Back

Malcolm and I got home from our quick visit to France, at about 1am this morning.  We would have been home earlier, but as always, the French side of the channel tunnel crossing delayed things.  Why is it, however busy things are, on the English side of the channel, things are always efficient and quickly dealt with, while on the French side, no-one seems to know what is going on and they care even less?
Coupled with the usual French inefficiency, we were confronted with an over-zealous, British customs official who was determined to make things extremely difficult for us.  This large, officious, sour-faced woman with about as much good humour in her as maternally-outraged Rhinoceros, seemed determined to prove to the trainee officers with her, that we were the most heinous criminals on the face of the earth.  To this end, she asked to see in the boot of the car, questioned us about our year's supply of cheap plonk (despite there being no more than our legal allowance) with a look which said "I don't believe a word you're saying".  She even asked us how long we have owned our car and quizzed us about a couple of cartons of fruit juice!  What THAT had to do with anything, just boggles the mind.
What a pity this frustrated woman didn't take more notice of the hoodie-wearing chavs with a boot load of Beer and Vodka and pockets full of Cannabis, or the (probably) Cocaine-snorting, pin-striped, insider-trading city type in the Maserati sports car, then she might have met her daily target rather than picking on two, innocent chaps just trying to do a bit of shopping before hauling our sorry arses back home.
Enough bitterness (not likely!) for now.  After our long car journey yesterday and the stiff joints we both suffered from it, it was nice to get a walk this morning.
Things were rather Autumnal this morning and the reflections in the lakes of Straw's Bridge, were lovely.