Yellow!

Dress - vintage, bought from SilviCi!
Belt - thrifted
Bag - vintage, from Retropolitan in Christchurch
Socks - some sock shop in San Francisco - can't remember the name
Shoes - Zara

And on its previous owner:

It makes this dress even more special knowing that it came from one of my biggest style inspirations.

I am very excited today - first of all, I am getting my hair cut, which means that I will no longer feel like an Old English Sheepdog, and, secondly (more importantly), I am going out this evening with a group of Austin fashion bloggers. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone - particularly Diya of In Her Stilettos. It will be lovely to spend some time with like-minded people. I have also joined a writer's group here, which will be invaluable as I rework the manuscript (again), and I can't wait to go along to my first session.

One thing I'm having to get used to here in the States is tipping. We don't have a tipping culture in New Zealand, really - sure, if you get amazing service, you might leave something, but it's not a matter of course. I actually really like leaving a tip, but the problem lies in remembering - over the past couple of weeks I have sometimes forgotten to leave one, which makes me feel terrible. I suppose it's just a matter of getting used to it. As far as I can understand, you tip everyone who provides a service, right? Including hairdressers? Any tips? (Har, har).

Romp romp romp

I am absolutely shattered today - I think the adrenaline of the past couple of weeks has finally caught up with me, and I have spent most of the day napping and drinking lots of water. It sort of feels like having the 'flu, but without any actual 'flu symptoms. Bizarre. Anyway, I am incapable of saying anything interesting today, so here is a picture of Mink in his new kitty condo.

Sore feet, but worth it

Blouse - vintage, thrifted
Bag - vintage, Retropolitan
Cameo - vintage, a gift from my friend Hannah
Shorts - '80s, thrifted
Belt - vintage
Shoes - thrifted

Today I took the Metrorail downtown to explore the city. I wandered over to Buffalo Exchange and Toy Joy on the corner of Guadaloupe and 29th, and then walked to South Congress to reacquaint myself with the vintage stores down there. It was a good walk, but I did need to stop for a cucumber soda so that my head didn't explode. I still can't get over how plentiful and relatively cheap the vintage here is - it's great!


There is so much great graffiti in Austin, and so many fantastic murals. This one, predictably, is my favourite so far.


Loot from today! 1950s velvet, taffeta and lace cocktail dress; 1980s Laura Ashley floral ruffle dress; 1950s coral lace dress; 1980s tropical print romper.

And now I have blisters and am going to sit down for a bit.

P.S. I knew I would forget something important! I already have some alterations and repairs to do, and I didn't bring a sewing kit. Dagnammit.

Pot(ted, for the Americans!) plants and red pens

Dress - vintage, thrifted
Boater - Halo, bought from Two Squirrels Vintage in Christchurch
Bg - vintage, from Retropolitan
Shoes - yep, Zara again
Belt - thrifted

I heard back from my agent today - she has finished reading the draft and sent me her immediate reactions, and I'm so, so glad and grateful to have someone else's perspective on it. I can never emphasise enough the importance of detached and constructive criticism, and I love receiving it. With this book I have felt a bit like a pot plant sitting on top of the toilet cistern in someone's dark and tiny bathroom, struggling to catch every little drop of water and splash of sunlight that I can. Now someone has thrown open the windows and given me a big jug of water, and I feel like I can grow again. I don't know why I chose a toilet cistern as part of that simile - it's a little random. But I suppose I associate dying plants with the loo, at least in our house.

So - I have a much clearer path as I prepare for (hopefully) a final draft of the book. It has been through so many incarnations, this Difficult Second Novel of mine. The entire plot has changed shape three times. Characters have been introduced and eliminated. As it is now, I am relatively happy with the overall shape of it, but it has suffered from my lack of perspective - I need to get down on my hands and knees and really work through all the logistic and thematic details. At a leisurely pace. And after a much-needed couple of months completely away from it, I think. I feel like the last few chapters need to be paced out and lengthened so that they a) make more sense and b) slow down. Of course, I would be thrilled if my agent had written back with solely positive comments, saying "OMG THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING BOOK EVAH," but I knew that, although it has moments of awesome, it still needs more work. It's good to hear that, and it's good to hear it coming from someone else rather than from the confused and myopic ramblings of my own little mind. I don't want to work on the book straight away, but when I do return to it in a few weeks' time, I'm going to work with a hard copy and a vicious red pen.

In other news, Mink is doing amazingly well. He is eating, drinking and powdering his nose as normal, and has been remarkably brave in exploring the apartment. He has a constant purr going, and seems very happy. My brave little soldier.

I received the most gorgeous swap package yesterday from Carys of La Ville Inconnue - a daily read of mine! She sent me the most amazing large satchel, which is going to become my new laptop bag, an amazing navy and tan bag, two floral skirts and a navy bow blouse that I know I am going to wear to death. Thank you so much, Carys.


P.S. I need to change my Blogger settings to my new time-zone, and I can't figure it out! Can anyone tell me how? Thank you!

Mink!

Dress - '80s, birthday gift from my friend Christina
Pin - vintage, gift from my friend Hannah
Shoes - Zara!

We collected Mink from the airport this morning! It was so good to see him. He looked all bedraggled and tired - much as I do after a long-haul flight - and, after a quick sniff around the apartment, has burrowed down under our bedclothes to have a rest. Yes, that lump is him.




I can't tell you how lovely it is to have him back - I really missed him, and was worried about him on his long journey.

In other (lesser) news, I made my first trip ever to a Walmart last night. It was terrifying. That is all.

Our rental car goes back today, so we are car-less for a while. Tomorrow I'm planning to figure out the public transport system and get to SoCo somehow - we'll see how that goes!

Ahoy!

Today is an at-home, busy-like-a-really-tall-bee kind of day. I'm going to email the completed manuscript of my latest novel to my agent at the end of the day, so I'm finishing it up this morning - I can't wait to have it done and sent off, and to start work on something new! I'm pretty happy with how it's looking - the perspective gained by moving to the other side of the world has really helped. Perhaps I should always move thousands of miles when it's time for a final edit. I'm also looking forward to shoving this set of characters out of my head for a while so that the new set who have been clamouring for attention can move in.

I have established a little routine here already. Since it gets so hot in the middle of the day, I head down to the cafe at about 7:30am and order a large coffee (we don't have a coffee machine in the apartment yet. Starting to think it is essential for survival). I sit at one of the outside tables and work until about 11:30am, enjoying the warmth. Then I head home and potter about doing various other jobs, possibly even having a siesta, until it cools down again (ish) in the late afternoon and I can concentrate again. So far it has been working wonderfully well - even though having a bookstore so close by has been rather dangerous for the wallet.

I am also pottering about our new place, cleaning and doing the laundry (it's amazing how much mess we can generate while essentially just camping out in the apartment). This is incredibly prosaic, but I really enjoy doing laundry here - it dries so quickly! Almost as soon as I've hung it out! Such a change from our house in Christchurch, where laundry would sit on the clothes horse for days at a time and still be slightly damp. Boring to hear about, I'm sure, but moderately exciting in real life.

Edit: Finished the book! Sent it off! Now the neurotic and obsessive worrying can begin.

Driving! Hooray!

Today I feel very triumphant - I drove on the right-hand side of the road for the first time and drove on the freeways for the first time, and I did not injure myself nor others. It's terribly confusing coming from a country where we drive on the other side of the road (and where the driver's seat is on the other side of the car). I managed all right, apart from a tendency to drift to the right-hand side of my lane and some confusion when it came to the indicators, and I'm sure I'll get used to it relatively quickly.

We also did our first supermarket shop. So much fun! I really enjoyed it. I suppose the novelty will wear off eventually ("Hey! Look! AMERICAN cheese") but for now it is very entertaining. We bought a Roomba, too, because I have always wanted one. Largely to see what Mink will make of it. He arrives from New Zealand on Tuesday, and so we have stocked up with plenty of cat food and a new litter tray. This afternoon we are going to buy him some new toys, because I think he will find it difficult adjusting to being an indoors-only cat.

Practical things I have learned so far:

1. The indicators are on the LEFT-hand side of the steering wheel. The left. Not the right. The windscreen wipers are on the right-hand side. I discovered this while continually turning on the windscreen wipers while changing lanes on the freeway, which is entertaining for my passenger but not very helpful for fellow drivers.
2. You switch the light switches UP for on and DOWN for off, which is the opposite movement to New Zealand light switches. Is this is a US thing or an our-apartment thing?
3. The water level in toilet bowls here is a lot higher than in New Zealand, and so you have to be careful when reaching down. Sorry if that is too much information.
4. There is a mind-boggling array of different products in the supermarket, so it's better to grab the first one that looks a) good and b) cheap and not spend half an hour reading the backs of all the different cereal boxes and holding up other shoppers.
5. THE INDICATORS ARE ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.

Outfits, baking and a package!

I have had such a super-productive morning - I'm still buzzing from the high. Being in Austin has somehow given me fresh perspective on the book, and I am nearly (touch wood) completely finished. I am hoping to finish it today and email the entire manuscript to my agent. Whee! Perhaps the hot weather is helping. I wandered down to The Coffee Bean this morning and worked outside in the warmth with a coffee - it was wonderful. Heat feels like home to me, because I grew up in such a hot climate, and I am never happier than when absolutely baking hot.

Speaking of baking - when I bake, I compulsively open the oven door to check on how the baking is doing. I know that this is the worst thing you can do (and, unsurprisingly, I am a terrible baker), but I think it reflects an aspect of my writing as well. I tend to poke and prod at manuscripts, endlessly fiddling with them and never leaving them alone, when sometimes they need to sit by themselves for a while and develop, Taking a little time off from this book and then returning to it has made a huge difference, and has actually been drastically more effective than endlessly opening the metaphorical oven door and interfering with it.

In other news, I bought this amazing dress from the beautiful Silvia, one of my biggest style inspirations (check out her Flickr stream - she's wonderful), and it was waiting for me when we arrived at the apartment! I was so excited, and can't wait to wear it - I'm going to have to save its debut for a special occasion, though.

Austin!

We made it! It took 24 hours and produced an awful lot of blisters (I wore shoes that I thought would be comfortable for a long trip. They were not), but we're here in our new apartment! We're both a bit jet-lagged and bleary today, so we went out for coffee and then for breakfast tacos at The Taco Deli. LOML headed in to the office, poor thing, and I have been exploring the new neighbourhood today. The weather is just glorious - I love the heat.

Right, siesta time. Will reappear when I feel more normal! Thank you so much for all the good wishes.


I look drunk/hungover, but I'm just sleepy! Promise.


Ditto.


The Jess Special is officially the best breakfast taco ever.

Progress report

We are here! We are exhausted. We are going to bed. See you in Austin tomorrow!

At a loose end

Ahoy!

So, apparently, saying that I will be away for a few days makes me post even more often than usual. Oh well! Day Three of moving is complete - all our stuff is packed and in a container ready to brave the ocean waves and meet us in Texas in a couple of months' time. The house is empty. The dustballs under the bed are exposed, and there are even more than I thought there would be. I am at LOML's office, killing a couple of hours before we go to fill out some paperwork, and discovering the joys of Photobooth (particularly the rollercoaster background). I actually managed to get a fair bit of work done this morning while supervising the packing (supervising - watching other people work). Yay. Tonight we get organised for our flight tomorrow, and then we're off!

Moving: Day Two (Day One came and went without fanfare)

So I know that I said I would be gone for a few days, but I'm sitting in the freezing cold, half-empty house supervising the removal guys (I use the word 'supervising' as loosely as it has ever been used) and there is nothing to do but squeeze into a corner and make the most of the internet connection while we still have it. I have a handful of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to keep me going and a gigantic scarf wrapped around my head for warmth. We have been up since 5am, and I need a coffee. It is all going well, though, and it is pretty exciting to see everything being packed up. Opening it all in Austin will be like Christmas (although I'm sure we'll look at a couple of things and say "Why on earth did we bring that?" I'm looking at you, salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like wiener dogs). I feel a bit sorry for my beloved vintage clothes, packed away in a container rather than enjoying the Texas heat - but they'll get to experience it soon enough. Mink is in the cattery until he flies out, and he is doing well (although I'm sure he's pretty annoyed at us).

Thanks for all your comments, everyone! You are keeping me (vaguely) sane.

P.S. I really love the sound of packing tape being unrolled - that sort of screechy tearing sound. Anyone else? I also get very excited when surrounded by large amounts of bubble wrap.

And they're off (kind of)

Hi everyone! Last night was the last time Christina, Hannah and I will be all together for a wee while, and so we made the most of it. Mink is at the cattery, ready for transportation to Texas; we're moving out of the house today; and everything is being packed up over the next couple of days before we leave on Wednesday afternoon. Our Internet access is going to be patchy, so this is goodbye for now - see you soon!

Last Christchurch thrifting day!

Today was my last chance to spend time with my lovely friend Hannah and indulge in one of my favourite Christchurch activities - breakfast at Drexels on Hereford Street, followed by a day of thrifting! It made me a little sad to think that it would be the last time I visited my favourite breakfast restaurant for a while - it has served me well over the years. I always have exactly the same thing - a half portion of Eggs Benedict (substituting the hash brown for grilled tomatoes), a half portion of waffles with maple syrup and whipped butter, and bottomless filter coffee. Yum. As far as I know, it's the only place in Christchurch that provides bottomless filter coffee - we're more of an espresso culture over here - but it's commonplace in the States, from what I can tell. Looking forward to that!

Product placement.


Making a silly face. Drexels, you're welcome.

We went to some of our favourite central city op-shops (eschewing the vintage stores proper, because we were broke). I have been on a shopping ban for a few weeks now - a secret one, because I knew if I announced it I would rebel! - and it was great fun to fall off the wagon and rummage through some secondhand treasures. First stop was the Salvation Army on Lichfield Street (the occasional great find, and usually some very good shoes and handbags); Savemart on Battersea Street (a little pricey at times, but you can find some treasures in the 'retro' section); Cats Unloved on Colombo Street (newly opened and not bad); The Great Opportunity Shop on Colombo Street (with a 'Retro Room' only big enough for one person to enter at a time. So much fun!); and Tasman Traders on Byron Street (most clothing is priced at $4). I spent $27 and serendipitously acquired an entire outfit (minus shoes). I love thrifting.


Cropped leather jacket - vintage, $10
Bow blouse - Vintage Lady Lichfield (I already have the exact same one, but in black and white), $5
Shorts - '80s, $5
Bag - vintage, $5
Scarf - vintage silk, $2

Hope you're having a wonderful Friday, everyone!

Auckland! Land of the Orcs.

LOML and I have just got back from Auckland (it is a couple of degrees warmer up there, and believe me, when it's bloody freezing, you appreciate those two degrees). We had to visit the US Consulate to wrap up a couple of final things. Strangely enough, the people next to us in the queue were from Austin. A sign? I choose to think so.

The view from our hotel room. (Speaking of which, our hotel room had some strange ideas about our habits - there was three of everything in our double room, from towels to water glasses. We didn't invite a friend up, though).


The consulate building, conveniently located right opposite. Good job, LOML!


Celebratory coffee afterwards. Auckland is a great city for people-watching - I've never spent any time there before, and I absolutely loved it. What a beautiful city.


We performed the obligatory tourist activity and climbed the Sky Tower. The views were amazing, unsurprisingly. I thought that I wouldn't mind the glass floor at all, but it actually freaked me out a wee bit. 38mm of glass between me and an enormous drop is not very heartening.


View of the city, looking out to sea.


Seafood paella and sav at Neptune's on The Viaduct.







And now the countdown begins - one week to go!

Houses and homes

I have been wandering about our house for the past few days trying to cement it in my memory. I have been touching the walls (damp; cold), wiggling my toes into the carpet and standing in strange places and positions, trying to get a different perspective. Despite living here for three years and cleaning it top-to-bottom weekly, I really don't think I know this house all that well. You know a place so much better when you're little. You know what the undersides of tables look like. You know where the ants' nests are. You know where the funny-shaped damp patch is on the bathroom wall, where the biggest cobweb is, what the carpet smells like at close range, where the dust bunnies live and multiply. I don't know any of that.

I wrote a piece for the lovely La Belette Rouge last year which encapsulated some of my feelings about leaving Zimbabwe (the whole piece is here).

We left in 2002. Not only did we leave behind the intangible things (‘home’, that strange and inescapable true north; history; pride): we left behind a rubbish tip of Stuff. All the toys I lost in the garden over the years. The bobby pins I dropped behind the dressing table. Cat hair in the carpet. My mother’s jewellery. The dead bodies of my grandparents, crumbled into ashes at their old church. The treehouse. The rifles and bayonets my stepfather threw down the borehole and concreted over (just in case). The books. The furniture. The cat, the chickens, the lovebirds, the guinea fowl, the whole menagerie that lived with us. The endless memorabilia and detritus of three lives lived in one house. We left fingerprints on the walls and footprints on the wooden floor. The ghosts, however, came with us.

Many of my dreams are still set in that house. Sometimes all our furniture is still there, and sometimes it is empty. I think you can tell a lot about someone from their dream landscape - quite often they will have one particular setting that repeats and repeats. I suppose, if we're getting all psychological here (for which I am stupendously unqualified), it represents the fabric of their subconscious. Wow, took a big leap into Arts Student there. But it's true, I think. I have a friend whose dreams are always set in the same fictional city, which I find fascinating. Mine are always in our Zimbabwean house. I wonder if I haunt it in my sleep? It would be pretty cool if some travelling aspect of my mind turned up in the house as a ghost without me realising it. Although probably not so much fun for the new inhabitants.

I did not love the house unreservedly - it scared me, too. Strange noises at night; snakes in the compost heap; ghosts in the long corridor. But I feel more connected to that place than I have (or will) to any other. Some part of me will always be there, I think. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true.I know that leaving New Zealand will not be the same. We are going TO somewhere, not running FROM somewhere. That is probably the biggest difference. Also, I am an adult now, and (relatively) in control of my own destiny. As much as anyone can be. I am really looking forward to the move. At the same time, though, it does bring back memories of the last time I moved continents, for better or worse.

Pre-ordering The Cry of the Go-Away Bird

First of all, thank you so much for all your comments on the cover yesterday. I was thrilled to be able to show it to you at last - while documenting this whole process for the blog over the past two years, I have really appreciated all your support. I know that many of you have been reading from the very beginning, and your kind words and encouragement were a huge help as I went through the often gruelling process.

Anyway.

A few of you have asked about getting a copy of the book in the US. I have no idea when or if the book will be officially released in US bookstores, but you can pre-order the book (or order it when it is released!) through the Canadian Amazon site. Hopefully the shipping rates from there will be less scary than through Amazon UK! Probably still a little scary, though. But more R.L. Stine than Stephen King. Here is the link:

Pre-order from Amazon Canada

And the UK site:

Pre-order from Amazon UK

My book cover!

The lovely Amanda let me know that my book is available for pre-order on Amazon UK, and that the cover image is displayed there. So I guess I can show it to you now, after all! I'm so glad, because I really love it and have been dying to show everyone. This is the cover for the hardback edition coming out early next year.



Whee! What do you think?

* * *

Things seem to be falling into place, time-wise, and I am relieved. We have been in limbo for a while now, and I do not like limbo. Except the dance. I quite like the dance.

I have almost finished the new book. It is exciting to see it falling into place; there is clearly a connection between my state of mind and the book's progress, which I guess is really not that surprising. While we were uncertain about when we were leaving, I felt lost in my writing as well. Now that there is a crystallised plan, I can see the book more clearly as well. I would really love to have it finished before we go, so that I can start a new project once we get there. New location, new book! I already have something in the works (the first couple of chapters are floating about in Andrea's Hard Drive, a place which bears a striking resemblance to the island on Lost, except with worse lighting). There are still a few extra scenes that need to be written, but ideally I would like to be able to take the final draft on the plane with me for proofing as we fly. We'll see.

As far as The Cry of the Go-Away Bird goes, it is looking scarily like a real, live book! Seeing the typeset pages and the full cover, complete with blurb, is so exciting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more foreign rights will sell in the next few months, but I am greatly looking forward to the Dutch translation too.

Thanks, as always, for all your comments!

Cautious optimism

We might actually have a leaving date now. MIGHT. I am going to keep quiet about it, just in case it changes again.

(I'm not supersitious - I'm just stitious).