The DVLA have very kindly sent me a letter saying that me driving licence is due for renewal, presumably so they can issue me a new card with a more up-to-date photo that looks nothing like me.
These days it can all be done online! Oh, no it can’t. I need a recently-valid passport for that and I allowed mine to lapse more than three years ago because I really couldn’t see it being worth the £80 or so that they charge for a new one.
But I can (for about £7.50 more of your Earth Pounds) get the renewal done at a Post Office. Ah. Not at my local Post Office. The nearest one that does it is almost a twenty-mile round trip. And I don’t at present have a car thanks to someone driving their tractor straight out of a field entrance into the side of it (why on Earth would you need to look?) causing my insurers to write the vehicle off. There’s a story for another time. Buses don’t really happen around here, though I may perhaps be able to borrow my daughter’s car if she isn’t using it.
And unless I renew my licence or send it back saying I don’t want it any more, I may be liable for a fine of up to £1000! Not because I’m not allowed to drive, but merely because I don’t possess an up-to-date piece of plastic that says I am.