Mundane life

24/11/13 16:47 [Sunday]
I’m at a bit of a loose end so I thought I might take the opportunity to set down a few facts about my mundane life of late, and especially how we are getting on with selling the bungalow.
We had several viewings scheduled in October. According to my diary - filling in the details from memory - Mr and Mrs B were supposed to come on Sunday 13th but cancelled. Then later (possibly on the Monday) they re-made the appointment and came in the event on Tuesday 15th October. We were told (probably on the Wednesday) that they thought the bungalow too small for their needs.
Mr and Mrs C viewed at 6 pm on Thursday 17th October and I think this must have been their second viewing, because we accepted an offer from them put to us via the estate agent on Saturday 19th and my recollection is that they told us at the viewing that they would put in the offer - which we said at that time we would accept - and we thought we might hear from the estate agent on the Friday but were disappointed. But, as I say, that disappointment was reversed the following day Saturday.
We were therefore able to phone the estate agent in Bawtry (near Doncaster) and say that we could proceed with the offer accepted earlier in the year for the house in Harworth to be near Dawn’s relatives. I think it was after the weekend that we heard back that both parties to that sale - a separated or divorced couple - had been informed and had given the nod. However the lady moving from the property had still to find somewhere to buy.
She was looking over a period of perhaps three weeks and the estate agent kept in touch, saying several times that she had put in offers but they had not been accepted. Eventually she put in an offer which was accepted - quite quickly if you think about it, the time she took to find a place - and yesterday I heard that the chain was complete in that everybody - the people she was buying from, the people they were buying from, and so on (although it isn’t a very long chain in fact) - had found funding and provided the evidence necessary to the lending companies. The last I heard the Bawtry estate agent will any day now send out the memorandum confirming the acceptance of our offer and we shall be one more step along the road to Harworth (because up to now the house we are buying has not been listed as ‘Sold’). The expected timescale - which we have mentioned to Mr and Mrs C buying our bungalow - is for exchange of contracts just before Christmas and moving day just after Christmas.
Mr and Mrs C came last Saturday - a week ago yesterday - to do some measuring up and any day now we expect their mortgage valuation surveyor to make an appointment. We trust this will go without a hitch especially as seemingly only a small mortgage is required. We have heard from the Cs’ solicitor with minor queries and out of that we are having our central heating serviced this week, as when it was done (less than a year ago) no confirmatory paperwork was left with us.
On the evening of Wednesday 6th November Dawn and I retired to bed at a reasonable time - not perhaps as early as sometimes - but I was rather annoyed (let’s call it) not to get any proper sleep because Dawn was tossing and turning. Finally she woke me up fully around 1 am saying she had been sick eight or nine times and had terrible tummy pains. I suspected appendicitis and phoned 111 (the successor to NHS Direct), and I must say despite what I have read they were spot on with us that night. I imagine they thought it might be a heart attack, and they sent for an ambulance without much ado. First to arrive was a paramedic, who could see much better than I how much pain Dawn was in. He gave her morphine and sent for a transport ambulance, which arrived about 1.30 am. There was a lot of waiting before getting into the ambulance and actually in the ambulance, as Dawn was given more morphine and they have to give it slowly interspersed with intravenous water (saline solution, I suppose).
They did then convey us to hospital - Dawn’s daughter who is now living with us holding the fort at home (or in truth asleep with the dog in her room) - and we arrived about 2.30 am.
The upshot was that there was a strong supposition that it was gall-stones (either that or very bad indigestion, the doctor said) and for gall-stones thy don’t like to do emergency operations if they can be avoided. But we were to go urgently to the GP next day and arrange for a scan (an ultrasound scan, it is) so that’s what we did.
The GP said it might take up to six weeks before the scan but in fact it was last Wednesday (20th November) that I went with Dawn to the old Guest Hospital and she had the scan. The technician told her there and then that it was gall-stones (and the gall-bladder was inflamed) so this coming week we are going to the GP expecting him to arrange for an operation. We hope it will be before we move - otherwise Dawn might have to start on a fresh waiting list in Bassetlaw - and if we remind the GP that we are moving very soon they might bring the operation forward.
The other fact of life for me at present is Dawn’s daughter living with us (as I said) and her dog. The dog has developed a fondness for jumping and biting at Dawn if she hasn’t seen her for half an hour (or overnight, say) and Dawn finds this difficult. As a result of this I am not able to go out - Dawn is quite scared of the dog - unless my step-daughter is in (and out of bed and able to take charge of the dog).
So that covers the salient features of my practical life the past two months or so.