You may have noticed I’ve been MIA for the past few days so I’ll explain a little here which was, for us, an ‘interesting’ example of coping with our glorious new normal.
Yesterday was a ‘fun day’ spent in our capital city for my little nest of vipers to renew her passport. Her being foreign an’ all, it can only be done in her countries embassy located in London.
I’ll attempt to explain this simply, but it may become complex.
Her passport expired way back early 2021 but the country was gripped in bug terror and the embassy was shut. At the end of August they started taking appointments again and in September we managed to get an appointment for, owing to backlog, 26 January 2022 at 10:30.
Okay, November came and, after attempting to weigh-up all the pros and cons of the new normal, I purchased train tickets for stupid early o’clock of the 26th, arriving in the smoke at 09:15 so time is tight to get to the embassy but worked fine in the old normal - and returning early evening of the same day to cover for any delays in appointment time and in paperwork processing that may arise.
From that day through to yesterday, our heads were full of “what if...”. Super new bug needing a total lockdown? Get past that, train cancelled on the day owing to the driver throwing a sicky? Get passed that, London tube strike or another driver throwing a sicky? No tube so taxi queue stretching out o’ site? Remember, time is tight.
I did suggest going the day before and having a night stopover but my little nest of vipers over-ruled that idea so wings and prayers it was.
Anyhoo, the 24th and 2th were spent ensuring we had all her ducks in a row, forms completed and required documents ready and then it was number 26 and way before dawn, having had little sleep, we were standing on the station platform. Whoa! There’s the train bang on time. Tick-off step one. On the train, many PA announcements regards muzzles but for sure less than twenty percent of the three quarters full carriage were complying with the ‘instruction’ – nor were the train crew.
We hauled into Kings Cross, again bang on time thus ticking-off step two.
Now wot to do with tight time? Remembering how complex it was six years ago to get a ticket, we made a dash to the taxi rank. Whoa! Many taxies and no queue at all so ticking off step three. After a sedate muzzle free meander through London traffic, we were there with thirty minutes to spare thus ticking-off step four.
Then we encountered the one and only hiccough in our forward planning. They needed a prepaid return envelope to return her passport once it was back in the UK so while she did the photo and fingerprint bit for passport and I.D. card, and awaited her new I.D. card, I was dispatched on a two click freezing walkabout of South Kensington to find a post office and get one. Got one I did, handed it in and she was given her new I.D. card, told it’d be a four week wait for her passport by post so it was job done.
All straightforward you may say but it’s the head job the new normal gave us. Make a plan then make three more plans to try to cover for anything our ‘leaders’ may throw at us at the last minute. Covering all your bases has taken on a whole new meaning,
With time now on our side, we had a stroll, a bite to eat and thought we’d tube it back to Kings Cross. All auto ticket issuing machines and it didn’t matter how many times I hit the touch screens, nothing. With nary a soul to seek assistance from, fast black it was. It must be said you see much more from the back of a cab than you do from a train in a tube.
After my and our walk and drives about our capital, from wot we saw, if Vlad the Lad does invade us and his troops storm straight to our capital, there’ll be many frantic phone calls asking their bosses at HQ to confirm which country they’ve actually invaded. Sure looks like London is lost. On the plus side, the little of central London we saw showed remarkably well painted and maintained buildings and completely litter free highways and walkways. Well done them we say.
Quote; Ambrose Bierce.
“Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.”
2 comments:
Mac,
I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you. Glad to hear you're still fine and dandy.
Speaking of traveling on a wing and prayer I'm following the Canadian trucker's convoy - its reached 100,000 trucks and stretches back 480km (about 300 miles). A lot of American truckers have joined it, as have 1.4 million people, all headed for Ottawa to demand Trudeau's resignation.
Trudeau has conveniently been in contact with covid and has hidden himself away in isolation, even though he's triple jabbed and isolation is not required by law. The Canadian government have also begun to close major roads on the convoy's route, citing adverse weather conditions.
Ripper,
I'm fine, thanks my friend; just wrestling with 'nearly' normal.
As for the truckers, this is obviously false news and isn't happening as it hasn't been reported on our own wondrous MSM...
Post a Comment