the documents signed

At the end of a surgery during which I would confess to being more than a little distracted (fortunately there were no seriously complex clinical issues), partly because I was clearing the drawers on the left hand side of "my" desk in advance of sharing with the new part-time partner who is due to begin work next week- interesting exercise: some of the papers I found in them went back as far as 1991! I then made my way to my delightful solicitor and signed the document to sell the building. The asbestos survey is done, indicating only minimal issues, like the small asbestos content present in Artex, which has indeed been smeared on several walls. I don't think they're going to insist on my paying for it all to be scrupulously scraped off and replaced, but you never know. As usual in situations like this, I'm not going to consider this a done deal until I have the cheque in my hands.

Meanwhile, my 2 partners, who are purchasing the building jointly, appear to be dealing with the stress of their imminent increase in responsibility even less well than I am coping with the rapidly approaching contraction of my own. I was speaking to the more junior one today, and he appeared to be in what my son would have called "a bit of a state". Seems the senior one has ducked much of the work and left it up to him to do most of the dog-work of arranging structural surveys, liaising with bank, solicitors etc. Regrettable, but not really my problem. I must continue to be cautious and courteous in my dealings with both of them; from next Wednesday they will be my employers...