Just when I thought that things were settling and getting sorted out. Just when I had relaxed and caught up on some sleep. Just when I thought that my life and plans were back on track, fate had a different idea!

I collected my Emergency passport with no problems.

I stayed at my friend Alet’s apartment for 4 nights.

I set off for the airport and the first leg of my journey. Shanghai to Helsinki.

Kevin and I had a long chat to make sure that everything was in order with the emergency passport to avoid problems at check -in. I contacted the Finn Air customer chat line and they said everything would be fine. Ok, it was a bot but the answers seemed to indicate that there wouldn’t be a problem. But we didn’t anticipate what actually happened…

When I applied for my emergency passport I filled in all my travel plans, including going to Geneva when I was scheduled to meet up with Shifu and help to teach at the Taiji workshop. I would then complete my return home with EasyJet to Manchester some 6 days later. I put all the flight dates into my application form. The FCO reassured me that this was possible when I had the phone call with the member of staff in Madrid. She said I could do the journey as long as I didn’t transit in the same airport twice. BUT the check-in staff and the Finnish border control thought otherwise.

My emergency document contained the sentence ‘valid for a single journey’ and they interpreted that to be all on the same day. They told me that I could not exit in Geneva. I explained that my government said I could but they disagreed and I had no choice.

I had to cancel the Helsinki- Geneva leg and very quickly rebook a Helsinki- Manchester flight. Well, when I say I, what I mean is Kevin. He was a hero and did all the booking from the UK while I stood by the check-in desk waiting anxiously.

He managed it in time, fortunately, but I was bitterly disappointed that I will now have to miss the Taiji workshop. I had been so looking forwards to it as an antidote to all the stress of my delayed departure.

But it is now not to be.

The other problem is that today I have a LONG wait in Helsinki for my new connecting flight. 11 hours! Well, actually only 10 because we were delayed by an hour leaving Shanghai.

Kevin, in a stroke of genius, booked me into the Business Class Lounge. I now have comfortable seats, free flowing food and drink, a charging point for my phone and free wi-fi.

It’s very nice here and if you ever find yourself stranded in Helsinki airport for many hours I do recommend it.

Although I am disappointed not to be going to Geneva and very sad to miss the workshop, I am trying not to be too upset. All this palava was outside my control and not something that I could have foreseen.

I have to just go with the flow, even when the flow takes me in a completely different direction from the one that I thought I was going in. I need to conserve my energy and not waste it on things that I cannot change.