Hi folks my account has not been taken over.
Its my fault for not being clearer...............
The reason for my question is that I have never rescued a domain in the last few days before its finally cancelled - I was always under the impression that it cost a lot at this late stage to do so.
I DONT want to just renew the domain - its much more complicated. Its gone from my control panel and its not got a tag anymore, so it means dealing with Nominet too, which I have never had to do. This is more than simply paying for two years renewal - I think.
Nominet have a nice chart illustrating the suspension process, which is worth looking at.
link. This domain is at the third box from the end.
I think a call to Nominet and then my registrar is the answer..............