Putting on a face

Have you ever encountered the faceless person called 'bureaucracy'? It can be absolutely ugly, but when it works it can be sweet!

Some regular readers know that I've had to become somewhat of an expert in dealing with this dreaded beast over the past number of years, and finally (I'm perhaps wishing against the odds here) they seem to have gotten it right.  They are the ones who created the system that we poor fish have to swim in, and yet it seemed for the longest time that each time we tried to follow the rules, there were new adjustments, or snags of other kinds happening.

Not this year!  The required reports were prepared well in advance of the imposed deadline.  They were submitted during the week prior to Christmas.  Yes, I know that anything that arrives during that particular week is subject to delay, but here is one example of the contrary.  It would appear that the report arrived in their office and was processed and answered in the space of two business days (nothing short of miraculous, but then 'tis the season for miracles, n'est-ce pas?).

The reply correspondence arrived today, and sure enough the application has been approved ... for another year!  There's always a caviat though, because they want to give me the next year's deadline well in advance so that I can make sure to clear all the hoops before the snare trap gets sprung.  Oh well, we'll worry about those hurdles when they come.

Cudos to them ... they finally seem to be getting things right.