15th April 2006

The Easter holiday saw me, with both Tom and my parent's invaluable help, moving the first load of my furniture and other things (mainly books!) from my flat in Rotherhithe. At the moment I am trying to sell the flat and have a buyer interested -who I am trying to bully along for a quick sale. I am fairly sure she wants to buy the flat, but I sometimes think that she is being a little too slow for my liking and I worry that the place will not be sold in time for the big day on the 5th June 2006. In any event I have pre-positioned a re-mortgage which is pretty much done and is waiting only for me to give the go ahead for my solicitor to finish the rest of the work he needs to do. So I hope that I've done everything I can to cover my bases so that if the sale does not go ahead I can re-mortgage. A sale is obviosuly the prefereable route because then I can have a clean break and not have to worry about the flat while I am away (renting it out and paying the mortgage is a big worry). It also works out better for Miriam because if I do sell the place she will equally not have to worry about watching the place while I'm gone (which she had offered to do) and it also means that when she qualifies she can go abroad (she wants to work in Dubai) and I would be able to join her without having to stay in London for too long to watch the flat. The 5th Une 2006 is also a big date for Miriam as she is off to Cologne for three months with work and she starts there on the 6th meaning that the 5th for her will be spent moving and settling into her flat in Cologne. Once she's back in London in September she will then be here for only six more months before, she hopes, she will be setting off for her final seat in Dubai. That would then mean that around the time I'll be getting back from my trip will be the time she is getting back from Dubai and so we are hoping we can meet back in London!