And something else odd I've noticed is that when I delete all the paths, for some reason the ellipse I used to create the path remains, like a ghost, what the hell is that? If I delete a path and the selection mark remains that doesn't make any sense!

If you have "Pick a path" checked in the dialog you have to click on the path, or very, very close to it. With "Move the active path" you can click anywhere.

Selection and paths are independent of each other, even if you create one from the other. Creating a path from the selection doesn't remove the selection, it stays around. This can be a cause of trouble, because if you stroke the path with the selection still there, you will only get half the line (the part inside of the selection).

Okay I managed to get it moving. This is what I was missing before- the ellipse I created was not yet a path, as I had clicked on the wrong button- Selection to path as opposed to path to selection (I'm confused as to the distinction!?). This exercise has taught me a hell of a lot though.

Your statement is correct, although it took some practical clicking around at the toolboxes to figure this out. I guess this is the only way. Now that I've been puzzled by and then figured it out my understanding of GIMP is ten times what it was yesterday.

A "path" is just a set of instructions to draw virtual lines. Start here, get there, then over there.... To transform the path (scaling, rotation, translation...), the points are moved and the virtual lines are redrawn (so they are always perfect...).

A "selection" is a pixel-by-pixel indication of which pixels are selected. This pixel is in, this pixel is out, this pixel is partly in... This is representable as a grayscale image, where fully selected pixels are white, non selected pixels are black, and partly selected pixels are gray.

To go from path to selection, the path is "virtually" drawn and the pixel inside the path are marked selected. In the other direction, the border of the selection is computed (which is harder than it looks), and then a path is computed that follows that border.

Still not clear about the explanation- but I'm guessing, practically speaking, in ordinary English- therefore is it that path to selection is creating a path to a current selection and vice versa?