Proof of Identity

I'm afraid that this bout of cold weather has put me into full hibernation mode.  Unfortunately, however, events keep conspiring to confound my attempts to stay in bed until the temperatures rise.  Today, for instance, I had to finish untangling the mess that has ensued from Evri's inability to deliver my Amazon order for my great nieces' Christmas presents on time.  After Amazon sent replacements for two of the items and I ordered alternatives for the two that couldn't be replaced in time, the Evri package finally turned up.  On top of this, today Amazon e-mailed to say that they had dispatched a replacement for one of two items I had cancelled and been refunded for!  Trying to sort it out has been a nightmare, with Amazon not seeming to understand that this latter item was most certainly never asked for and had been cancelled from the original order.  As for the original 'lost; Evri delivery, they don't want it back, so we now have unwanted duplicates of two items, (possibly of a third if that phantom cancelled item is delivered, as threatened).  Jesus, what a mess - and all because bloody Evri can't deliver stuff on time, delaying it so much that it is classified as 'lost'.  I had an e-mail from them today, as well, inviting me to rate my courier.  Don't tempt me.

On top of all this, I have the task of trying to convince a teaching agency that, no, I really don't have any photo ID - my passport is long out of date and I still have an old-style driving licence.  They seem incredulous that anyone can exist without such things, despite my pointing out that photo ID is not mandatory in the UK - we're not a police state.  Yet.  We don't have to prove who we are, not even to the police, who have to accept that you are who you say you are, unless they can prove different.  (Yeah, I know that our quasi-fascist government has introduced legislation requiring ID in order to be allowed to vote, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it).  They also seem to expect me to somehow prove my right to work in the UK, despite the fact that have on file a valid National Insurance number for me and a scan of my birth certificate which confirms that I was born a UK citizen, (hence the NI number being issued to me at age sixteen), which is pretty much all the right I need to work here.  Oh, not to forget my entire prior work history that they have on record, most of which was spent working for UK government bodies.  Most bizarrely, despite having told them numerous times that since leaving my last job, I've been on what is termed a 'career break', they want a reference for 2021.  Well, bearing in mind that if I haven't been working, I've been, in effect, my own boss, I can only assume that they want me to tell them how fabulous I've been in tackling various bits of home renovation and writing about obscure films since 2021.  I wouldn't mind, but they've had all of these details for years but are now insisting that I have to re-register.  This is all because I merely expressed an interest in maybe doing some part-time supervision work in the New Year.  If it is going to be this much trouble, I don't think that I'll bother.  I really don't need the money, let alone the grief.  I'm sure that there are plenty of other opportunities out there which don't involve this sort of madness.