under another sun

Practical things today such as fixing the step in the back garden, and then driving off to the tip to drop off bags of smelly garden rubbish and buy silicone from the hardware store. At home we -- wildly impressively -- resealed the shower tray after watching a video on YouTube.  After these triumphs we were momentarily sprawled on the sofa where Lorraine was called by Angie our buyer, who is now out of hospital after a nightmarish scenario of having been given a whole bunch of medications that then promptly disappeared. Most importantly for us, they confirmed they still wanted to move -- a big relief. We have agreed to give them a couple more weeks recovery, before swapping contracts -- for a move in late October. The relief  their end was palpable.  Obviously this is not ideal for us, but we felt there is light at the end of the tunnel. We'll see. A quiet, tea sipping kind of evening. All well. Below, Brian looking forlornly over the wall of our tiny front garden. ...

A distinct Friday feeling. Woke up at 5am, and stayed awake. Did business admin, sent off three invoices to coax some doubloons from the ether. Had to upload passport photographs etc. to accept the job starting next week -- and had to call Keith who was driving off to do some camping.  Angie and Richard in Seaford called in a rather a worried state. The man next door to them is going to convert his loft, and they had got it into their heads that we would now not want to buy their house. They wanted to tell me themselves because they consider us friends now. Once I reassured them that this wouldn't change anything, they also said that the were going to shortly be able to move themselves, so the Seaford end of move is looking fine. Fingers still rigidly crossed for everything else. Had a nice chat with Mum while strolling across Preston Park and down London Road to the gym. She was going for a scan at Edgware General, and then was going to The Waggon and Horses afterwards. It was her...

Gradually getting ourselves together. Laundry to be done among other things. Bought myself a rail pass, and tried to download it into an app, which would not work and after struggling and re-downloading, I ended up phoning the helpline and they said it was a problem with the app itself and try again in a day or two. Gah. Plus they have siphoned off what I have paid quite happily. The afternoon off to Seaford, to meet Richard and Angie again, who took us around what will hopefully be our house in the not too distant future. Richard was showing us how everything worked in some detail, and also filling in a form about what he wanted to leave or take.  Lovely to look around the place again but I have become such a pessimist that I am trying to keep a tight lid on my enthusiasm till we know we are over the line, whereupon I shall caper like a spring lamb. We arrived at 2pm and left at a quarter to seven, having been given bread and cheese and tea and cake. They are incredibly hospitable...