Oh tell me about it Chris STILL haven't had anything back from my solicitors, no phone call, no e-mail, not letter, no nuffink! I sent them another e-mail yesterday asking 4 questions, I want to know about my building survey, i.e. when is it safe to go ahead with that coz we're not having a mortgage and they normally do all that don't they, but we want a full structural jobby, but no answer! I've got everything ready including a letter to give to her coz I know what she's going to ask for, final inspection notices on the loft extension, plus a letter from the boiler servicing people confirming it has a regular annual service, and I can't wait to take it down there, but my agent said, it's not ettiquette, I have to WAIT and as yer know, I don't like waiting!!! I even offered to take it all to their solicitors, but she got horrified at that one lol!

I know it's probably jumping the gun, but I'm going to get some large packing boxes in (dare I??????!!!! ) at least start on our clothing and kitchen stuff. I know the removal men would do it all, but Dave is adamant that he isn't paying out hundreds of pounds for a couple of divvies with a van, so instead, he's going to hire a 7 tonner and get all his mates to help him with all our stuff. So at the end of the day, it's muggins here, who will end up doing all the packing, so I might as well make a start. I've now sold the huge wardrobe upstairs and 2 chests, so there won't actually be much furniture we're taking, it's all those bits that we've accumulated over 25 years that I'm worried about Dave's tardis out there, I daren't even go there, let alone my shed which seems to be used as a skip for his throw-outs!!! That's his department, I'll stick with the kitchen and my clothes.

thanks for that vote of confidence there H, I need it, coz it's the only thing that is really worrying me at the moment, plus the fact that I've "mislaid" the actual drawing of the loft extension with that stamp on it you know, that, reeeeeally important one, although I have all the others. Hopefully, because I've got the yellow "permitted" notices, they won't notice the drawing is the wrong one which I'll attach.

My buyers have been busy e-mailing my agents for this, that and t'other, and I bet they're well impressed with just how quickly I'm coming up with all the answers, coz they should be!!! They're disappointed they can't have my telly now, but I said I'd leave the big bracket on the wall (that cost £97!!!!) and they can stick up their £300 Curry's one if they like, coz they aint having my plasma handmedown from Dave for that money, no way! I don't mind selling all the stuff we won't need at knock down prices, but not stuff that we do need, meaning we've got to buy new, coz we just won't have the dosh once we've paid these super efficient solicitors of ours.

The 2 security lights on the gate posts have now blown up typical! I've ordered 2 new ones and am going to B&Q tomorrow to collect them, so hopefully, they do storage boxes for moving? I hope they do coz now that my dining room is empty I can start filling it all up with boxes lol!

I got a load of strong cardboard boxes (new) given thankfully so used them when we moved. Like you, we left a lot of the furniture behind, but did bring the fridge freezer, washing machine, TV all of which were fairly new (and very damned heavy). We moved using a cheap rental van and just me and Dave. Dave was ill with a bad chest problem at the time so muggins here did most of the running up and down to the van. Of course, being a true Yorkshire man, Dave said we would manage and it would save pounds It did and we did, but it was very, very hard work. The bungalow needed gutting so we lived in the static caravan we had bought on a nearby site for 6 weeks until we got it done. Thankfully, because of that, we moved the stuff over on the Saturday, but parked up outside the van until Sunday before unloading it - otherwise I think it would have been the death of us .

Having had one sale break down, I wouldn't pack a single thing until I was sure we were out of the danger zone so everything was done in the last week - that was a big mistake!

Maybe you'll only need bulbs for the lights, or they have tripped or something? Hopefully won't cost you too much.

Oh don't remind me we've moved more times than I want to think about, once we hired a big Luton van and loaded everything into that, worked from dawn to dusk and it dam near killed me But you are right it can save a huge amount and you know what's fragile and you put it in the right place, the one and only time we used a removal firm we had two breakages, one of which was a nice antique which couldn't be repaired and we only had a few pieces that could be classed as 'antique' In case you are wondering we still only have a few pieces that are genuine antique

Blimey Chris, sounds like you had a real tough time with your last move there and yes, I think it might have done just that if you hadn't parked up like that for a night's kip! We used my horse lorry when we moved here, and I remember having my little old estate full to the brim with those last few items, with the dogs perched on the top lol! How I drove here I don't know, but I remember it well! I shall make sure me and Zena get a head start on the morning, and leave them to it I think! Luckily, one of the guys Dave has lynched to help us, actually used to work for a removal company, so hopefully he hasn't forgotten how to do it. Every time I have to move a piece of furniture with Dave it sets us off laughing, and we have to stop coz we're both cracked up!! This is all because when we bought that guest house many years ago, 10 big bedrooms on 3 floors, we had to get all the beds out before we could gut it, and bringing those mattresses down was a right scream going round those corners, and me being pushed down the stairs, so it's kind of stuck with us, and it's impossible for us to move anything nowadays, without having those memories and laughing. Last night we attempted the dining room table out into the garage from the dining room, and the first thing he said to me was "don't laugh"!!!! As he was trying to dismantle it all, he had Zena leaping on him, kissing his face, so that set him off already, I had no chance of not laughing Funny how life has you crying your heart out one minute and laughing in hysterics the next isn't it. Oh dear, hope that doesn't mean.......

Sadly not Nicola, he said he took them apart last week-end and they've almost disintegrated inside coz the weather has got to them, shame, coz they are really nice lights but I'm going for the cheap option this time, case of having to!

Oh H, that reminds me of when we went over to Mallorca to sell mum's flat, we had to move the WHOLE lot out in one day, coz at 10pm the night before, I got a phone call from the solicitor saying they wanted vacant posession, otherwise they weren't gonna buy it OMG, I had to ring up this antique dealer chap in the UK, who knew a man in Mallorca, and he came round and met us at the flat at 8.30 and gave me a price for the lot! He only wanted certain bits, but I told him, he's gotta take it ALL, otherwise he can't have those bits he wants lol! We started at 5 am and finished at 7pm totally knackered, 2 flights of narrow stairs, or a lift that you could only get 2 people in!!!

The local charity shop did very well indeed I can tell ya! 25 years of mum's memories and cherished moments, all gone, because although I had ordered a big van to bring stuff back to the UK that she wanted, there was a limit on how much he would bring, so choices were made, it broke my heart Every drawer and cupboard we opened was FULL of stuff and there were a lot of drawers and cupboards, ruthless was putting it mildly, but we had no choice, mum had expected to be going back there, and that couldn't happen for her with a broken ankle and being 81 at the time, she made a choice, sad as it was
She will love this new place though!!!!!

Ah b****r, I'm needing mine fixed too and the sparky said something similar to me was hoping you'd got off lighter!

Well good luck with yours then Natalie!

At last!!! A long e-mail from the solicitor yayyyyyyyy She's working late then, hopefully on my behalf lol! I've got all the figures I asked for all set out, so I know where we stand financially now, i.e. broke!!!!!

She has confirmed what you have said Chris, anything CAN go pear shaped before exchange, so I am to sit and wait until she tells me it's safe to book my building survey, but at least I've found out none of them are busy atm, so they should be there within days after a phone call anyway.

Oh this is not only exciting, it's bladdy exhausting, and we've only just started. Something is on its way to me setting out what she needs from me, so finger's crossed I've got it all together, which I think I have, I am, afterall, Mrs Organised, at least I was when I was younger!!!!

Got a surveyor coming here tomorrow, so maybe I'm safe to book ours coz of course they have got to pay for this, so it's all getting serious now!

I've found a good surveyor in the area for ours, and he's given me a very good quote for a building survey which will cover everything we need including the cost of repairs. Can you believe, he actually thinks we need the cheaper version because the full building one apparently is for houses in serious need of repair, but Dave has insisted on this biggy and at only £150 extra I think he might be right. If anything major crops up of course, then we're gonna have to think again or get a drastic price reduction aren't we, but hopefully, it should sail through. I don't know the age of the house but at a guess I'd say the 60's or 70's purely because of the Spanish theme going on there!

I haven't started packing yet, but I really must think about it now at this stage I think.

I agree with dave I think, best getting the bigger survey. Better a hundred quid wasted than a hundred grand plus.
All getting very close now H, bet you can't wait!

It's always worth getting the full one in a coastal area and you're right, once you've got a surveyor coming on your own, you know things are moving along so time to get serious