Eeyore and Mrs Liverish

Things have not been great chez Porridge recently.

I have been suffering continuing symptoms after a bout of hepatitis caused by an antibiotic allergy. I won’t bore you with the complete catalogue, but fussy eating, exhaustion, a bit of confusion and a lot of grumpy bad temper, are right up at the top of the list. This is coupled with a real sense of bereavement in the knowledge that my relationship with a glass of wine is going to be distant and occasional from now on…

Mysweet is also a victim of circumstances. He did not notice that he had lost points on his driving licence as a result of a series of trivial speed camera fines and they added up to the magic 12. A registered letter arrived in November informing him that he could no longer drive for six months…from that moment.

We live in the country, far from bus services.

We subsequently found out that the authorities are legally obliged to send a registered letter when you still have a few points left to offer you a remedial training course, while you still have your licence.

But he thought he would endure the six months, and did not contest it.

But then he found out that he had to take an expensive medical.

And an expensive test of his reflexes, (pyschotechnique).

And a test on the highway code. And there is a waiting list of at least three months for this test. And the waiting list starts after the six months is up. It is now mid July and he still has not been given a date. It has not improved his mood to be imprisoned with Mrs Liverish.

Nor has the knowledge that a driver who is caught driving drunk (he wasn’t) is likely to be fined 100 euros or so and have their licence endorsed for three months, then get it back automatically if they still have points on their licence.

Let’s look on the bright side…

I have lost 10 kilos and the garden is looking very nice.