I received an email the other day from someone who was so moved by my blog post, The Painting, that she felt the need to reach out to me and thank me for sharing my thoughts and feelings. It is always lovely to get positive feedback from people who aren’t your friends and family (my mum is my biggest fan – love you, ma), so it made me feel all fuzzy and warm inside. For about five minutes. Then I realised that, oh crap, I haven’t actually updated this blog in MONTHS.

Shame on you, Andrea. Shame on you.

I guess the issue is, I just got so darn busy. My freelance business is going from strength-to-strength (touch wood, marble, or whatever fake superstition type thing we’re doing these days) and whatever spare time I have I dedicate to my travel blog, Scribble, Snap, Travel, or my new novel (yes, I’ve started a new one! More on that in a little bit). And then, of course, I need time to curl up and read, so that leaves me with a little spare time that I use for meeting friends (in order to not be a hermit).

However, I am aiming to start updating this again, even if it’s only once every week or two, because I love this space and I’ve had it ever since I began my freelance journey, so it would be a shame not to maintain it.

What’s new? Well:

  • I’ve started work on a new novel and I’m very excited about this one. I have an outline of a story and I’m feeling extremely confident about it, as I’ll be exploring themes that are close to my heart. Watch this space for loads of updates on how it’s coming along.
  • I spent an amazing month in Berlin back in March and fell in love with the city. It’s quirky, it’s weird, and it’s magnificent. I want to go back soon, however…
  • …new lands beckon! I’m heading to Japan in October, which is the most exciting thing ever. I’ve been obsessed with Japan for, well, ever so to finally travel there will be a dream come true (and then it will be time for the next long-standing dream: South America. In 2017 I’ll be a’coming!).
  • I’m also hoping to travel back to the Greek islands and, possibly, Lisbon over the summer. Again, watch this space.
  • Over the coming weeks, I’m planning to head down to London, which is still one of my favourite cities in the world. I have loads of amazing friends there who I want to catch up with. And, of course, this is the perfect opportunity to eat my way around town and soak up some culture.
  • As I mentioned, work is going well, however, I’m also looking to shake things up. I need a new challenge, I’ve decided, whether that be starting a side business, or learning new skills. I’ve started some brainstorming and aim to get moving on this over the coming months. I firmly believe that if you’re not  trying or learning something new you stagnate – and that’s NO fun.

That’s all in a nutshell. I’m enjoying this period of incubation and seeing where it leads. Keep your eyes peeled for all the updates on my new novel; I’ll be documenting the process of writing it, so there will be loads coming up on this space in the near future.

Adiós for now.