Relocation, Relocation

No, I didn't die during my move! I just lost all time for thinking constructively about my writing or managing to get anything creative done. Creative for the last month has been deciding where to hang clocks and pictures, and rearranging my candles on the coffee table to see which arrangement looks more homely.

But we're in, we're settled, we're happy, though we're not all unpacked. I hate it that people keep asking about unpacking -- I keep thinking that when I say we still have some boxes around they think I'm a lazy pig who can't be arsed. But that's not the truth! My sister's staying with us until she gets the go-ahead for her moving date, and until her share of boxes (which there's no point in her unpacking) and her 3-foot fish tank leave us, we can't do much more than we already have. So that's the reason, okay?!

However, today I am feeling v. positive and energized because this morning I finished chapter two of my haunted house story and emailed it off to Nell, my wonderful (and twice-sold) critique partner. Currently I'm critiquing chapter eighteen of her latest book -- I'm hoping someday she'll be critiquing a chapter of such a number that I've written! Five is the maximum number I've reached before. I may be cheating by leaving my chapters slightly shorter than usual in the haunted house book, but the higher the number gets the more excited I feel. If I ever manage to reach The End I'll edit and make them bigger.

In other news, my sister and I went to Falmouth (Cornwall) a couple of weeks ago. I bought her a voucher for a dolphin-watching trip and though the weather was good, the sea wasn't rough (thank God), and Falmouth was lovely.... we didn't see any dolphins. Which deflated us a bit. Instead we saw various sea birds and a puffin a few miles out to sea. But it was a lovely experience all the same, and return customers get a discount, so we've decided we'll simply keep going back until we see the elusive Flipper!