Expiry

Over many years I appointed myself Guardian-in-Chief of the family’s passport expiry dates. So after I’d merrily bought train tickets to visit friends in France at the end of the month I was very irritated with myself to remember that my passport expires the day before we leave and that I was almost within the passport office’s three-week turnaround time. My last two passports have been expensive last-minute affairs (lost passports – no wonder the family mocked my self-appointed role) so I braved the online renewal system. Abracadabra! New passport.
 
Sad when I got it out of the envelope to realise that its replacement, if I outlive it, won’t say 'European Union' at the top, thanks to the gambler of an ex-Prime Minister who has today announced he’s going to Brexit the paltry £74,962 salary of a backbench MP. (I paraphrase.)