The title is intended to suggest that I have, at last, managed to get our TIE cards - thank heavens for that.
What we have now is almost exactly what we initially received 20 years ago - that is a plasticised card with our names, photos and identity numbers on them - basically what he British government have failed to implement - an Identity Card.
The original cards lasted 5 years and after the second renewal they changed it to a piece of A4 paper, which you were meant to carry with you at all times (along with your passport, car registration and MOT documents and car insurance if you were in a car). They later added a "push out" element to that paper apparently, but not in our era. Anyway, Brexit has resulted in us going back to square one - but at least the card having a photo and signature makes it actually useful to prove your identity. At least this new card lasts for 10 years (I just hope I do).
When we went down to the comisaria de policia, there was a queue of about seventy people with one lone copper trying to marshal them into a single line. Why people are queueing when everything is now meant to be "by appointment" is anyone´s guess. Luckily there was an alternate queue for those with appointments, and, in the end, we were both in and out with our new cards before the time of the first appointment!
Most of our friends are following in the same path of getting this card, but many Brits seem to be hoping that they can stay under the radar after Brexit period finally ends. Some hope.
Brexit struck again yesterday when Barclays informed me that my Barclaycard will be cancelled as of next month as I don´t live in the UK. I bet the local Barclays bank I have been with since the early sixties will be next (unless, in typical banking fashion, they want to keep on receiving my pensions).
Received a phone call this week from an ex-golfer I haven´t seen for about 5 years. Turns out he has been in UK (S Wales) since start of lockdown - baled out on final plane before end of flights in March and had been thinking of coming back as he "left the fridge on".
"Open" I could understand, "on" doesn´t seem a problem to me.
Told him spain much as the UK, but with better weather, and that the flight was his most risky period. He asked about the health system and I was able to tell him about the ´phone appointment system. His call was actually before I went to the clinic for my abortive attempt to use the ´phone appointment system, or I don´t think he would ever come back, fridge problems or not.
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