Moving forwards...

More house stuff done today - received contact details for our solicitor handling the house sale and purchase today. Passed that on to the estate agent in Colchester who we're buying through, so we should receive written confirmation of our accepted offer in the next 36 hours or so. I also paid the second installment of my tax bill for last year so I can get on with filing my tax return for 2004-5 by the end of next week (the return is done, but I want to wait for that payment to clear first).

Also phoned up Egg to start the ball rolling on our mortgage application, which has been agreed in principle by their underwriters after a customary quick credit check. This means that we will get the mortgage offer in the post over the next couple of days, and once we've accepted that they can move on to the next step, which will obviously include checking that I do earn as much as I say (which is why I'm filing my tax return now and not in January 2006 as I've done in the past!). Although it's a joint mortgage application, we're basing it solely on my earnings as Toni will be unemployed when we move.

The ball is well and truly rolling now - there's even a possibility, having spoken to the solicitor, that if all proceeds as planned we might be able to exchange a few weeks ahead of completion, which would then give us time to make preparations secure in the knowledge the move was going ahead. Still, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it - assuming we get there of course (that's it Nicky boy, lower your expectations in accordance with the 25 years of training that supporting Birmingham City FC has given you...)