It’s been a very good weekend – plenty of viewings and things are looking very positive. I should know more by Tuesday at the latest.

Till then here are some dancing scary bears to keep you going!

As you know the Italian did the dirty on me late last month and I dusted myself down and decided to reduce the price for the house to the amount he offered. Well, I spoke to the agency manager and she suggested a marketing ploy to get more people through the door – to advertise the house for sale at offers over £75,000.00! I was a bit shocked at first but she explained that it really just was a way to get people interested but I wouldn’t have to sell it for any less than I chose to.

The advert went online this week and in the papers too and it really has stirred things up – I’ve certainly had a few more viewings than before so that’s great. The cheeky bugger is the Italian. He phoned up the agency and asked if I would consider dealing with him again – he offered £10,000.00 less than we previously agreed on! I was angry when I first heard he’d made the new offer; after all it was his fault that I have had to go to such extremes! I calmed down pretty quickly though and put my business head on. I haven’t turned his offer down flat but just left it dangling for now. I was happy to get another offer this morning from another person – £85,000.00 which I politely refused and by the end of the day it was increased to £90,000.00. So… I have two offers of £90,000.00 on the table and I had another two viewings today, I’m feeling much more positive and hopeful that in a short time I will have a sale and then Patrick and I can get on with the business of starting our life together.

I’m in Belfast for the weekend. It’s Pride weekend – which I can take or leave to be honest – but it will be nice to be here to watch the protests and criticism of Iris Robinson flare up. Click on her name to find out what this nasty piece of work has been saying and doing using her ‘Christian’ faith to hide behind. I’ve often thought that if God does indeed exist he must hang his head in shame when he sees how some of his ‘followers’ carry on.

I meet my ‘mother-in-law’ today.  We are going to have lunch in town with her and I’m looking forward to meeting her. Patrick and I have been teased by his friends in the past that he is ‘marrying his mother’. This is due to the fact that his mother and I share an interest in such things as reiki, crystals and healing generally. It will be nice to hear more about her experiences. I am not at all stressed or worried about meeting her – beyond my natural shyness (don’t laugh, I AM shy!!!) I expect we will get on well enough; we have to really as her son plans to make an honourable man out of me.

Two house viewings today and one on monday – I know that it is only a matter of time before someone makes an honest offer to buy so I’m trying to put all that to the back of my mind and enjoy the weekend with Patrick.

What a week it has been though – thank heavens it is over. Enjoy your weekend!

So I did as I said. Got up this morning and emailed the agents, told them to reduce the price to the price the Italian offered which puts my house as head and shoulders above the competition in that price range and will open the house up to a whole new market of potential buyers. This should hopefully lead to a bidding war which could result in me making more money than the Italian offered.  

I had a couple round within three hours of the email and another viewing tomorrow – I’m doing what I can and I know the agents are so it just takes a little bit of luck now. The house is good to go and I’ve already moved on from the disappointment of yesterday. I’ll keep you informed.

I called the agent this afternoon to see how things were progressing and they told me that the Italian phoned them this morning and said he had changed his mind. He has backed out of the deal – it seems he has decided upon a house he’d rather have. This is exactly what is wrong with the house buying system in England and Wales. In Italy, if you make an offer to buy you will pay 10% deposit at the outset and if you change your mind you lose the deposit. Here I am the one who is out of pocket.

I’m SO angry and so disappointed.

But… I will get up tomorrow morning and start again!

Sorry I’ve not gotten round to putting some pictures of the Prague trip up – those of you who are on Facebook and know me there as ‘Birminghambear’ (don’t ask!) will be able to see them there. I promise to try to put some up here later on.

I don’t know if I mentioned it but Patrick and I went to see a house belonging to a friend of his when I was over last week (or the weekend before). He has it up for sale but the market is as sluggish there as here. He will let us rent it at a very reasonable rate. I know I have talked about this before now as I remember talking about the fact it is a Protestant area and my little (non-practising) Catholic heart was a little nervous about that! The other thing my heart did when we opened the front door to view it was do a little jig of happiness – it just felt right – and I hadn’t seen more than the hall. The reason I mention it now is that I found a link to it online and you can have a look if you like: http://www1.propertynews.com/brochure.php?p=PNC255380 I am less keen on the kitchen – but then I have a near perfect kitchen here so I will always be comparing other kitchens to this one. It is however a great space for us and Fintan too. There is plenty of entertaining space and I am already looking online for a table to go in the dining room that will, before too long I hope, be filled with people eating, drinking and being very merry indeed!

BTW: The Italian has signed his mortgage papers and engaged his solicitor – as far as I know – so things are at last moving.

Prague was wonderful. We all had a good time I think and I was happy to be their guide – most of the time! I will get some pictures up when I get home – I stayed a few days in Belfast till yesterday afternoon. I really didn’t want to leave. Today is the second anniversary of Desmond’s death. Prague was a place he loved very much so he was on my mind a lot this time. I found myself standing in places with Patrick, Paul and Clare that once upon a time I stood with him.

Two years is a long time in some ways and in others not at all. I can still remember very clearly the last few hours of his life and my frantic attempts to save his life. I remember very clearly all the trouble that followed his death too. There is not a day that goes by without my thinking of Desmond and I speak of him almost as regularly. I’m lucky that Patrick is happy to allow me to talk about him as often as I do.

I am proud of the the changes I have made to my life since he died and happy that I am about to move into another stage of life with Patrick. I think Desmond would have been very proud of me and I know he would have approved of Patrick. It is hard though. Not having him here to talk things through. I got a bit upset recently and said to Patrick, “I know he is dead, I know I am never going to see him again… but it seems so unfair that I can’t just talk to him from time to time.” I wish death could be like when a friend moves away. You know you can’t see them but you can perhaps call them from time to time, just to chat and gossip a while. Yeah… death should be more like that.

I’m a very happy bear indeed as first thing tomorrow I’m off to Belfast for the weekend. The best thing of all is that I’m not rushing back to get to work on Monday as we are off to Prague for five days with two friends.

Kutna Hora Ossuary

They’ve never been to Prague and so I am the designated tour guide, which is grand.  I like showing people places I know and love and I have planned quite a bit of stuff already including a return visit to the Ossuary in Kutna Hora, a visit to a Black Light theatre and of course a visit to Prague is now not complete without a visit to the Krizikova Fountain!

Prague, for those who don’t know is a stunning city and one of the most satisfying things to do when there is to just walk around and drink it all in. You have buildings that date from 1100 to the unusual Cubist houses and then through to the modern with buildings like the ‘Dancing House’.

I think the weather is going to be a bit dicey while we were there, which is a shame. Last year it was up to 30 degrees with blue cloudless skies. However, Prague is a city that has something for everyone and for all weathers.

The next big trip after that is at the end of August when Patrick and I are getting a plane to Gothenberg (Sweden) then down to friends in Varburg on to Stockholm eventually to Turku in Finland (by boat) down to Helsinki to stay with Tiina and Antii and their family, then by boat to Tallin, Estonia before heading back to Dublin around the 11th of September. The only thing I have booked is the outward flight with Ryanair and the return flight with Estonia air… it should be quite an adventure!

So, it is still looking like the house is going to sell to the Italian. I will have a clearer idea by the time I get back from Prague. I’d better had because I am due to hand my notice into work when I am back. 

All change! All change!

Finally for now, anyone who reads me and remembers Desmond please spare a moment to think of him as the day after I get back from Prague/Belfast (21st July) is two years to the day that he died so shockingly. He’s in my mind and on the tip of my tongue all the time but never more than the last few weeks between my birthday and that date.

Hope you all have a great weekend and I will try to share some pictures from the trip.