So, a few things have happened since last I blogged. Our personal loan has – finally – been approved so we’ll be able to buy some new furnitire when we move. The house purchase is ticking along. We’ve had a valuation survey and a home-buyer survey done on the house. The HB survey didn’t find any major gremlins, though they do recommend that we have the electrics inspected because they’re a bit dated and might not be up to code. I’ve contacted a certified electrical contractor and they’re going to do a Periodic Maintenance Inspection report some time this coming week.
The solicitors have been informed of our preferred completion date, though I’m less than sure that we’ll be able to make it. Ideally, we’d like to complete on the 1st of April. That way, we could give Bidwells our month’s notice and still have the whole of April to do the necessary DIY in the new house and then move in without having to pay rent and mortgage in the same month. Right now, we’re still in the middle of the searches and our mortgage app is still in progress. We’re keeping our fingerrs crossed. Sadly, there’s still a whole lot of things that could still go wrong.
We’re trying to keep a positive attitude and, in a mad spree of optimism, we’ve started packing stuff this weekend and breaking down the bigger bits of furniture that need it (or won’t fit in the doorways or the stairwell otherwise). We’ve gotten some removals quotes as my folks have kindly offered to finance our movers :)
My citizenship application is with the UK Border Agency and the solicitors tell me that the waiting time has come down from 6-7 months to 2-3, so I could be a bloke come May.
In other news, we have the world’s first Siberian coodle. Tolstoy got so matted in the last few weeks and hated being brushed so his backside turned into one giant mat. We decided that enough was enough and took him to the vet to get sedated and brushed thoroughly. We expected that he’d lose a lot of fur, but not to the extend of having his entire hind quarters shaved. He has, and a kid you not, a poodle fur cut. And those legs! SKINNY! We burst out laughing the first time we saw him. He, on the other hand, seems to feel a lot better and has been more like himself since his make over.
On a final note, we have moved BenBen into his own room at night. We bit the bullet on Friday night and it went rather well. Same again for last night. He falls asleep like a rock and will wake up grumbling a few times during the night but settles himself back down after a while. He tends to wake up and stay awake around 6-ish but is happy to stay in his cotbed until 6:30 or so when we manage to drag ourselves out of bed. And he’s getting big. And vocal. And he giggles a lot. This makes us happy. The ladies at the nursery are amazed at how vocal he is.