297. Once more unto the breach..

29th January. Just back from a visit to an outpost of the Town Hall known as France Services across the river to request a new driving licence. Prior to Covid, many routine administrative requests were handled by the Sub-Prefecture.. but I suspect that in the interests of public health many of these functions were transferred away from the Sub-Prefecture to this new office. My request was handled with great efficiency (and friendliness) and once my identity had been cross-checked, the request was launched into the great administrative system that runs France. In a sign of the times, not a single paper form had to be completed.. the whole process was carried out online. All that was needed was access to my Ameli account, my identity card and my old driving licence.. plus two colour photos. It seems that I will receive a provisional acknowledgement of my request in a week or two and this will enable me to take to the road again. Phew!   

28th January 2025. Back with you again.. We made it through Christmas, the New Year, the 'Burning of the Clavie'* and Burns Suppers (remember'd) - and here we are again with acres of white space in front of me gleaming in the gloaming - all ready to be filled in.

This next story will come as no surprise to some of you - but here goes. Back in 2016, I changed my UK driving licence for its French equivalent and I tucked the new card straight into my wallet - assuming (uh-oh) that it would run for 10 years. In 2019, I was granted French citizenship (there is a link). Over the last few days we have been test driving various cars as the time has come to replace our MINI Countryman. Before the test drive, I handed over a number of documents to the salesman for him to check - one of which was my French drivers' licence. This was followed by an audible sucking of teeth - before he read out its expiry date.. 2021. It appears that I've been blithely driving around here for 4+ years without a valid licence. I think I'd only been given a 5 year licence (instead of the usual 10 years) because I was a foreigner. 

Long story short - I think it will be April before I'll have a replacement licence in my hands. This is going to take some managing.

In other news, I'm told that I have a stone squatting somewhere in one of my kidneys. I have to present myself at the hospital in a few weeks time to hear what will be the preferred method of removing it. I'll draw the line at using a Large Hadron Collider..   

* No help for you here with this - you'll have to find this one out for yourselves.  

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