More than halfway there...

I woke up this morning to my downstairs neighbours fighting ... again. It wasn't even 9am yet. There was shouting, swearing and pretty soon the door slamming started. I rolled my eyes at Nuala and she did the same. Our Saturday routine.

Thank goodness we're leaving.

It wasn't long before we heard the downstairs door slide open and then slam shut. I had just sat down with my coffee to get started on my writing for the day -- I've been a little lax lately. I heard someone walking along the gravel path beside the house and knew at least one of them was leaving.

Then the door opened and slammed again and I heard someone else along the side of the house. One of them had left first and now the other was chasing. He first, then she, I soon realised when I heard her screaming at him from the end of the driveway, then down the street as she chased after him. It was just after 9am at this point. Can you tell that these people, her particularly, have no sense of how their behaviour impacts other people?

Thank goodness we're leaving.

She soon came back to the house, stomping along the gravel this time, and again the door slide open and slammed shut. Then the banging and thowing of things started again in earnest. I won't repeat her exact words here, but needless to say they were not suitable for the ears of her 3-year old son, any more than they are suitable for you.

As they got ready we could hear her cursing her boyfriend repeatedly and it wasn't very long before we heard the door slide open and slam, yet again. This time, both she and the boy left together and were picked up by one of her family -- her mother, I think. They put the son in the car and then slammed all four doors before taking off.

Thank goodness we're leaving.

Then, and only then, was I able to really concentrate on my writing. I knew I had a lot of work to do, in order to make up for the time lost over the past three days as Nuala and I have been repeatedly interrupted by the constancy of the fighting down below and I simply haven't had the energy to get myself up and out of bed in the mornings. But write I did.

I cleared 4000 words today and intend on doing the same or better tomorrow. Simon is having a pretty rough day. If you haven't had a chance to catch up with him lately, you can do so by visiting this page.

Is anyone actually reading the novel? Do you have any thoughts on it that you'd like to share? Questions? Please keep editorial comments to a minimum. After all, this is the first draught and I certainly don't expect it to be perfect. Okay, I DO expect it to be perfect, but I've given up actually thinking it will be.

Enjoy your Saturday. It's a gorgeous day here and I think Nuala and I are going to go for a drive and then see the new Harry Potter movie.