Owls and Orchids

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My day started out quite like any other day of late.  It was later, much later than I really liked but when one has trouble sleeping it isn’t very often one gets to see the sun rise  unless one has spent the night awake…like now.  However, it was a beautiful morning, I could tell from my bleary squint through the window that the sun was shining, and I could hear quite distinctly the songs of the birds visiting my back yard. I have been blessed with a large pond in the back yard and all manner of ducks, water hens, herons, egrets, ibis, cockatoos, kookaburra and so one decide to visit at times during the day. I realise how very fortunate I am.
So the day began in a semi normal fashion. I staggered, bleary eyed from my bedroom to the en suite, trying desperately not to kill myself by bumping into too many walls, desks, dressing tables etc.  On the way out I heard a welcome voice promising a wonderful restorative, a nice cup of Earl Grey tea to wake me up for the day.  Wonderful. I am so lucky. This is where the day began to transform…. just as my eager hands were reaching for this heavenly cup it was snatched back, and a voice from somewhere above me reminded me I had a blood test to go to – a fasting blood test! Urgh!!

This was so not what I wanted to hear. I’m no slouch with needles, they’ve never bothered me, no matter how large they appeared. It’s all over with relatively quickly anyway. However, I’d had barely three hours sleep, a long line of three-hour nights and I was feeling more than a little seedy.  I was not a happy camper and didn’t want to leave my warm cocoon. Into the bathroom I was chivvied and in an indecent time I was showered and dressed, ready to have my precious and dwindling supply of blood siphoned once more.  Okay, I know it replenished itself, but there comes a time when you begin to wonder if they can continue to take it and you wont run short! One blood test later and I was more than ready for my Earl Grey.

A quick trip home for some refreshments, and I realised I had another appointment, due very shortly, with the post office to get my passport ‘renewed’.  Renewed is not the right term because it hasn’t expired, but I did get married a couple of months ago and it needed updating since I had decided to change all my documents over to my new married surname.  There are arguments for and against this. It’s lovely after the wedding and I’m old-fashioned enough to think it’s appropriate, but this has been a nightmare.  You see it’s not the first time I’ve been through this.  The first time was really easy, over in a flash, not many things to change I suppose. The last time was a mammoth effort. I had decided to change my name by “Deed Poll” although they have now changed the name, but the essence is the same.  I didn’t want to feel I was ‘going back’ to my old name, I wanted a new start, moving forward, putting the past behind me and upward and onward to brighter and better things. Strangely enough it was, whilst being a mammoth task to gather all the documents, in reality a painless procedure and all the name changes were done inside ten days. Quite good I thought considering the greatly amassed number of cards and papers I had accumulated since the first time.

Then the ‘fun’ began. Most of the legal departments will not accept a marriage certificate as a name change validation if you have changed your name previously by “Deed Poll’, you have to change it formally by  ‘Deed Poll’ yet again. So, application for marriage certificate – good enough for most places, two hundred dollars for a name change certificate to satisfy the nit-picking departments.  I was not happy.  However, all paperwork complete I trotted off to the post office to get my passport sorted out and then we can plan a belated honeymoon.

This photo of Freycinet National Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor” alt=”Honeymoon idyll: courtesy tripadvisor.com” />

Now I really had thrown a spanner in the works. The marriage certificate – great – change of name, hmm. A long conversation in the back room and another equally long phone conversation to the passport office and all the paperwork is being sent in and they will then decide if they can do it or I have to pay for a new one because of the name change form! Phooey!  Not that the girl at the post office wasn’t helpful. The original Australia Post photos were from an old camera, beware, if they are taken  on an old camera they are no longer the right size. Luckily she took new photos at no charge. The others had been taken the day before, thankfully the receipt was in the bag.  At least one thing went right. So now the wait begins. Two weeks until the new one should arrive or I’ll get  a call to say they’re not happy.

Fingers crossed,  all I want is a passport, like the one  I already had but with a different name on it. What have I done…. should I have stayed with the old one??? What about the UK passport – that one was a nightmare the first time round. I must have done something really wicked to be punished this way. Perhaps I’ll have a better day when I do that one. Pleasse ?!

  “Who are you”????  by The  Who..

Do you know who you are? Have you had the same kind of experience or feelings after getting married and changing your name? I can’t be the only one to have come upagaisnt this issue – can I?