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A testing time

 Yesterday I had to go for a covid test before my operation on Wednesday.  The appointment was 8.00am so I left home in the dark.  Because of the pandemic I don't get out much so I haven't got used to dark mornings, freezing temperatures and fog, not a pleasant experience when driving on country roads with lots of bends and no lines on them.  Why are there no lines on the roads?  The test is not for the faint hearted.  It feels as though they are sticking a needle in your brain and they do it in both nostrils.

I went from there for a 2 hour drive to the Prefecture to have my finger prints taken again, to give them yet another photo and to show them my passport, again.  They probably have a special rogues' gallery full of Brits trying to get their resident's permit.  By the time I arrived I was desperate for the toilet but with all the cafes closed and no public toilets around I felt obliged to ask my interviewer if I could use their toilet.  She happily agreed and said she would escort me to one.  I have always found the Prefecture staff to be very friendly but we had to get permission from  the receptionist to allow me to enter the inner sanctum and she was not happy.  My cheerful interviewer explained that I had had a long drive and was desperate so reluctantly she buzzed the door open.  As I was leaving the building the receptionist beckoned me to her window and said, 'Normally we expect people to go before they leave home.'  Who was she?  My mother?


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