The joys of organising visas have left us dreadfully short on time… my Chinese visa is due back in the visa service centre we used - in London - on Thursday. They could put it in the post - but I’m flying on Saturday! And my trust in the Royal Mail - even with special delivery! - isn’t quite strong enough for me to risk the whole trip to China on it…
So there’s a fighting chance I’m going to have to get up Thursday morning, blackmail Catrin into taking me into Bangor again, take a train down to London, get the passport + visa back, take a train home, and then maybe cry for a little while.
Alternatively…
If you fancy an unexpected night out in Bangor, we’d be delighted to pay a return train fare, B&B for a night and a nice evening meal out on us - you’d just have to be able to come up on the Thursday.
It’s a long shot, but it could be fun for the right person… anyone out there?! [We’d need to know by tomorrow - Wednesday - at latest, to confirm that name with the visa service people].
I can’t get to Bangor sadly - though I’d love to! I do live relatively close to Heathrow though if that’s where you fly from- and could pick up your visa for you and hand to you there if you run out of options? I could collect either late Thursday afternoon or on Friday.
Helo@aran, hopefully someone London-based will see your post this evening and take up the offer, but if all else fails I could pop into London from Oxford on Thursday to collect it and bring it up to Bangor for you
Oh, John, that was such a remarkably kind offer - diolch o waelod calon - I would have felt awful about you going all round the houses like that - I feel pretty guilty about Bronwen slogging all the way down on the train, but she’s promised me that she’ll have an exciting time out (so I’m working very hard on believing that, even though I know perfectly well that it’s far more an act of extreme kindness than a real treat)
All for a good cause, Aran!
I was well used to travelling into London for work so it wouldn’t have been a great hardship and the journey up to Bangor could have been interesting with a chance to catch up on some reading, as well - could have fitted in a trip to Pontio or somewhere in the evening too, so dim problem Pob lwc efo’r trip i Tseina!
Ti yn seren aur Bronwen! A personal thank you from me, who’s been feeling the squeeze of the endless travel lately. I was worried that another day away from the family for Aran just before the big China trip, was one too many. I can’t begin to tell you how much this means.
