A Quick Update

Just a quick update, as I'm laid low with the same tummy bug Lucinda has been battling for more than a week now.

Settlement is due to go through tomorrow and we're hopeful that'll happen. We haven't heard otherwise.

We appreciate all the advice left on the last post. Just to clarify a few things (and put some minds at rest) - we're not actually living in the house yet.

We took an early possession (which was negotiated through our solicitors and signed off by the vendors) purely so we could store our furniture and whitegoods in their shed and get some much-needed cleaning done.

It's not ideal, but not doing it would have meant we would have been without our belongings - including all Lucinda's Christmas presents - until January as our removalist is flat out at this time of year and the things were stored in his lock up.

We will hopefully move in by the end of this weekend, if our settlement goes through as planned and we get all the locks changed in time.

If settlement doesn't go through? We're not sure yet. If this deal goes pear shaped still, I can assure you we're legally more than covered. They've breached their end of the contract in several ways already, we haven't at all.

We've taken precautions the way through - hundreds of photographs and taking anything that could possibly be perceived as having value out of the house and stacking it neatly under cover in case they want to get it.

No harm has been done to our possessions, which my handy husband secured in the shed using a considerable amount of timber and screws. We know the vendors are now staying in a suburb 1.5 hours drive from the house, so we can't imagine them driving by to cause trouble unless they were particularly committed. If they did? It's only furniture and whitegoods. There's nothing of sentimental value in there. Plus, it's insured. I can live with that risk.

In a perfect world,  none of this would have happened and we probably would have moved in by now.

As it is, we're moving every couple of days from friend to family, trying not to overstay our welcome when two of us are so clearly unwell.

I'll be very, very happy if we can get in and start unpacking this weekend. Maybe we can even get the Christmas tree up and redeem some of this festive season before it's all over.