Fingers Crossed

Ongoing saga of the house sale.  The realtor rang yesterday.  The potential buyers asked the realtor to make a contract for us to sign.  Unfortunately the contract had the previous price.  Told D that we're not selling for that and not to waste their time, or ours, by putting it together.  But he was adamant.  They are serious sellers.  They are selling their house and have a buyer.  It's only $7000 less (so why don't we take the money and run?).

Richard thinks they won't accept our counter, original proposal.  I think they will.  Who blinks first?

We sign the contract tomorrow and then pass it to the realtor to pass to them.  Then we wait.

Such a small thing on the scale of the really big things in the world.  But in our world it is a big thing.  Moving.  Moving close to the sea.  Going for a coffee on the beach.  Taking the dogs for a walk on the beach.  Humidity.  Mangoes and bananas.  Yoga classes.  Art.  Tree hugging environmentalists.  Dreadlocks and surfing.  Sunglasses and sarongs.   Views across the treetops.  Views.  Mount Warning and the sea.  Breathing.   Taking deep breaths and letting go the past.

I walk the dogs in the afternoon and see the cows and horses that in a few months will be thin and rough-coated.  A few months after that they'll be RSPCA ready.  And the phone call to say what the cows and horses can't say for themselves and then the watching to see if anything is done. Oh, they visit, the RSPCA, but how much good does it do?  I think they are so short-staffed that follow up visits are only a pipe dream.  Not sure about that but haven't heard anything to the contrary

And then, following the skeletal animals comes the fires.  Every spring the fires.  And the birds and skinks and snakes and lizards and anything that can't get out of the way.  They die.  Burnt to death.  Adult birds fly.  Babies sizzle.

So I hope, oh how I hope we sell the house, that the people sign the contract and that we can begin the shift to a new locale and a new outlook - one where fires are the outrageous rarity and not the norm.  And the animals are better looked after.  And where we can drive a few minutes to the beach to have that coffee and watch the sun come up.

Here's hoping.