Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[soapdragon]

Recently I spoke to a freind who had been to the States with her husband and young son. I asked - as you do - if they had had a good time and if they had a successful shopping trip (her husband is 6 foot 7 inches with correspondingly big feet and finds it much easier to buy clothes etc in America.)

 

The answer was, yes, very successful . Hubs had bought a lumphammer! When I posed the obvious question - why - the answer was that it was a good deal! (Luckilly hubs is senior in a well known airline and may have been able to wiggle baggage allowance!!!)

 

That set me thinking.........my parents returned from a trip to Berlin last year with 6 (yes, 6) loo brushes . According to Mother, they were very taken with the fact that the brushes had an additional brush on the side which fitted up under the rim - I didn't have the heart to tell them that Kleeneeze have done these for some time ! How that checkout assistant must be still giggling at the mad old English couple!!!!

 

Has anyone else brought anything home from holiday that merits a mention; odd, funny or just downright strange??

[Cinnamon]

Fingers crossed we will be going back to Kos next year and bringing back masses of herbs and cinnamon syrup from there.

We didn't get searched at Customs last time,but some of the herbs looked a bit suspect.

 

Our fave buy was a stunning huge metal and wood mirror from Cephallonia,which wouldnt fit through the airport scanner,then they couldn't put it in the hold. They stashed it behind a seat on the plane (lovely BA lady !),then finally wouldn't fit in the car boot on the way home.

It does look good over the woodburner now,though.

[KimmyCustard]

Bags of biscuit M and M's, Twinkies and A1 steak sauce from the USA, not that we're food focused at all.......

[craftyhunnypie]

Hubby brought back light fittings & components from Egypt. We brought back a Candle stick telephone from India.

Moist toilet tissue?????????????? & Rosehip jam from Austria.

Lots of stuff from Watson's drug store in Thailand ( a bit like Boots). Most stuff was for a laugh as unbelievable.....

Beauty Face whitening cream.

Lots of tiny tins of Zambuk

Tiger balm heat pads

Oh & enemas!

Emma.x

[Lesley]

- the mind boggles Emma

 

Carl brought back a folding shovel from America - and our suitcase was forced open to check at some point - I brought back Peanut Butter M&Ms, which have since been withdrawn from sale for poisoning some people!

[Yorkshire Pudding]

Mushroom flavour stock cubes from Italy. I bought every pack the shop had left, lady on the checkout thought I was crackers!

[Plum]

I brought a fly swatter back from Paris for OH from the Pompidou Centre, if you looked through the plastic you could see a face .

 

OH wasn't impressed Anyway it was in my handluggage and customs insisted on searching the box

[Chickpea]

Years ago I went to Holland and fell in love with a chocolate bar which wasn't available over here, so I proceeded to stock up on approx 20 bars to ration out when I got home. I think the next month Kinder introduced the 'Bueno' bars and I needn't have rationed at all! These days I have to say I never touch them, too much packaging for my liking, but they are

[Sam]

Fingers crossed we will be going back to Kos next year and bringing back masses of herbs and cinnamon syrup from there.

 

ooo me mum and dad are going to Kos in a couple of weeks! Can't wait

 

Hmm I bought back a massive bongo I don't know why but I just really liked the look of it and it was only 30 euros or so, it was in the last few days so I thought I may aswell spend my remaining euros on something ... useful ...

 

I just googled it to find a picture, not a bongo it's a djembe haha

[sadietoo]

Sorry I'm still shocked at the the idea of a lump hammer getting through security, when I couldn't take my Swiss Card through it's a knife, but with a very tiny blade, a pair of tweezers and one of those screwdrivers which takes a couple of different heads and a toothpick and it all fits into a credit card sized holder which fits in your purse..so really only a very tiny knife...useful for opening letters or cutting a thread, but not for inflicting actual bodily harm on anyone except me, when I accidentally scratched myself with it .

[Christian]

Mushroom flavour stock cubes from Italy. I bought every pack the shop had left, lady on the checkout thought I was crackers!

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Every time I go I get some and dried porcini mushrooms, they are so cheap there.

 

I bought back 5 (yes 5) 15" real Christmas trees back from Copenhagen a few years ago. I always bring back packets of gravy mix from Germany and dried dumpling mix.

 

Sadietoo, Crew usually go through a different security to passengers and they are slightly more lenient....Still, a hammer

[Cinnamon]

I also brought back a massive bag of beautiful Sea Glass from Kos,with a view to 'doing something' with it - it is still in my office now

Will pm you Sam,to ask where you are staying

 

I am going to Menorca very soon & will bring back some of their Mahon Gin,which is delicious & also the Mahon Cheese.

 

We usually bring back a few packs of Lays too,which are the Mediterranean version of a crisp available here,but they do them in funky holiday flavours like Feta Cheese or Olive oil & Oregano overseas

 

I love Mediterranean supermarkets & spend hours of my holiday trawling through the shelves. They are just fascinating & even smell wonderful.

I usually find a great new flavour of an old classic,something like Heinz Ketchup,to take home & try

 

When the daughters were younger we always used to have heaps of sea shells,pebbles & those Punky ice cream pots,the bird shaped ones,empty too.

Plus cocktail umbrellas & ornaments...hundereds of them

[craftyhunnypie]

The enemas were a present for my medicine mad mum to make her laugh. She used to go abroad with the biggest first aid bag ever! It used to fascinate her what was available abroad too, little pots of this, little pots of that. This is the mad mum who used to bring back 3 ft tall wooden giraffes & massive wooden elephants from abroad. The things we have had to carry for her in the past.

I brought a tam tam drum back once & a Thai hat. We were cold at Manchester airport waiting for the taxi once, so hubby put a Thai silk kimono on stood outside in February!

Yes we are nutters!

Emma.x

[freddie]

Bags of pasta from Italy, and a single person cafetiere from Greece, some amazing lemon myrtle hand cream from Australia, neck and haunch of gemsbuk from S africa(!!) frozen, and wrapped in lots of newspaper!!

It's got to be done!!

[beach chick]

we bought a claw hammer back from New York, and also some cat nip cat toys (which werent currently available in UK - this was about 18 yrs ago). they were all in the luggage; passed the x-ray machines no prob but the luggage was COVERED in paw prints from the sniffer dogs

[Seagazer]

Ooh we love Lays crisps

 

DD just back from America and she has bought a box of Lucky Charms cereal, she insists that it has to stay on display for a bit before she'll allow her brothers to have one bowl each.

[Old Speckled Hen]

I brought a husband back from a trip to Madeira

[jasperaliceuk]

From Australia - a 3' carved wooden crocodile which we had carefully wrapped - it had to go in the hold and still ended up with a broken ear!

Sue

[yvonne]

Along similar lines my tent mate in Uganda brought back a HUGE wooden hippo which had a spare seat to itself on the plane and was lovingly carried by train to Brighton.

[gongladosh]

hmm, ok how's about this:

 

Greece (we were in Rhodes, Kos and Halki 3 weeks ago!):

- Metaxa 3* (tastes less of Brandy than the more expensive ones!)

- Mythos Red (if you can find it - always a 50/50)

- Some herbs (either gyros or stifado mix)

- loads of greek honey (always a 50/50 for getting past customs)

 

USA

- Jeans (much cheaper there)

- anything from Abercrombie & Fitch

- Sam Adams Boston Ale! (my favourite beer in the world)

[Daphne]

I think the daftest thing we brought back was a shiny large metal kitchen rubbish bin from Belgium years ago because we were young and foolish and hard-up and it was miles cheaper than here In the last couple of years, friends went to the States and bought us and themselves heavy cast iron casserole pans with lid - they weigh a ton, but again were a bargain This bargain hunting got a bit out of control in the Spring when OH insisted on buying something ridiculous like 5kg of oranges because they cost 3 euro in Greece. They wouldn't all fit in the rucksack so we stood in a layby and then in the airport stuffing our faces with the excess ones. And then I couldn't lift the rucksack. Good job they didn't weigh the handluggage

 

The nicest things OH has brought me back have been when he has gone on cycling expeditions. They have to be very lightweight so he has to be inventive.