Red letter day

Thursday 10 September 2015

Glorious autumn day
WF is 24
We sell big rental unit

The day started horrifically early with the flight of the bumblebee from my trusty Blackberry (taken off OH for the purpose of its alarm function seeing as since the kids left home, we haven't needed an alarm clock).  6.30.  What a dreadful hour.  Dreadfully dark.  We staggered around in the emerging light and drank tea and threw on some clothes and went down to the doctor's surgery.  OH has bronchitis, he said.  He asked if OH had been wearing a mask when he does renovation and he said sometimes, when actually the answer is never.  He doesn't wear the ear protectors either and is becoming infuriatingly deaf.

Back home and had breakfast and dog was under the table and trying to pretend that things hadn't kicked off quite so early.  Trimmed some photos and uploaded them and then had bath and it was time to go down town and meet the lady who has come to sign the completion on the big rental unit.  She was late and I sat at one of the big bay windows and watched the people on the market and felt sad in a way that this would be the last time I would sit here.  The floors shone with yesterday's waxing and the chandelier sparkled in the morning sunshine.   The telephone of the restaurant below went beep, beep, beep and the machines of the dry cleaning business drummed away.

The lady appeared suddenly out of the crush and I let her in and we spent an hour drawing the layout and measuring every surface, door and window.  The said they were thinking of putting up Venetian blinds (the french call then Persian blinds) - I would like to see how they are going to get those to fit into the solid stone 18th century walls....

Finally we finished and had a tough time getting somewhere to eat - the first four places were full so finally we ended up at the river restaurant and had crudités, mushroom omelette and pear tarte and it was passable.  Realised that there was only 20 minutes before we were supposed to be at the notaries so she drove me there.  OH was already there and chafing.  The read through seemed to take forever and the lady looked very tired.  She was facing a drive back to Rennes, which is a very very long way north.  The signature was electronic and saved us each signing 148 pages of Acte, annexes et al.  We got our copies of the documentation, signed the capital gains forms (bastard tax man) and went home.  Felt very tired.  Had thought we would be elated but actually it has been such a long haul that we both fell asleep on the sofa just before nine.  Eight years to sell such a gorgeous unit.  It just needed someone to see how beautiful is was and not to think there are 42 stairs up to the top.

Walked dog and then talked to WF on Skype.  He had day off today, par hasard, and spent most of it sleeping.  Good news about Christmas is that OH sister in law is not booked out so we can all be together!!!