The next step

 One advantage of not being able to fly to London is that I can be a bit more relaxed about signing the various contracts on Friday.

Firstly, on Friday morning, there is the lease on Espace Gallien. The agency has prepared a standard commercial lease, nicknamed a 3-6-9 lease. It protects the tenant from sudden eviction from the landlord, but also holds the tenant to complete 3, 6 or 9 years of renting. 

The committee doesn't want to do this. They want a clause added to allow us to relinquish the lease early if we need to. I need to talk to the agency this week to see if they can and will do this.

Meanwhile the woman who is dealing with our account is ill and signed off until the 24th, so it may be that we just have to hold fire.

Then there's the contract to buy our flat. We sign on Friday afternoon and we've transferred the first part of our payment for the flat - just over a third of the cost.

Meanwhile we can choose the tiles for the bathroom and toilet, the shade for the flooring and the finish of the bathroom sink unit. It's all very exciting.

At our gabfest with the neighbours we were all talking about our future plans. One young couple are buying just up the road in a new building just being constructed. Another older couple is looking around for something. All want to stay in the immediate area. 

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