It took me three times to get my passport application filled out correctly. The first time I presented it at the Post Office I realized my counter-signatory had allowed his signature to go outside of the box provided, so that was no good. I returned to him a few days later with instructions to get it right! I presented the new form to the Post Office only to find I had used the old date we had previously signed but a newer date elsewhere. Also I had not given my previous names in the right section. You might think that I would give up, after all I had survived 69 years without foreign travel! But no, I was determined. A third attempt was successful. But now there was another hurdle to be jumped. After a few days I received a letter stating that as this was my first ever application for a passport I would have to have an interview. This was to take place in Plymouth. I arranged a date and then set about getting a train ticket for Plymouth. I did this on the internet. I will tell you more of my intrepid travelling soon.
I have written in previous posts about disasters. In the case of Concorde, decisions by people, plus other factors were directly to blame for the event. In the case of the Penlee disaster it may have been avoided if someone had made a better choice in the time beforehand and as a consequence brave men and the ship's crew and the captain and his family died. 9/11 was certainly the result of wicked men committing a terrorist act, but even in this there was heroism notably by another Cornish man, Rick Rescorla who helped many to safety and left it too late to help himself. In situations like this we see what the human spirit is capable of both good and evil. What of disasters that come on people because of the earth restless movement of tectonic plates. Often people live near volcanoes because the land is rich and fertile and they have the chance of a better life there when the volcano is resting. We cannot blame them for that but sometimes people become complacent...
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