Prospective buyers still aren't prepared to make an offer because of the kitchen -we knew it would be probably be an issue but thought they may still make an offer under the asking price - but no, the kitchen is putting them off completely.

But there was no point in spending 000's of pounds on new kitchen units that someone would probably just come in and change anyway, so I went looking for some Fablon. Found some teak wood effect that I've covered the work tops with (the orginal was wood effect) - couldn't find anything in marble effect then went looking for something to cover the doors/drawers. Ended up with more fablon - this time in a cherry wood effect. Also got some matt black fablon to do the exposed cupboard ends with. Only had enough cherry wood to do the lower doors and drawers - there are 6 regular doors and one slightly wider door on upper cupboards to do but only had enough fablon left to do 5 doors so will leave them as white.

We have someone coming 2moro so we'll see if it makes any difference :(

Still haven't managed to find a buyer for our main flat here, and now thanks to the abysmal solicitor who is acting for the buyer of our lavender hill flat, that sale has stalled just as we though we erer going to complete this week %(

We're getting calls from the London agent who is in turn phoning the buyer who is about to go into hospital any day now to have a baby.

Her solicitor is doing ALL THE WRONG THINGs and seems to be trying to shift the blame - she won't accept that she is wrong (the solicitor NOT the buyer), so our solicitor has given up trying to convince her she's doing it all wrong (she won't back down) he's trying to get the information that she wants but as some of it is more than 30 years old it's probably buried in some archives somewhere IF it even exists after all this time :(. Then she's doing other stuff 'back to front' and asking for papers BEFORE exchange that are normally NOT issued until AFTER completion.

She won't agree to pay certain admin fees that are normally liable as a result of producing the paperwork that she is asking for AND insists that they should be paid by us (the vendor) when that are normally paid by the buyer AFTER completion AAGGHH.

Then to put the icing on the cake (HA!!), she sat on the buyer's approved mortgage papers for SIX WEEKS before someone noticed that the names on the papers were wrong, so NOW they've got to be amended

Went back out for a second view of the bungalow this afternoon.

Just wanted a second look at the furniture before we confirm that we want it.

The dining room suite is wonderful - table, 6 chairs, 2 carvers and matching display/cocktail unit that is TEN AND A HALF FEET Long 8)

The lounge suite isn't bad either. Three seater soft leather sofa, two armchairs (which ALL have a reclining mechanism - yes all sections of the sofa too) and matching footstools, it's looks like a dark terracotta colour

There are actually four pieces in the kitchen white goods ' tall' fridge, small freezer, washing machine and dishwasher. Then on a viewing of the garage (more like a barn) he asked if we wanted a large patio set - OK.

Going back for one more visit next week with our architect to look at what modifications we may have to do to the outside to aid accessibility.

Monday viewed bungalow and 'thought I'd died and gone to heaven'. :()
Tuesday agent valued our flat
Wednesday agent took photos of flat, made offer on bungalow which was eventualy agreed.

Today (thursday) I had some time out to go and print our access group's newsletter, but morning was pretty frantic with phone calls.

I managed to sleep a bit better last night now that everything is more settled, but I've had a migraine 'lurking' all day :(

Have some prospective buyers coming round with the agent tomorrow while we're out doing our shopping.

Haven't heard anymore about the completion on Battersea but I still can't get David to contact the utility companies AAGGHH :(

Had to make a detour from my normal route into town yesterday and just happend to glance in agents window. Saw a bungalow that I though had been removed from the market by another agent - the vendor was obviously just changing agents :()

Got the details and have arranged a viewing for Monday.

Once again it's at the top end of our budget and it's also just outside the borough, BUT it's within a mile of our usual haunts so we went out for a trial run this morning after our normal trip to pick up the Sunday newspapers.

It's got all the things that we are looking for - 3 bedrooms, two reception rooms, a south facing rear garden which seem to be mainly laid to lawn at the moment. The front has MASSES of 'off street' parking. It's not on a main road. There is a little corner shop/newsagents on the corner as well as a postbox.

We'll have to build or get portable ramps for the front entrance and from the raised patio to the garden, BUT as we live on a flood plain it's unlikely that we'll get anything that won't need to have ramps - everything's going to be built up.

The vendor is a retired widow who wants to go into a retirement home, so it's also likely to be in a better decorative order that the last one that we looked at where there was a young family with cats. The carpest were a bit threadbear and the windows would have needed to be replaced.

It's not clear yet of this has completely been double glazed, but there are some replacement units - front door and kitchen, so it should need too much work.

GOM had got his initial calculations wrong - he'd missed an addition, so we have more in reserve that he thought, so we may be able get a little bit done, but I still don't want to have to do much decorating. If it's ok in other ways

The first bungalow that we looked at on 28th, looked fine from the front - the drive way was a nice size, but gom's ramp was a little big to fit the doorways so we elected to go round the back to use the french doors.

This was when the 'baloon burst' The concrete path was all broken and patchy, then at the end of the house and the start of the conservatory, the path way became small paving blocks set into gravel, so the wheelchair got stuck :(

Fortunately the promised rain hadn't come so gom waited in the garden while I walked round.

It had it's good points - level floors, wide doorways and hallways, but the carpets were a bit 'threadbare' and some of the roof window frames were in a poor state. We need a place that's in 'good decorative order' as we know we will invariably have to do some modifications outside for ramps etc so don't want anthing that's going to 'eat into that budget'. It was at the top end of our budget anyway, so we're going to have a hefty stamp duty bill to pay ontop.

Trying to get an appointment to view nearer town. It's smaller, and it's NOT a south facing garden, but they must get some sun as they have a pool in the garden %

We shall see

There is another place that we've been offered - which is a little bit OVER budget AND slighty out of our ideal catchment area, it's also a bit to close to a school :(