So. I have a work meeting in London on Thursday. This would have been not unusual before March 2020, but now it is a new step into the unknown. Booked on the only Eurostar of the day for Wednesday, will stay two nights and then off to family gathering in Northern Ireland.

Of course, despite my doubly vaccinated status, the British still require me to have a negative COVID test before I travel. So I hunted around last night, and I found a testing centre near the office, and booked in for 3pm today.

At about 4.30 this afternoon, I looked up from doing last week’s timesheets, and thought, wasn’t there something I was supposed to do after lunch?

OH SHIT

Frantic googling found that the testing centre near Bruxelles Midi / Brussel Zuid still had vacancies this evening. I booked for the 1745-1800 slot, sweated through my 17h Zoom call, and jumped in an Uber.

That last bit shows just how deranged I had become. Our office is a stone’s throw from the Trône / Troon metro station, from where it is a smooth ride to Midi / Zuid. It’s easy and reliable, and frankly I could have just as easily booked an 1800-1815 slot to give myself some extra leeway. Instead I sweated for what seemed like an hour (but in reality may have been four whole minutes) in the traffic jam on Place du Trône, until the driver was able to nip across the junction.

I was there by 1751, and tested and out by 1801. A colleague who got tested there at the same time of day a few weeks back tells me that he had his results by lunchtime the next day. As long as they come through by the time I reach St Pancras on Wednesday, I’ll be happy.

So how was your day???

Edited to add: my results came through at 8 the next morning, 14 hours after the test. I am clear of COVID.