And we’re loading

It was a bad start, the movers got lost and an argument ensued.

Things started getting heated and threats were made to cancel the job. It was all because I couldn’t hold a parking spot for a van on a central London street.

After a while things calmed down, we shook hands and got on with the job. It was actually sleeting, I was shaking with cold (or rage) and it was turning into one of the most auspiciously miserable days ever.

A phone call then came in from the solicitor to say we were still waiting for payment to transfer which meant the sale hadn’t completed and so the purchase also hadn’t completed. And with a 1pm cut off, time was ticking along. We have 35 minutes left as I write this.

With a van full of furniture and nowhere to go, things were less than fun and we hadn’t even started trying to get the bloody sofa out!

More to come, let’s hope it improves…

D-Day

09;00 hours and with military precision, everything is packed and ready to go.

Agnes has left the building for the last time as she’s spending the day with the Russian dog sitter.

I am now waiting for the movers…

The added bonus is that it’s pouring with rain so everything will get wet.

My biggest concern is how we’re going to get the sofa out. It went in but took a large chunk of plaster off the wall. I seriously hope it’s shrunk over the past four years.

The other unknown is what’s waiting for me at the other end. Have the furniture, cats, fur coats and cognac bottles been removed? Will I really be able to stay there tonight and will I regret it if I do?

More to come…

The countdown is on

Some boxes are packed, some clothes have been boxed, crockery, glasses, furniture, lamps, outdoor sofas, the list goes on.

The goal is to have everything packed by the end of the weekend so the last few days will be spent enjoying having a kitchen and a washing machine.

With no kitchen on the horizon, we’ll be cooking on a single hot plate and washing up in the disabled bathroom.

Now… where’s the tape?

Exchanged

We have now exchanged on both flats which basically means we’re all locked in and there’s no way out.

The final step is completion on December 7th and that’s it, the end of one adventure and the start of a whole new project.

And of course, Big T is off to France for two weeks so guess who’s moving house twice in a day…alone?!

And another step forward

And so with the very real prospect of being homeless (and I had started looking for airbnbs) Big T took control and negotiated a deal on the place we’ve been trying to buy.

I won’t go into the complexities of leaseholds and freeholds as it’s all a bit too dull but having sent in the big guns (Big T) we have a price reduction to solve the problem and a completion of date of December 7th. How lucky is that?

We will confirm everything on Monday but all being well, we can move straight from our nice, warm comfortable renovated flat into a complete shithole, just in time for Christmas! Yay.

To be confirmed

The latest update is that we have tentatively agreed to move out on December 7th. This is not definite but it is certainly better than being asked to move out next Wednesday (today being Friday!) Hahahahahaaaaaaagh!

This has been one of the most badly organised transactions to date with a foreign buyer who has been left to flounder, a seriously incompetent solicitor (theirs) and an absolutely useless estate agent (ours).

Having waited five months for a completion date, to be asked to sign and move out in five days is actually hilarious and I have laughed today (albeit ironically) more than I have laughed recently.

On another slightly more serious note, we have nowhere to move to so it looks like fun times ahead!

And on that note, the packing begins this weekend with (perhaps?) two weeks to go.

No news is… no news

There are still complications with both our sale and our purchase so it looks like we’re not going anywhere for the time being.

To say I’m fed up is a serious understatement so here are two pictures of Agnes to keep things in perspective.

She, at least, is continuing as normal…