Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

Strangely enough @Philippa US Customs and Immigration still live under the illusion that they live in a paradise that everyone envies and wants to move in.

I too have had run ins with Zambian customs officials but the main one was when leaving for the last time. Thieves had stolen diamonds from mines in Namibia and were reportedly trying to get them out thru Zambia so everybody's luggage was searched and not all put back and certainly not packed, just thrown in. Not nice.

 

You would have hated being behind me in the customs line. I always have lovely chats with them. But I've only had experience once going to the Bahamas, once going to England and and a few hundred times going to the states.

The fellow at Gatwick had the most lovely smile and I think my gleeful excitement had infected him.

 

I have no problem with any customs, I just don't go anywhere now i must get out more

 

In 1994 a US customs officer was reaching for his gun because I was not fast enough finding the battery pack for an electronic instrument, they'd been separated to prevent accidental switch on during transit.

 

He was probably going to wipe his nose.

 

I have problems with customs, but I better not go into that.

 

I never have any problems with Customs or Border Farce or whatever they call themselves these days when entering the U.K. I have never seen one for years.

 

Last time I went to the Chelsea Flower Show I was stopped at Dover. Just routine - why is a Brit driving a French car? Live there. Was it mine? Yes. When did I buy it? January, 2 years ago. Was I visiting family? No, going to Chelsea Flower Show. Oh, much more fun, he said. Enjoy and Bye bye. When we had the Zafira they always wanted to check the boot for hidden illegals but no search this time.

 

Not really a Moan as such but when we had our first place in France, we would go for long stays when work allowed.
We had several tortoises and 2 parrots which accompanied us - all of which required their own paperwork. On one occasion, we were stopped by Customs officials in Caen due to the animals and despite the papers being in order, we were ushered into a parking area. We were a bit concerned as the officials were armed but they were very polite so we sat in the car for ages waiting for permission to continue our journey. It turned out that the head Customs officer had 2 children who were keen on tortoises and as we had a Sudanese Giant and an Indian Star amongst our lot, he had to go home, collect his children and bring them to the port so they could look at and have their pictures taken with them. Altho it added a few hours to our journey, it was a nice experience and the children were thrilled.

 

What fun, @Philippa! It reminds me of a family trip when I was a child. My dad had converted a van into a sort of camper van, with enough room for all eight of us to sleep in. He had built a tent arrangement on the roof, which propped open with two broomsticks! We were trying to cross the border from Gibraltar into Spain at a time when there was some ‘friction’ and we had been parked in a queue for most of the day. Just before midnight, we reached the frontier checkpoint, just as they were about to close it for the night. However one of the Spanish guards saw the van and ushered us forward. My dad’s conversion was examined and much admired, and it was all very cordial. We were cheerily waved through into the town, straight into the middle of a fiesta!. It must have looked rather odd to the people lining the streets to see the parade of horses with their passengers, glamorous senoritas in flouncy flamenco dresses, followed slowly by a battered old van with GB plates, and six children waving graciously from the windows!

 

Lovely way to lighten the mood @shiney

 

Again another British organisation that has money to burn.