Hurray! We're off on holiday after all!
SOME OF OUR TURKISH FRIENDS - WE'LL BE CATCHING UP WITH THIS WEEKEND
Hurraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Thanks so much to everyone for your lovely messages. You are great. I am extremely happy to say that I have good news. I called the helpful people at the Passport helpline, and they advised me to go to Peterborough, (the London office appointment having been a failure yesterday.) So I asked my team if it was ok to leave work and take the day as holiday, and then I rushed out and got a train. It was the world's slowest train but I got there at 12pm. I managed to get an emergency appointment, and I waited, and queued, and produced reams of documents, travel documents, letters, explained some more, and I stayed calm and mega-polite and humbly grateful, and explained the whole saga, and at Peterborough the staff were kind, and human, and lovely and they said they'd try to get me a passport using the emergency premium £96.40 service on compassionate grounds. Then I waited for four hours in a bar, biting the inside of my cheek whilst it threw it down with rain and thunder and lightening outside, and then queued some more for ages and just before the office closed - I got it!
I've just got back home and I had to tell you all. I am beside myself with joy and I love everyone. Especially everyone who was brilliant during the passport nightmare.
Poor J has to work all night, to finish a deal that should have finished first week July because it all got snarled up and went slow, so I need to go and iron and pack for him. But I had to rush to the PC first and type out my happiness and gratitude.
I'll pop into an internet cafe and update this blog when I am out there to let you know how it's going. Here is last year's holiday to give you an idea of why we're returning to the same place, because we love it and we're friends with lots of people there. I will be with them on the memorial on Saturday. ( See photos of some of my Turkish friends - we keep in touch by text and email, and we have vowed to run a shisha cafe together one day when we are old and doolally. Somewhere warm with cheap cold beer. And another branch in Camden
And when it opens, drinks and hubble bubble fruity narghiles aare on the house for all of you.)
Hurray!
1AM- UPDATE: J IS ON HIS WAY HOME - HIS COLLEAGUES ARE GOING TO HELP OUT. HURRAY AGAIN!
Hurraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!Thanks so much to everyone for your lovely messages. You are great. I am extremely happy to say that I have good news. I called the helpful people at the Passport helpline, and they advised me to go to Peterborough, (the London office appointment having been a failure yesterday.) So I asked my team if it was ok to leave work and take the day as holiday, and then I rushed out and got a train. It was the world's slowest train but I got there at 12pm. I managed to get an emergency appointment, and I waited, and queued, and produced reams of documents, travel documents, letters, explained some more, and I stayed calm and mega-polite and humbly grateful, and explained the whole saga, and at Peterborough the staff were kind, and human, and lovely and they said they'd try to get me a passport using the emergency premium £96.40 service on compassionate grounds. Then I waited for four hours in a bar, biting the inside of my cheek whilst it threw it down with rain and thunder and lightening outside, and then queued some more for ages and just before the office closed - I got it!
I've just got back home and I had to tell you all. I am beside myself with joy and I love everyone. Especially everyone who was brilliant during the passport nightmare.
Poor J has to work all night, to finish a deal that should have finished first week July because it all got snarled up and went slow, so I need to go and iron and pack for him. But I had to rush to the PC first and type out my happiness and gratitude.
I'll pop into an internet cafe and update this blog when I am out there to let you know how it's going. Here is last year's holiday to give you an idea of why we're returning to the same place, because we love it and we're friends with lots of people there. I will be with them on the memorial on Saturday. ( See photos of some of my Turkish friends - we keep in touch by text and email, and we have vowed to run a shisha cafe together one day when we are old and doolally. Somewhere warm with cheap cold beer. And another branch in Camden
And when it opens, drinks and hubble bubble fruity narghiles aare on the house for all of you.)
Hurray!
1AM- UPDATE: J IS ON HIS WAY HOME - HIS COLLEAGUES ARE GOING TO HELP OUT. HURRAY AGAIN!
posted by Rachel at 8:26 pm
Hearty congratulations. People somewhere have a heart. I guess it's not helpful to say that we've had solid 25 degree temperatures in Edinburgh for the last two weeks (and apparently set to continue..) in terms of suggesting there might have been a cheap and cheerful UK alternative to allow you to spend quality time with your bloke. However, I appreciate that would have meant missing other attractions, not to mention the already committed money on the Turkey trip. Have a great one.
Excellent news. Have an little kip somewhere in the shade for me, OK?
Happy trails, Kiddo. Have a bucket of booze for me.
So happy for you! I hope you have a great time.
Finally, some good news!
Have a wonderful holiday.
Dx
Seems like you're due much, much more than just this bit of luck, but, YAY YOU!
Enjoy...
Rachel,
I'm from Peterborough and although the City itself is a bit of a hole the people are FAB - glad us yokles could sort out your passport issue!!! Hope you and J have a fantastic holiday - you both deserve it.
Jo.
Fantastic news Rachel!
Have been reading your blog daily for the past few weeks and was devastated to hear of your passport problems.
Hope you and J have such a fantastic time....I am off myself on Wednesday to get married to my lovely OH in the Dominican Republic.
Best wishes,
Hayley
Such good news Rachel! If you reading this after your holiday, hope you had a great time, and if you are reading in a cafe whilst on holiday, get off the internet!!
Really hope you have a relaxing and memorable hol.
Mitch
Well done my lovvely. Enjoy the turkys.
YESSS!!!
smoke yourself silly!! you deserve it!!
Am so glad you got it in the end! Have a really fabulous holiday, both of you. You sure deserve it!
JW xx
I'm really glad you managed to get it all sorted out - have a great (relaxing!) holiday.
I am delighted for you Rachel.
Yay that's great news. Have a fab holiday Rachel :).