Being an idiot and causing people work

There used to be two things I was paranoid about when travelling, my passport and my air ticket. Now that air tickets are bits of paper or electrons and not gorgeous thick card with fare pay codes you could collect like a train spotter (Oh look I've got a K, oh a K is just a Y you can't change), I don't have to be paranoid about losing the ticket.

So all I have to take care of is the passport.

Which I've managed to do in over 20 odd years of travelling for work around the world.

Until Friday.

Somewhere between leaving passport control on Friday and going to get the flight for AMS on Tuesday my passport went to the great Biro planet in the sky. I do not know where or when it actually went, if you ask 'Where did you lose it?' I may just give you a withering look, though on the whole its more sheepish.

The knock on result is that J had done all the virtual PA stuff she does seemingly effortlessly and detailed all the steps I needed to take and the forms I needed to get by the time I returned from my fruitless trip to Birmingham Airport.

It also meant that L. and S. from work had to get together a letter declaring I needed to travel urgently (which is true) and fax that to J so I can take it today to the Passport Office in Newport. Oh and not forgetting M. who countersigned my photo and the form.

And now I'm about to drive to Newport, which is a pleasant drive over the Black Mountains, and hopefully get my passport today. After which I'll do a day trip on Friday.