The Doomsday Clock Tick Tick Tocks

The dread hands of human bone click silently on towards the midnight hour.

We're expecting a call any minute from our estate agents telling us whether or not we have lost our [house] buyer. On Friday she phoned up Lightfoots for "an update" -- things are progressing, we're addressing all your queries and £4,000 offer reduction* -- and finished the call by telling our agent that she would like to view some other houses. Probably a crude attempt to hurry things along and put some pressure on the chain. Oops. Big mistake lady, as by asking to view other properties you give our agent no option other than to tell us to put our house back on the market -- it has to work both ways our agent said (and he's right).

"Fine" was her response.

* Her offer was reduced in light of her survey that showed an area of damp in the hallway, and her concerns at the lack of guarantees on the damp-proof course. £4,000? When a new DPC costs £400 including the VAT?

"Why don't you go fuck yourself." is what I'd like to tell her. But instead we've offered a generous £1,000 discount off the original purchase price (which was too low anyway), with the tagline that it is a take-it or leave-it counter-offer.

Now we await her response. She's been thinking about it overnight. I guess she might make the call over lunch time.

The doomsday clock is ticking.

Fingers crossed it doesn't chime.