up with a severely sore throat and hurting ears and I knew I would go through it all.
So I'm whipping out the Tiger Balm and hiding in my big scarf. Some things you just have to take how they are. ;o)

Take care, don't let the bugs bite!

Oh how pinteresting!

2011-12-15T09:54:00.000+01:00

Here are some of my current favourites from the infamous Pinterest. I'm linking up with the Vintage Apple for "Oh how pinteresting" Wednesdays.
We're visiting Trev's Grandmother in the countryside for two days, so I'll be off the net for that time. I wish you all a great second half of the week.

starfishing

i think everybody needs a space like this!

Make cinnamon ornaments for your christmas tree... yum!

How about some simple and phantastic holiday decorations?

really sweet and easy christmas card!

Who would make these for me??

Thanks for reading!

A tin of santas...

2011-12-13T19:41:00.000+01:00

Ok, so Santas, yeah, funny.

Hey, look, there's more... haha!

Uumm... what the...!

Holy shit!!!

!!!!!!

Season's greetings! ;o)

Hello London, hello bugs

2011-12-12T19:03:00.004+01:00

Trev must have passed on his cold to me. I've had a scratchy throat all night and don't feel my most energetic today... So I've been staying in bed dozing the day away with a hot water bottle and a flask full of hot lemon with honey to keep me company.

Haven't really been doing anything... it makes me feel even more tired. I hope I will feel better tomorrow. I don't want to spend my time here half-sick. Oh and having that scratchy throat makes me want to eat icecream all the time. Blegh.

Glasgow

2011-12-10T18:00:00.000+01:00

So we're up here in Scotland since two days. Trev has an interview at the University of Glasgow for a job as a post doc.
I know, I know. :o) We've just got a flat in France, now we're up here in the noth. How is that supposed to work? Well, Montpellier was always only planned as an interlude between PhD and postdoc. The university there doesn't have any groups that work in the field that Trev wants to get into (Biofuels). It was my choice to go to France because I really want to spruce up my French and since after this our destinations will be very much defined by where there's work for Trev, he agreed to go there for a while.

Now up here, of course, it is a different story than in sunny, 15°C Montpellier. Trev was at the uni all day yesterday, so I went out exploring on my own. You might have heard in the news that Scotland had the worst storms in over ten years - yesterday. I can tell you, they really were BAD. One time really all I could do was brace myself against a wall and use all my strenth to not get blown into the direction that I just had come from... it was frightening at times. I also saw a girl that had been hit on the head by some stones that had fallen down from a roof.

Nevertheless I walked all day and got a good impression of the city.

Botanic garden

Cathedral

Necropolis

When I was walking through the Necropolis, it started to pour down, and then the rain turned into hail. It was really painful because the gusts of wind slammed the little pieces of ice against my legs. So I ducked between two tombstones until it was over. Weird feeling...
Afterwards, the grounds looked as if some favouring spirits had spread cherry blossoms everywhere.


random city shot

I decided to walk back towards the hotel along the river. It was such a fight! Parts of the walkway were flooded. When I got back I was really exhausted and felt as if I had been walking for hours (well, I had, but I felt unusually exhausted). When I was lying in bed that night my legs still felt like they were walking, struggling against the draft. ^^


really high waves

So after that exceptional first day, today felt a lot milder, even though it is very chilly and still soggy and grey - winter weather in Scotland.

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery

University of Glasgow tower

You'll read this on Saturday, when we'll be spending the day looking at the city together and possibly deciding if it would be a place to live in for 2-3 years. On Sunday we're taking the train down to London to stay with Trev's parents until christmas.

Self Portrait Thursday

2011-12-09T17:30:00.000+01:00

I actually did but never posted a self portrait last week. This week I haven't gotten around to it yet, so I'm catching up. I've been a bit frustrated with the sketchyness the sp's have taken on in the past months. I'm quite sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm using a normal pen instead of a fineliner - it's hard to do smooth lines with those because they are made for quick writing. But this one's better, I think.

I look a bit sceptical and sad because I don't know what to expect, waiting for the train to France. Also, I'm worrying if everything will go well. Hehe, we know now that it did. ;o)

See you soon with pictures from Scotland!

What we actually did down south

2011-12-06T19:24:00.000+01:00

Hehe, what a weekend! You probably don't know but I can get stressed about things that nag at my mind... very stressed. This weekend was something like that.
I had organised a couch for us to stay, we had the date to meet the people who are currently living in our future flat, and the landlady. Plus, an invitation from a nice couple from couchsurfing to have coffee at their place. I had phone numbers and addresses of all three parties and their homes. I had jotted down maps in my notebook from Googlemaps, not trusting my phone enough to rely on it solely (which was good). I had the tickets. Everything was set.

Yet, I was nervous, reeeeally nervous. I coul hardly sit still all the way on the train on Friday. I haven't found out exactly what it is that puts so much pressure on me. But I'm pretty sure it's in the way I always have very high expectations at myself when it comes to social situations. And because I am the type of person to think scenarious through I get stressed when I realise that an undertaking has a high possibility for stressful situations (f.e. being too late, not finding the place, having to deal with awkward social situations, expected lack of sleep...). I just realise that all these stressful situations are moments where I cannot live up to the expectations of a third party - back to social pressure then. I just love people and I want them to have a good experience meeting me - I want them to think that I did my best (which I normally do). And somehow, for that weekend, that made me so nervous.

It all went well though. We found our host's place no problem, he gave us the keys and went off to Lyon for the weekend. Then, despite my flimsy (and partly incorrect) map sketching and with the help of a nice person and their phone we found our future flat and spent an hour there, discussing business. The landlady seems to be nice enough, quite flexible and open. She speaks enough English and I enough French so that we can communicate. The two guys (also from couchsurfing which is how I found the place) that are leaving the flat to us are two delightful young students. - All in all: It could have been much worse.

The flat is gorgeous. It's furnished with lots of things from the landlady, so it will not be a perfect home-home, but it is about three times the size of my flat in Zürich, with two balconys, a fully equipped kitchen, a big livingroom (I'm already transforming it into a studio in my mind ^^), nice bath and generous sleeping room. It is in an estate with apparently mostly old people, and next to a primary school, so nights should be quiet enough. The two guys are leaving us their bicycles which they rented for very cheap for a year via their Uni.

Cheese boutique and English shop - jap, it's all there.

Montpellier is not completely flat, but certainly more bikeable than Zurich and not as big, so the bikes will be the ideal transportation. Our place is in an outer part of the town, but we walked there easily in half an hour from the train station.

On Saturday we met Pierre and Gloria, such a cute couple with one of the sweetest babies I have ever seen. We had coffee and some nice talks. They offered to help me with the job searching and I'm sure we'll be meeting often since they live only about ten minutes from our place. It's great to already have found some friends in our new home.

The town itself is completely and utterly French. The inner city is all old houses with stone-arched basements, little quirky shops, quaint alleys, palmtrees, and a huge pedestrian area. Lots of parks and interesting architecture, street cafés, bars... a cinema, some museums.

Yes, I think I will like it.

Train-thoughts

2011-12-05T21:24:00.001+01:00

"Once you pass the border, it just gets different. The cliffs are rougher, the vegetation more torn. Trees, grass and weeds are brittle, battle-used soldiers. Planes hold their last leaves into the surprisingly warm December sun, overshading squares and streets, houses and sheds. All of them have seen better days. On and on passes the landscape in front of the window. The colors of vegetation and buildings, of tracks and rivers, stones and even of the clouds and the sky are muted, overcast with a dusty shade of grey, almost like the lens of an oldfashioned camera. Only the freshly turned soil of cypress-lined fields glistens red."

"You are moving here." I tell myself. My head understands, but my heart is still that of a visitor. And somehow I hope that it will stay that way. I still hope that I will be able to keep the dreamy realities of my childhood; all the hopes and stories I have created here. All the emotions that weave themselves through the landscape, turning it into my special paradise on earth.

Quick impressions from Montpellier

2011-12-03T21:35:00.001+01:00

Gratefulness.

2011-12-01T16:51:00.001+01:00

Heeeyyyy, happy first of December!! Are you excited for Christmas? It's only 21 days for us now, because we celebrate Yule or Winter Solstice on the 21st/22nd of December, so my advents calendar is a bit different than most people's, but never mind. I hope we're all just looking forward to the celebration. :o)

Guess what? This morning when I did my yoga/exercise routine, I was able to do a full rotation in the seated twist position for the first time since I tore that muscle in my back eight weeks ago.

It was such a great feeling.

I feel very grateful to see that I am getting better every week.
I'm very proud of my body for it's ability to heal and adapt.

We are off to Montpellier tomorrow, back on Sunday. I'm really curious to see our new home and I hope it will be nice...
Have a great weekend!

Seeing the good things

2011-11-30T21:24:00.001+01:00

Sunset in Vals

I've been very busy making lists and plans and setting things up to calm my mind down and it has worked perfectly. Yesterday I set to work with a nice to-do list and was amazingly effective, so today I really felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders.
I got my phone back that I left at my parent's place on Monday. We have couches set up for both this and next weekend (this weekend in France and next week in Glasgow), I've done most administrative stuff and research that was pending, we started packing our boxes today and did some last shopping before we leave for Montpellier on Friday.

And guess what I saw in Glarus? The fountain has been knit-tagged!

There are beautiful things to be found in this world wherever you look. Because what you find depends on what you look for.
So I'm back on track, hopeful again and eager to create! But all my art-stuff is neatly packed in the crafting-box and my supplies will be very reduced until the end of the year. I'm not sure if I'm unhappy about that; sometimes it's good to simplify things.

Is everything ok with you? If not, try this: Everything OK. Made me smile. :o)

Looking for a rainbow

2011-11-29T20:18:00.000+01:00

Aaawh friends... I've had quite a tough evening/day yesterday...
Sometimes things just collaps above your head and you get carried away by a big wave of stress, sadness, anger, feelings of insecurity and powerlessness.

The only thing to do in such moments is to sit it out and tell yourself that it is only a passing phase...

I got a lot done today though and feel much more hopeful. I'll check back with a 'real' post when my head is more clear and not threatening to explode. ;o)

self portrait thursday - week 47

2011-11-26T11:34:00.000+01:00

When my doc told me that working out wouldn't hur my back more, I started exercising again. But I had been doing absolutely nothing for about five weeks before that and it is hard to get back on track. I went jogging for half an hour every day before my backpain hit. Now, after two weeks of building up, I can do 20 minutes and I am absolutely dead afterwards.
I've also changed my morning yoga into a more challenging posture muscles exercise program that is going well. That means, I can see a lot of difference after those two weeks. I still have very weak back and ab muscles and trying to keep myself upright during the day often gives me back pain. But I think I'm on the right track.

I started an interval training program two days ago to see if that can boost my endurance platforming. Today is day two, it's sunny and I'm looking forward to hit the track. Wish me luck! ;o)

P.S: Posting is not so frequent since I'm staying with my family until Monday and I want to enjoy the time with them. It's a weird thought that I won't be with them for Christmas. It will be the first time in my life and it is a bit scary.

Something told the wild Geese

2011-11-23T17:16:00.000+01:00

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go;
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered . . . "Snow".

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned . . . "frost"

All the sagging orchard steamed with amber spice
But each wild breast stiffened and remembered . . . "ice".

Something told the wild geese it was time to fly.
Summer sun was on their wings
Winter in their cry!

- Rachel Field

Oil on cardboard

This is a painting I've done a while ago but I completed it by adding the words and silhouettes of the geese yesterday. It's my first piece with oil colors and it was a big fight. Well, creating always is a bit like war for me, but this was even harder.
I'm not sure if it is really visible, but the colorful stuff that forms the Lady's shoulder are actually autumn-colored trees and there's a river springing from her neck. I wanted her face and hair to be the cold faces of the rocks that are towering above the valley and the loose part of her hair is the icy wind.

I really like how it turned out, but I don't think I'll get out the oil colors soon again. What mediums are you at war with?

Flower headbands

2011-11-22T19:00:00.000+01:00

I've uploaded some more flower headbands to my Karma Swap album on facebook. They are really fun to make and to wear. All of them stretch to be worn as headbands by adults, but some of them are smaller and can also be used by children. Go to the album for more details.

Of course there are endless possibilities to wear them. Use them as hairbands, necklaces, to decorate your bag...

The Karma Swap is something like a little shop where you decide about the price. If you get a big smile on your face when you receive one of the things, that will be enough for me. If you want to pay for the postage, or send something in return, or pass the love on, that is just as good!
Help me spread the love!

Xmas works

2011-11-21T19:27:00.001+01:00

I'm generally an early bird when it comes to christmas presents, but I think this year is a record.

Since I'm going to see my family on Wednesday for the last time before christmas, I've finished everything already.
It always feels inspiring to be ahead of deadlines. :o)

Have you started on xmas things already? Or is it too early for holiday feelings?

Impressions of a crafty day

2011-11-19T20:47:00.001+01:00

Sometimes it's really inspiring to live in our little house here. Everyone is doing something, keeping themselves busy.

Craft materials

Research

We teach each other what we know. I explain about knitting. Felix learns to sew. Andreas and Trev answer our questions about nutrition.

Laundry is drying next to the oven.

Xmas-market sewing projects

Katrin has taken over my sewing machine in her professional hands.

It smells of bread.

and some play

Of course it isn't easy if the temperature in the whole house except for the living room is barely above what we have outside.

But it can be quite quaint at times.

Wishing you a great and relaxing weekend!

New clothes

2011-11-18T19:00:00.000+01:00

Here are the clothes I made from the fabric I got for my birthday.
I knew I wanted to make a flowy skirt from the brightly colored fabric and I liked the colors together. So I experimented with it a bit and came up with this combined, princess-like skirt. I need to wear an underskirt with it though, because the fabric gets static with my tights. It would probably look nice with my pettycoat.

I also made a skirt from the flowery fabric. I made a waistband from some stretch material and then just cut a round hole in the middle of the fabric to have minimal waste. The result is a very swingy, twirly pixie skirt that calls for some embellishment. I'm thinking tassles and bells, yeah!

I've already been lounging around in my supercool farmprint pants. They are super comfy and quirky, I'm in love with them! Super easy pant shape with no side seam, adding a stretchy, superlong waistband and some more stretch at the ankles.

I'm quite proud of myself for not screwing anything up too badly this time, and of Miss Bernina for being very well behaved although she really worked hard for three full days.
Well, happy sewing! ;o)

Self portrait Thursday - week 46

2011-11-17T20:30:00.001+01:00

Feeling a bit hippy in my handmade farmprint-fabric pants today! ^^ Also, we made a start in sorting through our stuff to see what will be packed when we move.

Trev got an email that we've been waiting for for some time now, as we made our plans around this event. Remember we agreed to spend christmas in England this year. Since Trev also has a job offer from a lab in Glasgow we wanted to link the two so we didn't have to fly over twice.
So our December will start with a short trip to Montpellier in France to sign our rent contract for the flat which will run from beginning of January until sometime in summer.
The week after we'll fly to Scotland and spend some days there. We also want to look at the city a bit and see if we would want to spend a few years there... then we'll take the train down to London and stay with Trev's parents until/over christmas.
There are no further plans yet but at the beginning of January I'll hand over my flat in Zurich to Kim officially and we have to be ready to move down south. I plan on packing everything but the bare necessities up before the traveling starts but you never know.
So, yeah, I'm excited! :o)

Oh, I'm also enlightened, as you can see. *lol* still feeling very dazed from my experiences last week. Some dear friends have agreed to help me plan my initiation ceremony, I'm so grateful for that and really looking forward to work together with these girls!

And here is something else: I made a couple of things in the past few days that I don't really want to keep. So I had this idea that I wanted to trade them with somebody who would be happy about them - for whatever they want to offer - another item, the postage fee, or even just a smile and a prayer... go look at my facebook album of the Karma Swap!

Wherever you are, whatever you do, I hope it is pleasant!

Darling, we need six babies, quick! ^^

2011-11-16T22:22:00.001+01:00

Ouf! Today was the last day of my big sewing adventure! I've used up almost all the fabric I had. There are a few yards left but I really couldn't think of anything to make anymore... nor was I motivated. Maybe I'll think of something quick and easy to do with it before I have to give the machine back to my mum.

It was dark when I finished, so I only snapped pictures of the baby shoes that I made to use up some leftovers. Anyone needs baby shoes? I don't really have a use for them... oO But the pattern is so easy and quick and cute that it became one of my staples. I'll try and get someone to take pictures of me in my new trousers and skirts in the light tomorrow.

In other good news, I am back to exercising. It still affects my back a bit but I don't really care since the doctor said there's no risk of damaging anything, so I'll just carry on. I've put together some yoga poses and a workout focusing on posture muscles.

Posture will be one of my big projects in the next half year... the doc said I really didn't have much muscles in my back and that she was surprised because I said that I work out...
Well, I hadn't been exercising for very long before I hurt myself and I have always been the slouchy kind of person, especially because I don't like working at desks... I always lie on my bed or crouch on the floor or hang on the sofa... no wonder I don't have any supporting muscles. Sitting straight for more than five minutes actually really hurts me and tires my back. It's quite frightening to think that I've cheated myself through life without developing this important part of my body...

So let's make it better!
Anything you're going to work on over winter?

The call

2011-11-15T22:30:00.001+01:00

The Godess has touched me, in a way that I would never have thought was possible, and in a moment in my life where I needed her most.
Before this I had felt more and more disconnected from my beliefs and I felt that no matter how hard I tried to meditate and pray, my spirituality was slipping away from me.
Now I feel as if my batteries have been charged. The feeling of connection and finding Her everywhere in my life is back.

picture by Martin

But I'm not just standing here feeling refreshed and more sure than ever of how to live my life.
Vision quests (a kind of trance meditation where you'll have dreamlike visions) are a big part of my religious practise and the two that I've been on since last week were quite exceptional. In the first one, I met Shakti for a dance in a purifying fire, and she told me that this was not the end, but the beginning of something.
What she meant became more clear in the second vision where I received very detailed instructions for an initiation ritual.

When I first got interested in paganism as a teenager, I gave myself a trial time of a year and a day as an "apprentice witch". After this timespan of experimenting, reading and meeting other pagans, I decided that this was "it". I only then changed to calling myself pagan when somebody asked for my religion. I devoted my further practise to Baba Jaga, who had also inspired my name (although that was long before that time). Ever since then, I have considered myself a scholar of the Old Lady and have found her to be a wise if somewhat challenging and unpredictable matron.
In this vision that I had about my initiation I have been told that my time with Baba Jaga is now over. I have been called to enter a new stage in my spirituality. It feels like this part of the path will be lighter but also more concrete and demanding.
I have been informed about certain rules that will apply for this stage of my journey, and I have been assigned a task.
It will affect my life quite a bit more than it has so far. Until now, I've been used to shape my spirituality to suit the rest of my life. After this initiation I will - to a certain degree - shape my life around my religion.

As you can surely imagine, I am really excited and I just can't wait... It feels a bit like christmas, or maybe first communion for christians.

So... this is the story of how religion suddenly got really really important in my life... and how it made me feel like a sun that can shine for everyone...
It does feel a bit weird to write about all these things out here, but it's affecting me so much these days, I could never write this blog without telling you and not feel like a liar.

Have a blessed evening! :o)

The Grace of the Goddess

2011-11-14T21:55:00.001+01:00

A note ahead:
If you're familiar with my blog you might have noticed that there is a category called "little pagan life" and might have heard me mention my religion every once in a while. I don't write about spirituality very often, partly because I'm not sure how to write about it and not make it sound kitchy or esoteric, partly because it is not a predominant topic I write about, and partly because I don't want to make anybody feel like I'm pushing my beliefs on them.
So, dear reader, whatever background you have, note that the following text talks about my very personal spirituality and religion. I don't claim for it to be the only truth, nor would I ever want to challenge anybody elses beliefs.

For everyone who doesn't really know where to file "pagan": I believe in Gods and Godesses, I pray to Father sky and Mother Earth, I talk with the spirits that are in everything we see and don't see and I believe that the energy that the whole world is made out of is holy and part of the godly matter, just like you and me.

The story that leads up to this Wednesday in November 2011 begins about two years back, in the summer of 2009. That was the summer when I quit my job and traveled for half a year. I spent most of 2010 working different short-time jobs and then took another half year of in early 2011 to pursue my dream of illustrating children's books.

I think it was somewhere between different journeys in that first summer that I realised that this is the time you always dream about when you are younger. I had finished school, finished studying, I was all grown up and independent. This was the time where I could start doin whatever I wanted.
This realisation started to really depress me, because it seemed like I wasn't passionate enough about anything I tried to really make it feel like I was living a dream. I liked traveling, but it made me homesick and I realised that it could never be the sole content of my life. But when I was working, I felt itchy to get moving again. I couldn't see myself fulfilled by my job as a kindergarten teacher, even when I took a nature education course that I felt very inspired by.

Then I plunged into illustration. I loved making art the main focus of my life at home (and sneaking in a lot of traveling). But I felt guilty about not being professional enough, not working hard enough, not progressing fast enough... I felt insecure if I really wanted to put so much energy into something I couldn't really see myself making a living out of very soon.
Everything in my life that I like I liked - but I was not driven by it.

I like painting

I yearned for a purpose, for the feeling of doing the right thing. Whenever I looked at my life I had the feeling that I would look back when I was older and think "Was that really all there is?"
But what more could I do? The more goals I set myself the more stressed and depressed I got. If I took it easy the feeling of guilt would come back.
I just didn't know what to do! I felt so empty and confused and unfocused, no matter what I did.

In the course of this year I realised more and more that I would not be able to solve this problem with my waking mind. I started praying more and more intensely, begging the Gods to give me a sign, a clue, something that would ease my mind.

Be careful what you wish for for your wish might be granted...

On this Wednesday, I went out for a walk. This is what I wrote in my journal afterwards. It might sound a bit unctuous, but it is as close to the experience as I can get.

As I am walking, I know that the worldis beautiful. The sun is shining from a clear blue sky, lighting upthe grass and bare trees next to the footpath and caressing my face.Looking at the mountaintops makes me feel as if I was standing at theside of a giant river, looking up at the shapes of the pebbleslooming over me, glistening in all their water-washed glory.

I see the beauty and I like it, but mysoul is not connected with it. It circles in its own universe ofdoubts and thoughts; plans, desires, fears race through my mind.

I needed a big, neon sign

I had prayed for guidance, for relief,for a sign, anything, for a long long time. I was not even sure if myprayers were heard, for the more desperately I was looking for asolution with my rational mind the further I felt I drifted away fromthe peaceful center of my mind and the more disconnected I becamewith my spirituality.

I have prayed, nonetheless. I have litcandles, whispered prayers before going to sleep, wished for help ashard as I could. I had cried and I had given up on it, only to startall over again.

On this afteroon, as I am walkingthrough the beauty without feeling it in my soul, the Gods decide toreach out for me.

There are no rainbows, no flashes oflights, no beating wings, but I know that what I am receiving at thismoment is an epiphany. I could not even try to describe which angleof my consciousness is shifting or what thoughts I have at thismoment, when the whole world, nature and all its forces and spirits,when Gaia raises to embrace me.

At this moment, I feel the purpose ofmy life – of life – as clearly as if it had been laid out infront of me, just for me. It is no thought, no words in my head,nothing that I have worked out in my mind that wells up inside me. Itis the feeling, the sense of the ultimate, the purpose, and it isinscribed in every single one of my cells. Clouds of mist aresnatched away from the outer layers of my soul and revealing what myself has known from the moment it came to being.

I look up at the mountain, and I see. Ilook at the river and I hear. I run over the grass and I feel. Ismile at the sun and the trees. Seconds later, a deep, never endingfeeling of gratitude wells up inside me and I am in tears. Then itstrikes me again how lucky I am and how everything is alright now. Ichuckle and start to sing along with the music I'm listening to untilI can't hold myself together anymore and laugh out loud, skippingalong the path. I have been touched by the Godess, by her grace andlove. I am not lost. I am secure in her hands and life is so simpleand beautiful before my eyes, like the most perfect crystal that hasever been found. I wipe my face because I'm crying again.

Ok, I swear by my glowing soul that there is no word of exaggeration in this last paragraph (not in the whole text actually...), this is really how it happened and a couple of bicyclists must have had a very peculiar experience...

And what is it now, the meaning of life, the ultimate truth, the thing that made me act like a freaking fool on abright Wednesday afternoon? I'll tell you, but I warn you: It sounds simple, it is simple, and you can read it as many times as you want, if you don't feel it, if it doesn't hit you in the face with your very own personal epiphany, it will only be a bunch of pretty words.

The purpose of life is to be yourself.To contribute with everything that you have, with your happiness.Make art, make love, smile, do yourself good, broaden your mind. Bethe source of unconditional love for the universe. You don't have toforce yourself to do anything that does not bring you joy, if itisn't for an ultimate purpose of joy. Bring joy into the life ofothers. Freely and to your own heart's delight. You cannot force theworld to change, but you can be the change in the world, the jewelthat is picked up by whoever is meant to find it and be touched byit. Trust in Her to guide you so that you will touch the right beingsat the right time.

This is the big thing that happened to me last week. You see, nothing that really shows on the outside... but on the inside... I'm still so shaken and feeling so blessed and grateful and just at ease... Everything I have done since this day has been filled with love and smiles and has felt like the fulfillment of my very personal task in life.

Also, there have been a couple more things that added up on top of this. But this post is already leeeengthy and I will talk about it tomorrow.

If you've made it this far: Thank you!! It feels so good to be able to spill this because I'm so excited about it!

A day of sewing

2011-11-13T19:40:00.001+01:00

I spent some days last week at my parent's place and went to Bern on Saturday afternoon to meet some girls that I studied with (we still organise meetings every once in a while which is fun) - a great change of scenery! Today I slept in rrreeeally long. I'm not sure but I think the medecine is making me sleepy...
Anyway, I realised that our time here in Switzerland is running out and this means that I will not have a sewing machine for much longer (I promised my Mum I would give it back when we go abroad), so I decided I needed to revamp my relationship with Miss Bernina.
I also did some handsewing on the balcony, because I couldn't bring myself to sit in our room in the dark whils a brilliant autumn sun was shining outside.

source

My score of today is:

Mended
- 1 pair of socks
- 2 dresses
- 1 pair of trousers
- 1 skirt
- 1 corset

Made
- 1 trouser = 0.5 pair of trousers ^^ (they're nearly finished but I don't know how wearable they'll be...oO)

So for tomorrow I've planned some more sewing with the fabric that I got for my birthday and that has been lying around for much too long. Let's hope that Miss Bernina will be as cooperative as today!

Do you sometimes mend clothes? It's real easy and it can double the life of your stuff. Good for your wallet, good for the environment!

Self portrait Thursday - Week 45

2011-11-11T11:15:00.001+01:00

Already? Hmm, time flies by, doesn't it? Especially October and November always seem to go way too fast, as if they had been infected by December...

It's been a strange couple of days since we came back from England on Tuesday. I always feel like I'm a bit boring when I tell lengthy stories about small things, but that's mostly what defines our lifes, isn't it? So I think I haven't told you in detail but I've had some problems with my back that started a few weeks ago and it just hasn't got significantly better. I'm really pissed about that because when it happened I had just established such a cool exercise routine. I was working out, running and doing yoga every day and I felt great. Then I did something - I still have no clue what caused the whole story - and wham! Pain in my lower back, zapping all the way down into my leg. It's really annoying.
Well, I decided to show the doctor yesterday and she gave me some anti-inflammatory painkillers to try, although she wasn't quite sure what it is either. She said I can start working out again though. Yay! Now I have to kick my ass all over again.

Well, that's the background groove of the past few weeks (remember, in this time we've been to Paris and then the two weeks in London - equals a looot of walking equals a looot of pain!).
But then something other happened to me on Wednesday... I still can't really put it in words but I'm trying and I hope I'll be able to write a concise post about it soon... This is not a teaser, it's just to try and tell you how I feel at the moment. Something big happened to me, that I've been wishing for for a loong time, and now I'm not sure how to feel about it and as it is with sceptics like me, I already feel like it might have been just a dream...

Has something like this ever happened to you? A moment where you were sure that your life was changing there and then, but not in a way that one could see our touch - and then afterwards you wondered if you had imagined everything?

England swings...

2011-11-09T22:30:00.000+01:00

Let me just say it with Roger... ;o)

Ok, enough of the fun. I tell you: I have just spent about half an hour weeding through all the pictures that I have taken during our trip and I had such a hard time deciding on a sensible number to show to you. I really love the different modes my new camera has, it saves me most of the editing and therefore quite a lot of time. Sometimes the pictures are just much better quality if I choose the right mode (hand-held night mode for example is a lifesaver!) and sometimes it just gives the picture an extra bit of interest (extra vibrant and toy camera are my two favourites!). I also think that very slowly, bit by bit, I do start to see a little difference in my photographing abilities. I don't think it will eve take my interest enough for me to really get the hang of it, but I take a lot of pictures and I realise that if I read an article about photography from time to time and try to mind some of the tips that I remember, sometimes it does make a difference. Also, with more experience I know much better what will look good on the screen later and I choose the angles of my pictures more carefully.

Anyways... I've selected a few (really only a fraction!) for you to see here. If you want to look at more, I'll include the links to the facebook albums at the end.

Good golly people, England is beautiful in fall...

You've seen enough pictures of London City when we were there in spring (or go to the album if you haven't had enough ^^), but this one I really like!!

We drove out west to Somerset to visit Trev's Grandmother. On Samhain (Halloween) we visited his Grandad's grave and went to see Stonehenge. It's a very impressive site. A shame though that they fenced it all off.
On the way back I just had to stop by this place on the road - having heard so many bad things about this chain! ^^

Well, yeah, I had toast and beans, pretty much how I would have made them at home (not the best thing to say about a dish) and Trev had a pretty decent vegi burger in a cold bun. But they had internet.

And we saw this guy in the car that was parked next to ours... I nearly dropped dead laughing! He seriously believed he was totally gonna drive this car away any second. Even kept checking the side mirror!! *lol*

From Somerset we drove over to Glastonbury where we spent three days exploring the town's many many spiritual/hippie/magical/esoteric shops, enjoyed the fact that most of the cafés offered organic food, discovered the choccolate love temple and offered candles to the Goddess.
First thing we did though, after we'd dropped off our bags was walk up to the Thor.
What a walk! What a wind! What a dower! What a view!!!!

I can't believe how close we were to not going to see the abbey. We were not really in the mood for yet more ruins... but oh my, it's just stunning! And if the ruins are not, then the park is!

This is the church of the town by night. We also did a quick detour to the cathedral in Wells, which is an absolutely stunning building.

We thought if we're gonna stay in Glastonbury then we should do it with style and so we stayed at an Indian ashram - in a yurt! The place is actually really delighting and the people there were phantastic. I must admit that I skipped all the morning meditations, but the practical spirituality that they have could be felt through all the house. I'd love to go back for a yoga retreat...

Whilst driving over to Dorste two days later, we encountered the most stunning rainbow ever. It was a double rainbow, and it span right from one end of this field to the other. The sky was so clear for a minute or two that we could see both ends of the bow, this closer one seemed to come down only a couple of hundred meters in front of us - the colors were visible over the grass!!!
I have never seen anything so magical and it's well possible I never will anymore... of all the spiritual places that we visited, this one, in the middle of a journey, out of the blue, is probably the one that I will most remember!

For the last two days in the countryside we visited Trev's friend Pete and started off the Guy Fawkes weekend with the Carnival in Bridgewater - so much fun! If you haven't seen it, watch the video that I made about this event: Video Link

The next day, after visiting the White Giant, we made our way back to London, to watch the bonfire burning the Guy and some great firework.

If you're not already knocked out with this picture-heavy post, you can see more of my snapshots here:
England in fall
West England - Hobbits, clowns and druids

I hope you had a great start in November!!

Guy Fawkes night

2011-11-07T01:27:00.000+01:00

Remember, remember...

Remember remember, the 5th of November from yaga on Vimeo.
I made this little video-roundup of the traditional Guy Fawkes celebrations we went to this weekend. I hope you'll like it as much as me! ;o)

Recipe: The ultimate fall breakfast

2011-11-03T21:00:00.000+01:00

Recipes are very scarce on that blog because I normally don't cook (and if I do it is nothing that's worth mentioning) and if I bake I use recipes of other people - I'm not experienced enough to make up my own stuff.
But even a blind chicken finds a corn from time to time, as we say in German.

I have been on a quest for the perfect breakfast for a while. Ever since I've stopped eating sugar I've had muesli or bread with honey in the mornings.

But I don't like the effect dairy has on me in the morning and a bread with honey without butter doesn't taste the same.

So I've been looking for breakfast that is vegan, quick(!) and simple to make (I don't go great lenghts in the morning, there just has to be breakfast, now.), warm and sweet (we do English breakfast every once in a while but the very first thing I need in the morning is something sweet and fruity to get me going - my coffee replacement ^^).

You wouldn't think,but it is actually really hard to find something that lives up to my standards.
I've seen recipes for sweet porridge and also rice pudding that I will definitely try. My reservation with these is that they use milk replacement products like rice, coconut or soy milk which are all by themselves not unproblematic in production and come from far away, so I don't really want to make them an everyday standard.

Now last week I whipped something up in the middle of the night because I had an extraordinary case of PMS-sweet-cravings and there was nothing whatsoever that suited me.
So I raided the cupboard, took what I could find, threw it all together, and lo and behold: It came out yummi!! :o)

People here in Britain eat something similar for pudding (dessert) and they call it crumble so that's where it got the name from.

Here's how to make Apple-nut crumble

Ingredients:
3-4 medium size apples or fruit of your choice, cut into slices about 1 cm thick
2 cups ground nuts of your choice (I used hazelnut)
1 cup wheat flakes of your choice (I used oats)
0.5 cup chopped up dried fruit of your choice (I used figues)

optional: 2 tablespoons of honey with 0.5 cup of hot water

Preheat your oven to 200 °C

Put a baking sheet in a small cake form or rub it out with oil.
Spreat one layer of your fresh and dried fruit at the bottom ot the form, then cover with the ground nuts and a handful of the wheat flakes.
Repeat, but make the top layer of nuts and flakes thicker, covering the fruit as much as possible.
If you want you can now sprinkle the filling with the honeywater (I did and mine came out very sweet, so it really wouldn't have been necessary).

Put in the middle of the oven and bake for 30mts.

It is done when the fresh fruit are soft and the top is golden and crusty.

I had a small serving that night to soothe my sweet tooth and then kept the form in the fridge. The leftovers made very generous breakfast portions for two more days. I just popped it in the oven at 100 °C before I did my morning yoga and then had a great fruity sweet and filling breakfast waiting for me!

I love that this recipe is flexible enough so that you can use whatever you have at hand and don't have to get special ingredients in order to make it work.
And since in the morning I just want something that works and don't need any variety, this will definitely be my go-to recipe to keep ready for fall breakfasts.

Thanks for reading!

Creating Success around the World - last post!

2011-11-01T23:00:00.000+01:00

This is my last post so far on the blog hop. It will be carried on by the other hosts and might become more interactive - great chance for you to bring your beautiful blog out there! Keep up to date!

Welcome to
Creating Success around the World

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every Wednesday our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring!

Here's how you can take this worldwide tour with us:

You can follow all the hosts to support them and keep up to date with the fabulous posts they will share every week. Then if you are inspired to join, just link up your own blog to make some new international friends.

Remember to leave us a comment when you follow us so we can follow you back! And of course we'd love if you added our button to your site to help spread the word!

Here are your hosts:

Make sure you visit them all to see the inspiration and creative people every continent has to add to our community.

Australasia - Jill @ Creating my way to Success
Europe - Yaga @ The Shiny Bubble
North America - Suzy @ Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom
South America - Molly @ Marya Mariah
Asia - Janelle @ Of Pinks and Fairytales

Africa - Sadly, our African host is not able to participate in the Blog hop anymore. We are looking for somebody new to join the team - could it be you?! ;o)

---------------------------------------------------------------- Europe

Charlène Fournier is a graphical designer and illustrator from Belgium. I wanted to know how the artist behind all the sweet illustrations, the beautiful jewelry and the adorable plushies feels about what she's doing. Read why Charlène wants to move away from Belgium but still likes the people in her town, and what she does against creativity block.

Tell us a bit about your trade: What do you create, how and where do you sell your things,

how long have you been doing this?

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Hi! I own a little etsy shop called Les Joues Grises. I opened it right afterfinishing my art studies in june of this year, so it is a prettyyoung shop. I sell mostly illustrations, prints and originals. I alsolike to make jewelry and plushes, so you can find some in the shoptoo.

Please, tell us a little bit about the place and the country that you live in.

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Icurrently live in Liege, a big/small city in Belgium. It's an oldmining city, lots of red brick and grey. Sky often gray, a rivercalled la Meuse crossing the city. Small houses with several stories,very typical and pretty. Kinda dirty sometimes, but great people init + they have the most delicious fries so they're forgiven. ;)

Do you think that your surroundings influence your creativity? How?

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Rightnow I'm not sure, I think most of my creative roots come from thepeople I know, I often see similarities with them after I finish adrawing.

How and why did you 'pick' your creative outlet of choice?

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Ihave always drawn and doodled, I didn't really see myself doinganything else. I picked graphic design studies because I could becreative and have the possibility of a career.(yeah, sometimes Ithink it's a little bit of a coward decision)

Why did you decide to sell what you are creating?

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Hum…Thata tough question! I think at some point I wanted to see if I coulddo it, if people would be interested in buying my work…or not ^-^'

How did you start your business?

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Simplyby opening it on Etsy, I also created a page on Facebook to promoteit and I have a twitter account :)

Ialso have a blog (far before my shop actually), but I'm not a regularblogger, so it is updated…when it is updated (boooohoooo). I'm currently working on a betterversion for my portfolio. I think I'll add a blog part, prettier thanthe one I have now.

So there is plenty of choices to follow my work (maybe a little...toomuch ?) :)

What, in your opinion is your biggest strength in your creative life and how does it

influence your work?

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Iam eclectic, I love to experiment a lot of techniques and mix them tocreate. Etching, sewing, painting, doodling, mixing all that…Somuch to try, so little time!

Ithink this is my biggest strength and it can help during creativeblocking, I just switch my techniques and try something else/new. Inthe end, my illustrations can be mixed media.

What would you regard as your greatest weakness in terms of your creativity and how do

you deal with it?

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Creativityblocking. It's just awful to feel you powerless at doing what youlove the most. When I feel empty/tired/creative free, I just dosomething else, I go out or I read blogs/magazines.

How do you stay motivated and inspired?

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Itry to push myself doing at least one thing a day.

Where do you see yourself and your creative life in two years? Do you have any plans?

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I'dlove to be a freelance illustrator, still selling my illustrations. Iwould love to live in Berlin. Or Antwerpen. Great cultural backgroundthere.

What are your 5 hottest tips for people who want to be more successful with

creating?
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1/Try a lot. If you fail, try again. Keep up hope.

2/Watch clouds and stars every time you can: They are magical.

3/Listen to good music (the one that gives you energy :) )

4/Just observe things and faces around you. Every little thing isamazing when you look at them carefully enough.

5/Share. Just share your knowledge, learn from other people with otherkind of knowledge. You never loose creativity doing so, because itnever ends.

Thank you so much for all that neat advice, Charlène!

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Now it's your turn! Link up your posts: Inspiration, craftsy blahs, tutorials, tips or business talk: We wanna know!
Link up your blog and you might be the next artist featured in our interviews!

New to the world tour? Check our previous tours here!

Thanks for reading!

The end of a journey

2011-10-31T17:00:00.000+01:00

Since July this year, I have been traveling around the world every Tuesday, visiting creative entrepreneurs all around the globe, reading interviews about their work and looking at all the blogs that had joined the linky list with their posts about their own creative endeavours.
Initially, Jill from Creating my Way to Success and I had decided to team up and think of a fun way to promote our and other creative blogs around the world. We didn't want to just create another linky list, since there are already quite a bunch of them. We also wanted to provide people with information and inspiration to take their creativity to the next level and start a business with their art.
So we came up with Creating Success around the world.

We found four more fabulous ladies. Each of us lives on a different continent. Each of us hosted an interview with an artist from their part of the world each week, allowing the readers to virtually visit many different creative souls from Asia to South America.
American Suzy from Suzy's artsy craftsy Sitcom made me laugh each week with her hilarious sitom-y setups of the interview. Molly who writes at Marya Mariah finds fascinating creators from South America. Through her blog I learned that Google translator actually does work quite well and opens me a whole range of blogs that I couldn't read before! In Asia, Janelle presented her guests on Of Pinks and Fairytales and made me dream about faraway exotic places where there seem to live so many creative minds.
Sadly, Adepeju who had joined us with her blog Peekadot and had proven such a talent in finding young and innovative designers from Africa, left the project a few weeks ago.

It was such a fun project and I sure did meet some wonderful people and learnt great stuff. I loved to read the answers of the interviewers and also enjoyed seeing more and more people join the blog hop as the word spread.

But (...you've seen this coming, haven't you?)
it's a lot of work. It takes a lot of time managing an interview every week, looking for people to interview, keeping and overlook on who has responded, who needs reminding, who can be ticked off the list. Then I look through their websites, try and get to know them a bit so I can write an introduction. I choose pictures, put the interview together, write up the post, put all the links in and schedule it. In the end, I have to make sure I don't forget the linky code that is sent around each week for the upcoming post.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I'm just stating the facts that there is work involved here, and more importantly: Time.
Time which I don't have at the moment or at least would rather use for other things that are coming up. We will most probably move again soon and we have lots of things to sort out.

That is why I have - not lightheartedly, believe me - decided to leave Creating Success around the World per next week.
There will be a last post with a very nice creative lady tomorrow, and after that, I will only maybe link up to the blog hop and enjoy the world tour as a reader.
I really hope that the girls will go on with this great project and that I will see many more world tour posts on the net.

I didn't intend to write such a long post, but I feel it's only right to take some time to say goodbye to something that was important to me and that my heart is still involved with.

I wish you girls tons of fun and good luck with the hop in the future!

Three great things about fall!

2011-10-28T19:13:00.000+02:00

I'm linking up with October Follower's Fest today, so if you're coming from the linky, welcome! Maybe you want to know more about me. Leave me a comment if you follow (or leave a comment anyways! <3), so I can come and visit you back! You might also want to grab my free Halloween Card - you can find it here!

Colors - The last time we stayed here in the UK was in March or April and the trees and pavement were vibrantly colored by all the blossoms that were coming out just that very week. The weather was so favourable and everything was starting to bloom - cherries, magnolia, rhododendron... it was a color fest! And now, half a year later, it is pretty much the same scene! Although there is occasional rain the air is still soft and warm for this time of the year and the leaves of the trees have turned the most glorious shades of yellow, red, orange and brown. When the sun shines through the clouds the rays of light make the raindrops on the leaves sparkle. It's just magnificent!

Museums - Yesterday I had plenty of time adoring the scenery waiting in this line in front of the Natural History Museum. It's midterm and apparently all the Mum's thought it would be the perfect time to go and see the dinosaurs with their kids. After waiting in the rain for 50 mts they would come into the museum only to see that there is another endless line in front of the room where the dinosaurs are displayed... *Ugh!*
We left the crowds behind us though as Trev led me to his favourite part of the place, the Darwin center, which only shows boring dead things pickled in glasses - not one kid in there, yay! :o)

Afterwards we went on to the Science Museum to go and see the blubber - this is a device constructed with many tubes and valves where colored water flows through and it shows how money flows in our society. I didn't really get to study it but I read about it in a book and it was fascinating to see it in person. Oh, and the first computer - so cool! We also discovered this fantastic clock:

the time eating clock

We looked at more ancient clocks (we're both fascinated with clocks and clockworks it seems) and heard the internet speak. What an experience! I was deadly tired in the evening and all day I had to grit my teeth because my legs were still so painful and the fact that I had to walk mostly on my heels to avoid the leg pain then made my heels start to hurt, of course. But I'm so glad I pulled it through, I just love going to museums!

Food - In the evening we met up with Francis, an old buddy of Trev's that I had met last time we were here. I also met Trev's older Brother Jeff for the first time. It was nice to finally get to know him in real life, even though I felt like I already knew him quite well, from all the things I'd heard about him. He only returned to the UK this spring after four years in New York. It's funny to see how Trev is very much like their mother, whilst everything about Jeff makes me think of their dad. :o)

After some more walking we settled into this great lebanese place for some mezze and bacclavah - deeeliciousss!!

Now tonight we're going out for family dinner so I gotta get ready.

Hope you're enjoying autumn wherever you are!

Self portrait Thursday - and a Halloween freebie!

2011-10-27T17:00:00.000+02:00

Here's me with an outch again... I feel so silly!
I got these barefoot shoes from a friend to try and I went running with them. Although I knew it would be very different from running with normal shoes I just wanted to run so badly I went for my normal 30mts route.
I didn't even have to wait for the next day for sore legs. But yesterday and the day before have been SO bad! I could hardly walk, I'd rather call it staggering. And stairs are almost a deadly obstacle. I go up them kind of sideways and down in some sort of slump, trying not to use the muscles in my lower legs...

When people ask me if I'm hurt or something I'm really embarrassed to tell the story because I feel so riddiculous. Ah well, lesson learnt! ;o)

On another note, it's Halloween soon! I don't know if you celebrate it in any way. Many people seem to have taken up the American traditions around here. We don't really do that because we can't relate to it, but Halloween under all the modern partyfrenzy and kids-excitement is also a very important pagan holiday and therefore is big for us. We're remembering our ancestors, honouring them and asking advice for the future. For some people (like me), Halloween is the actual beginning of the new spiritual year and therefore is a time for looking back and deciding what to let go of and what to take with me into the dark and silent times that mark the birth of the new year.
I'm really excited because we're planning to go to Stonehenge to celebrate it. I've never been there and I'm excited enough to see the Stones, let allone to have a ritual there.

But what I really wanted to say is: I've played around with some of my pictures and made a card that I really liked and I thought you might like it too, so I'm putting it up here as a little Samhain-present for you! Maybe you still want to send out some cards or use it as a placecard for a Halloween dinner, or, or, or. Just download it and whatever you want (except for selling it or saying that you made it - but I don't think you will! ;o) ).

(I left the bubble free so you can write your own greetings)
Here's the link to a bigger version. Hope you like it. ;o)
Have a magical Halloween!
Thanks for reading!

As the leaves are turning

2011-10-26T18:00:00.000+02:00

The other day I felt a bit small and not really up to anything. It happens when the only possibilities you have are either to curl up under a heap of blankets in the bed in a cold room, or sit downstairs in the livingroom where it is warmer but you don't have much privacy. And I like my privacy when I work. Sometimes there are things to do around the house like bringing plants in for winter, or putting the last of the harvest safely into the cellar, or doing the laundry.
Everyone likes these chores these days because they make you warm. ^^

Anyways, it turned out to be quite a nice afternoon after all, because the sun came out and we had a little walk to the store and I picked up the golden leaves from the side of the road and then I hung them around the livingroom for decoration. They look so pretty, I didn't really need to do anything with them. I just knotted threads on and put them up. I mixed in a few feathers for variety. It's nice to have the place all autumn-y and special.

If there's still pretty leaves when we come home in two weeks, I might make a wreath for the front door. Did you do any seasonal decoration? Do you already have the pumpkins out?

Creating Success around the World

2011-10-25T23:00:00.000+02:00

Welcome to
Creating Success around the World

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every Wednesday our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring!

Here's how you can take this worldwide tour with us:

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Rowan is "a creative kind of English girl living and working in Bosnia Herzegovina." She creates and sells cute and unique amigurumi dolls. Her place on etsy is called "Out of the frame".

Tell us a bit about your trade: What do you create, how and where do you sell your things,

how long have you been doing this?

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Ihave been making and designing amigurumi dolls since March 2009. Isell my dolls on Etsy, at gallery shows or through personal contacts.I make one of a kind dolls in various sizes and I have also made alot of caricature dolls as custom orders for people to give aswedding presents, engagement presents, thank you gifts etc. One ofthe patterns I have designed is for sale in my Etsy shop and onRavelry.

Please, tell us a little bit about the place and the country that you live in.

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Iam English but I live and work in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a UKbased Christian charity called Novi Most. We work with young peoplefrom different ethnic backgrounds bringing them together and givingthem new opportunities through youth club activities and courses inmusic, art and baking. I live in a beautiful town called Jajce. It isa very historic town as in the 1400s it was the capital of theBosnian Kingdom and in 1943 it was the venue for the meeting at whichTito declared the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is oneof only 12 towns in the world to have a waterfall in the town centreand nearby there is a beautiful lake. Unfortunately not a lot hasbeen made of these and several other potential tourist attractionsand the town is poor with a lot of unemployment and fewopportunities.

Bosniaand Herzegovina is a complicated country politically. It is stillrecovering from the civil war in the early 90s. Some of the largercities are starting to develop into more what you would see inWestern Europe with the first McDonalds opening recently in thecapital city Sarajevo! But in general the country is poor with a highrate of unemployment. It is a beautiful country with amazingmountains and rivers and some beautiful and historic cities. Thepeople are very welcoming and hospitable. It is a country full ofpotential and well worth visiting.

Do you think that your surroundings influence your creativity? How?

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Istarted to make amigurumi after I moved here to Bosnia andHerzegovina. The pace of life here is a lot slower than in the UKwhere I lived before and for the first time in a long time I had somefree time to do things I wanted to do. So it’s not so much thesurroundings as the way of life that has led to me making amigurumi

How and why did you 'pick' your creative outlet of choice?

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WhenI first started learning amigurumi I was researching it online andfound that a lot of people who made amigurumi dolls had shops onEtsy.com so when I decided to start selling I joined Etsy too. For meone of the best things about Etsy the community aspect. I am part ofthe Etsy Plush Team which is a collective of plush artists who sellon Etsy.It is great to be part of a group of people who are constantly tryingto improve their artwork and to push the boundaries. It is a greatplace to get inspiration and support. It also means I am able to findout about gallery shows and magazines looking for submissions, mainlyin the US, which I wouldn’t otherwise hear about because I am inBosnia and Herzegovina.

Why did you decide to sell what you are creating?

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Aftera while I realised that I was pretty good at making dolls and couldmake quality products worth buying, and because I love making themand you can’t keep them all!

How did you start your business?

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Ijust opened and Etsy shop – nothing else! I haven’t made abusiness plan or done anything like that. I probably should if I wantmy business to grow but at the moment I’m just taking it as itcomes. Sorry – no good advice there!

What, in your opinion is your biggest strength in your creative life and how does it

influence your work?

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Iam always interested in learning new things and trying out new craftsso I often have a new twist to add to my latest creation.

What would you regard as your greatest weakness in terms of your creativity and how do

you deal with it?

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I canbe impatient and want to run before I can walk – particularly inrelation to learning to sew! This means I cut corners and the finalproduct ends up a mess! I have to tell myself to slow down and do itproperly.

How do you stay motivated and inspired?

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Beingpart of the plush team helps with this because I am constantly seeingother people’s work and we motivate each other to improve. Alsoevery 2 months we have a team challenge with a different theme whichencourages me to make things I wouldn’t have otherwise made. Recentthemes have included Las Vegas, steam punk and the rainforest.

Ioften get inspiration to make a particular doll by colourcombinations, people I meet or characters I read about in books.

Where do you see yourself and your creative life in two years? Do you have any plans?

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LikeI said before, I don’t have a business plan or anything like that.I’m sure I should have, but for now I’m just taking it as itcomes! Over the next two years I would like to be part of moregallery shows and be featured in some more magazines.

What are your 5 hottest tips for people who want to be more successful with

creating?
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1.Don’t just stick with your main craft. Try learning something newevery now and again.

2.Find other like minded people to encourage and inspire you.

3.Let your mind wander.

4.Use every opportunity to go to art galleries, craft shows, and otherinspiring places.

5.Don’t spend too much time on facebook!

Thank you so much for your answers, Rowan, that was a very uplifting interview!

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Weekend pictures

2011-10-24T18:28:00.000+02:00

I've had a special weekend, with many meetings of long-missed friends, both planned and spontaneous or even by accident. Long, philosophical conversations about people and our society, good food and some music.

Occupy Paradeplatz

Whishes and inspiration

We are going to the UK for two weeks tomorrow. We're very looking forward to meeting some special people and we have lots of plans of things we want to do and see, so there will be a bunch of stuff to show and tell.

Selfportrait Thursday - week 42

2011-10-20T19:00:00.000+02:00

Well, after yesterday's post, this doesn't need a lot of explanation. It's me, all wrapped up, checking if the thermostat is still working oO
But just to be clear: I'm not feeling bad, just cold. And we all know, "If a girl is telling you her problems, it doesn't mean she's complaining. It means she trusts you." ;o)

Have a happy Thursday everyone!!

The groove of today

2011-10-19T22:34:00.000+02:00

Here's a few impressions from today's groove:

... What I saw
A lot of rain in front of the window. It's gone grey again around here. I balanced it out with a lot of colourwork in my art.

And this is my favourite picture of today:

Memories of sunny autumn days... it's not so long ago that we were able to sit around in T-shirts.
Picture from Martin.

... What I heard

A lot of mellow music. Sticking in my head these days is this:

... What I made

I did some painting that you will soon see on here, but I'm saving it for a bit. :o)
I also made candles from leftovers of old candles. I don't like throwing all that wax away. It's bad enough that all the candles I can afford these days are either made from oil-based wax or palm oil, which isn't much better... so I want them to last as long as possible.
Mixing all sorts of different colors together only gets you a boring brown of course, but I was being more practical than aesthetic this time.
I also didn't have any thread to use as a wick, so I cut up a cotton cloth and used the thick hem. They're dry now and the next time I do this I have to figure out how to avoid the 'caving in' that happens when the wax dries unevenly. It makes an uneven surface... But I hope they'll serve their purpose.

I couldn't find a nice basic tutorial for pour candles, but basically its as simple as that: Melt your wax, either in a wather bath or use an old tincan and put that directly on the stove, fix a wick into your container, pour wax in (I just read that pouring in layers and letting them dry halfway helps with the caving), let dry. Finito. (I used the lower part of beer cans as containers... >.<)
There's some really pretty sites about candles of all sorts, colors, scents... though, so I'm giving you some links:

- Pretty blog about candlemaking
- Coffee bean scented candle
- More elaborate wax recyling instructions

... What I ate

There were potatoes and curry leftover from this week's meals, so we had heated curry and I fried the potatoes. 'Only' leftovers, but it was veeery tasty!!

... What I thought

First I thought I wouldn't be able to get out of bed because I kept waking up last night... I dragged myself downstairs anyways and I got most of my boring tasks done before midday. Yay, what a feeling!
Then I tried to create a bit which didn't look good at first because I felt vaguely inspired, but not really driven, so nothing seemed to come out of whatever I tried. In the end I did get some things done and even one that I'm pretty proud of!
I also thought about flats a lot because we have started looking for a place to move to at the end of this year. It seems like there is a great opportunity for us, cross fingers and wish me that it will work out!

... What I felt

Cold! It's chilly up here in the mountains, and the house gets very cold now. We only have a woodfire oven which heats the livingroom and the kitchen. Since our room is under the roof, nights up there are brisk. I'm sleeping with woollen socks and a jumper, under two blankets. I like to work in my nook up there, but now it's just not possible anymore, so I brought my stuff down to the common room.
I really hope the temperatures will stay above zero until we move out here...

Oh, and I felt jealous as well! Whilst I even put on my only pair of jeans in the hopes that they would be warmer than two pairs of tights and a skirt and am more often than not wearing my scarf and fingerless gloves around the house, Trev is sitting upstairs in the cold room in his tracksuit bottoms, barefoot and in a freaking T-shirt!! Curse the man and his inner stove!

Hope you're doing well and feeling toasty warm wherever you are! ;o)

P.S: I put a new outfit peek up on the facebook page! If you haven't seen it yet, click here to see how I styled boy's clothes. Oh and whilst you are there, why not 'like' it? I'd be happy to see you again there! ;o)

the shiny bubble

Self portrait Thursday - week 7 of 2012!

How I've been living sugarfree for nine months

Valentine's day thoughts

*~*On this Valentine's day, think about what love you can give to heal the world*~*

Sshh - I'm writing a masterplan!

Why family and homes are amazing!

Ice affairs

Retro treasures from the beach

Floating

Weekend links

Merry Imbolc

My favourite days

In defense of the French motorist

Out and about

The dreaming sanctuary

Yaga's list of must read 'classics' - 2012

Come on in!!

Clean eating challenge

Light on the horizon

Things that inspire me today

Diamonds and Stones

Things I'm loving today

A relaxing weekend.

My morning routine, my bed, my hair.

In which I ramble... again.

Sherlock Holmes and the Scary Bitches ^^

Doo-Dah-Day.

Weekend links

Just for remembering

Trees make everything ok.

New year's resolutions - part 2

New year's resolutions - Theme song

New year's resolutions - part 1

New year, new home

Lights on!

Hair friends

Self Portrait Thursday - week 51

Some more Yule pictures

Yule

The place to be

Pictures from London

Self Portrait Thursday - week 50

Oh how pinteresting!

A tin of santas...

Hello London, hello bugs

Glasgow

Self Portrait Thursday

What we actually did down south

Train-thoughts

Quick impressions from Montpellier

Gratefulness.

Seeing the good things

Looking for a rainbow

self portrait thursday - week 47

Something told the wild Geese

Flower headbands

Xmas works

Impressions of a crafty day

New clothes

Self portrait Thursday - week 46

Darling, we need six babies, quick! ^^

The call

The Grace of the Goddess

A day of sewing

Self portrait Thursday - Week 45

England swings...

Guy Fawkes night

Recipe: The ultimate fall breakfast

Creating Success around the World - last post!

The end of a journey

Three great things about fall!

Self portrait Thursday - and a Halloween freebie!

As the leaves are turning

Creating Success around the World

Weekend pictures

Selfportrait Thursday - week 42

The groove of today

~On this Valentine's day, think about what love you can give to heal the world~