All posts filed under: over7seas

Sometimes I sit and work / Draw in Cafés

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  I have several commissions to finish drawings for and am running a little behind schedule. I blame the unconventional life for this. We lived in a wild house in Oakland for some time, with a landlord and landlady who were full of life while we were slumped, lacking sleep and therefor energy. It isn’t always easy to rent only a room and try and confine an adult life into this small space. Less easy to do this with two lives. I have lived on my own in a huge apartment that I used to call my castle for over 10 years before relocating to a smaller but warmer apartment instead. Now suddenly we lived in a room. Naturally this created challenges and I have to admit I didn’t succeed in overcoming those challenges as much as I would love to tell you that I did. So now we are house sitting for a family who are on holiday for a whole month and whose pets and plants have needs that require house sitters to …

The chocolate Candy house of Oakland (these days it’s a second hand shop) *{things to do in Oakland}

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The chocolate Candy house of Oakland (these days it’s a second hand shop) We loved living in Oakland. Telegraph Avenue offered a variety of interesting cafes, shops and communities. Even if parts of it are being taken over by overpriced hipster lifestyle. This pink house used to be a sweet shop. I wish I would have seen it then in it’s original form. But today it houses a second hand shop with some quality offerings, but beware it isn’t a cheap second hand shop with thrift junk, rather a better selection. However at the back of the store is the thrift, the items with kinks and things suitable for a smaller pocket. How to get there? Take the BART from anywhere in the Bay Area and ride to Mc Arthur Bart station, from there it is only a few blocks walk to Telegraph Avenue. If you take a wrong turn on Telegraph you will find yourself passing a pretty great Bagel Cafe specializing in Bagels, freshly baked. So the wrong turn would work out pretty …

We are house sitting in SF

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So it is official: since Tuesday we are house sitting and looking after one lovely dog and two super soft cats, right in San Francisco.   The animals need special attention and a certain amount of company which is why we have the opportunity to swap pet care (and basic home care) for a month of fe accommodation somewhere not far from Golden Gate Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and even a glorious beach. It is quite a commitment that we took on, acting for animals can be a bit like caring for children, in as far as you really can’t casually neglect them because you would like to go and follow some impromptu plans instead.    So our lives for the next four weeks will be planned very much around the animal needs. It’s good practice for thinking about having pets again ourselves in the future ( or even small humans). So far the dog is the impersonification of well behaved and the cats, well we have a hard time stopping cuddling them, they …

Over 7 seas goes to market this Sunday !

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Over 7 seas goes to market this Sunday !, a photo by Birgit Deubner on Flickr. NEWS: I will be at the Lark Lane Fleamarket this Sunday between 11:00 and 15:00. Hopefully selling a suitcase full of handmade scarves. Craft and handmade prices, but priced in poor wool lover’s & surviving artist’s categories… I won’t be here in November so this is a great chance to stash a few presents for friends and family and yourself! you can preview (&purchase) on http://www.etsy.com/shop/over7seas the shop will go on holiday for 10 hours while Birgit will be at the market but the shop will be back live as soon as she gets home and has a chance to edit the sold scarves from the online shop.

breathing / meditation

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I think this is simply and clearly presented. It is easy to follow and effective. I would know as I am currently riding on the oceans of a wild and stormy life, it appears that somebody didn’t pack a compass nor packed a guide to the stars. So while my little boat is tossed to and fro and I wonder where it will all lead me – all the while hoping that I will not capsize – this little breathing meditation is soothing and helpful.

Preparing Drawings to Post

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Last Import-6, a photo by Birgit Deubner on Flickr. This process always takes much, much longer than I make allowances for. Cutting the mount card, finding the right photo corners (a 3 hour mission of cycling around the city yesterday was needed before I got lucky), then the packaging: Why does it take 60-80 minutes to wrap 4 packages? I really need to find a better way because this is eating into my making drawings time and I can’t imagine how I can keep on top of punctual postage if I was to offer all my drawings for sale at once.. It’s like keeping a box of ants and fleas under control. I have a new plan, which is to list half of my drawings from this still ongoing series on ebay and make the other half available on Etsy. It is a way of allowing people to buy ‘now’ instead of waiting for the ebay bids to conclude and at the same time will help me get feedback on Etsy, I hope. I really …

A post for anybody who is under pressure in life – about breathing

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I saw this and thought of you and thought I share it here where other people can see it also. I find breathing with mindfulness and intention very difficult. In fact at times I even notice how I simply stop breathing and how I often don’t breathe with regular in and exhalations but how my I often hold my breath as I think, concentrate or daydream. My breath is also often shallow. But the very moment that I draw my attention to breathing I become quite fascinated by it and would like to spend more time learning breathing. I know it sounds strange, but just watch your own breath.. What have you noticed about your breath? Where do you breathe in to, the upper or middle chest? Your tummy? Does your back move slightly as you breathe. Where do you feel the expansions…? And that is just starting to take a moment to notice things.. Stop a second or a few and breath a little. I hear it’s good for you.

How I try and fix my neck pain

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.. I just woke up this morning because I was in so much pain with my neck that I couldn’t sleep. I tried this yoga video, and while it didn’t fix the neckpain, it did help a bit. Remember: when you are in pain then the solution may require a few days of regular gentle practice. I think people often want there to be an immediate solution (very understandable from where I am at this morning) but immediate might be even harmful. Think of it this way: it took certain prolonged or repeat actions to cause you this injury or discomfort so therefor it makes sense that it will require some mindful changes to resolve it. What do you think? And do you have an immediate cure for my neck pain? (wink)

… back from over7seas .. (what a wonderful world)

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We have not been back in England for very long and I am working hard at trying to set up an online shop. Right now I am selling great crochet scarves and I am planning to expand into travel photography. I have a few images that I am planning to offer as digital downloads. And hopefully I can soon offer ready to ship prints, too. I would love your support (even just going to take a look makes me happy. Feedback is also very welcome.) Italy was intense and beautiful, slightly fattening (those beautiful pastries were such a temptation and the gelato was simply irresistible), and Venice was magical as always. We had the great luck to stay with a friend in Murano for free. What a wonderful world! We couldn’t have done it without this help. With lots of warm greetings from England. and here is the link: http:www/etsy.com/shop/over7seas

It is time for the weekly: shout-out #3

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So by now you get the idea right? I try and make a weekly shout out about one of the fellow bloggers whom I notice are passing through my pages. So here is a link to Adventures in Southeast Asia a blog by Rachel Wingo who relocated herself to Cambodia for work in Phnom Penh. I will enjoy taking an occasional look on her blog to see what she has discovered and how her writing develops. Her blog is quite new still as she only just relocated a few months ago. But I love to hear about and from other women who don’t let anything hold them back and try out another way of life. If you are reading this and are over 30 then I would be particularly delighted to hear about your ‘not-standard-normal’ life. I am currently in a state of flux and have been uncertain which way to move forward for some time. I think it really helps to hear about other adults out there, who live unconventionally but don’t consider themselves drifters …

the power of sleep #1

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The amazing power of sleeping enough hours and the right hours! I feel like a new human being! I didn’t even go to bed as early as perhaps I should, but the lights were out before midnight and I slept like a bear with many dreams flooding my night. The last dream was a bit stressful and the sound of my alarm clock became integrated into the dream, which is not the best thing really. But I got a full 9 hours of sleep, with a warm mostly asleep cuddle from the person I love at about 7.30 when we had both woken up from the natural light streaming into the bedroom. I fell asleep in his arms and that may have helped, too. When I did finally get up at 9.15am I felt like a whole new human being. Durianrider is definitely right when he says: “get off the internet and get to sleep & sleep as much as you need.” I know 9.15am is late to many, but sometimes you need to catch …