Well, I've had some shit days in my time... and this has been one of them.

I've just finished hoovering up a load of shattered glass after getting back from work and finding that the window had been boarded up, but it was too much trouble for anyone to clear up the mess.

But this was just the icing...

I get into work at 6:45am as usual but my key pass doesn't work. I phone a security number, but no answer. I have to wait until 8am in the freezing cold for a local to turn up who has the same problem... but he knew who to contact. It turned out they rebooted all the server during the night and it messed up the alarm system.

Anyway, no biggy.... an hour less in front of the screens.

Mid morning I get an email from the Thai Embassy in London saying that they can't help me with the ammended CoE I need, since I am now departing from Sweden - these are the same guys who indicated that all I had to do to change flights from a Bristol departure to a Gothenburg departure was to send in the revised itinerary and revised ASQ booking, no problem. I can't risk going back to the UK with another lockdown looming, so cancelled my original flights, changed my ASQ booking (because I've brought it all forward by two weeks) and rebooked for a mid January departure from Gothenburg, via Amsterdam to Bangkok. Besides... I can't even get back to the UK now with most flight cancelled due to the ban on incoming UK passengers across Europe.

The London embassy did suggest contacting the Thai Embassy in Stockholm.

This I did, to get an email reply telling me they can't help me because my CoE was issued in London and they can't alter that.

So, I'm in a strange kind of situation... London can't help because my departure is from Sweden, and Stockholm can't help because my CoE was issued in the UK.

Meanwhile I've got flights and ASQ booked, but now have no CoE. I remember Thai Dhupp mentioning what a huge relief it was to eventually get off a plane in Bangkok and realise that it was all finally happening. I can see why... I'm feeling the strain of all this... there is always something to worry about, something that can go wrong... on top of the work I'm getting paid to do.

I had no fewer that nineteen emails today from a combination of the London and Stockholm Thai embassies. One thing I must say however, is that they have been extremely helpful and I just seemed to be stuck in a kind of bureaucratic limbo land.

Just as I was starting to consider an early finish and walk to the Systembologet for a bottle of whisky, I had one more email from the Stockholm Thai embassy at 4:30pm. It was a one liner and said simply...

'what is your phone number?'

I duly replied, and ten minutes later had a phone call from a fantastically helpful chap in Stockholm. He appreciated completely the problem, but also said it may not be resolvable in the time frame... since I need the previous CoE to be wiped from the system before starting again, and there's loads of holidays coming up... and these things apparently remain on the system for 15 days. But, I'd also had an email from London saying that they had already unlocked my previous application... so maybe it was coming together?

Anyway, I have now started the CoE application process all over again through the Stockholm embassy... and at least the initial part has so far gone through and I have my six digit number which is needed to check application progress. My man at the Stockholm embassy also gave me his name to use on any emails that would then be directed towards him, and said to keep him updated.

So fingers crossed... maybe a new CoE before the New Year.

Then all I'll have to do is sort out a PCR test... which is another work in progress. They are under huge demand just now.