Many thanks to all who responded to this post, and for the congratulatory messages received.
Myrna and I duly reported to the French Embassy in Edinburgh yesterday morning as directed ... albeit slightly behind schedule, on account of progress being hampered by traffic congestion arising from precautionary speed restrictions implemented on the Forth Road Bridge, due to gale-force winds.
More or less in accordance with my expectations - once the various formalities had been completed - we were given the option of either having Myrna's processed passport returned to us the following day by 'Special Delivery' ... or calling back in the late afternoon to collect it.
Mindful of the fact that neither of us was likely to be available to sign for the package when it arrived, owing to my having a routine hospital appointment, we chose the latter.
McDonald's two branches in Princes Street - the Capital's main thoroughfare - were both filled to capacity and evidently doing a "roaring trade" as hordes of people flocked into the fast food outlets in a desperate bid to escape the fierce, cold gusts of wind and squally bursts of rain flooding the pavements.
Mary Poppins would've been aghast at the sheer number of discarded umbrellas stuffed into litter bins placed strategically along one of Scotland's most exposed and windblown urban streets.
Many hours (and showers) later, we stood on the Consulate's doorstep together with other bedraggled hopefuls waiting, in turn, to pick up their newly endorsed passports.
Much to my relief, the earlier security checks we'd had to undergo that morning were waived, and we were met by a very friendly member of staff ... a Frenchman, who even shook our hands and wished us a very happy (if belated) honeymoon in his native country.
Magic!
