Introduction:2nd International Czech Rock Garden Conference - 2-5 May 2013

[fermi de Sousa]

Don't try hiding any plants in the shoes, Lesley!
That's the first place they'd look
Will and I are booked for the hotels as well - just need to work out the flights now!
Unfortunately we can only leave just in time for the Conference so no "pre-Conf" garden visiting around the UK like we did last year.
Hopefully we can organise a few visits to Shows and gardens afterwards.
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

How could you Fermi? I DON'T plan any smuggling or other naughty behaviours. No, I will buy German shoes if possible, or Hungarian. Both countries do superbly comfortable shoes and very classy to look at. we get them here but at outrageous prices so I'll spend my "plant" money on a couple of pairs.

[Diane Whitehead]

I'm lucky that I'll be able to bring plants home.  I did it when I was there before.
It took ages washing the roots, as I didn't have enough containers to do a fast
job of it.  I told myself that the next time I will travel with a tall stack of washed
yogurt containers - one per plant for soaking should cut the washing time down.

[fermi de Sousa]

How could you Fermi? I DON'T plan any smuggling ...

Just kidding, Lesley! Though, if you are visiting "planty-people" in the UK afterwards you could buy some for them so you could at least "own them" for a little while!

..or other naughty behaviours.

Presumably Gin is no longer considered naughty! Hopefully we can get some duty free on the way through!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Was gin ever naughty? Hope not. I've been reading Bryce Courtney's "The Potato Factory" and am horrified at Tasmania as she was. I knew it roughly, but Courtney's descriptions are so vivid, so graphic. Children of 8 and 10 buying for a penny, a pint of gin - and the rats!

When I was there with Don he (I think, or was it Marcus) showed me an old brick building which was, as I recall, the beginnings or part of the Cascade beer brewery, talked about in the book. Fiction yes, but based very much on fact. Brilliant story and I'll read the others in order now.

Have bought a Kobo (rather than a Kindle). Followed instructions for setting up but nothing worked. Went to website and found the recently updated version was giving problems for some people. Took it back to shop and it was sent back to supplier. Returned with the note that it hadn't been charged!!!!! This little tale says everything that needs to be said about my abilities with electronic devices!

[Jiri Papousek]

For everyone who will wish to transport plants, there will be phyto inspection available. As well we agreed with both hotels to prepare some space for plants packaging. For sure there will be enough plants available to buy here for reasonable price. I even thought about some express transport possibilities for those who will buy more then luggage can absorb. It was exactly my case during spring visit in Scotland, as I simply couldn't resist and Scottish friends were so generous 

[angie]

I wonder how much plants I could pack in my suitcase 

Angie 

[Diane Clement]

I wonder how much plants I could pack in my suitcase    Angie   

I managed 90 at the first Czech conference     

[angie]

I managed 90 at the first Czech conference     

Diane sounds good to me 

Angie 

[Lesley Cox]

I wonder how much plants I could pack in my suitcase 

Angie 

Well I'll probably have some spare kilos available in my case Angie so you're welcome to those.

Jiri, what a wonderful service you are offering to Conference-goers. I'll be able to buy the odd thing for Scottish friends, even if I can't bring the plants back to NZ.

[angie]

Lesley are the customs really strict with food as well, just thought if they are with plants they might be the same with food, just thinking of all the nice goodies that you can take back home.

Angela 

[Maggi Young]

Jiri and histeam are working hard to provide the services for their conference that everyone attending wouldexpect and hope to see - well done to them for their diligence on this - at the  international conference in Nottingham in 2011 such provisions were sadly missed by the overseas delegates. 

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, very strict with food as well Angie, though many items are permitted entry SO LONG AS THEY ARE DECLARED FIRST on the card which all travellers entering the country (and Australia) have to fill in on the plane before it lands. Fruit and vegetables are NOT permitted to enter but processed meats are (except in some cases). Honey is a no no, chocolate is OK  along with other confectionary. Milk products are not permitted such as cheeses, yoghurt etc though why one would want to I can't imagine, so many kinds are available here. I learned just tonight on our "Border Patrol" programme, that fresh (dead) fish may be brought in so long as they are sea species. Fresh water species may not. I can't really think of any food item I would want to buy overseas and bring home.  Not declaring items is usually the problem. If we don't declare food or plant items and the like, we can be fined up to $200,000 and get jail time as well. In Oz the fine is $220 I think. Usually a good rap over the knuckles and a lecture is a first offence penalty but it all is flagged on computer and a second offence, the book gets thrown. If the item is not permitted but has been declared, just the lecture but no penalty.

[ChrisB]

We see border patrol programmes over here Lesley and I never cease to be amazed at what they try to take in to Australia.  Not sure if there's a similar one for NZ, but they've just started one on customs in US too, I am not sure why I'm watching these programmes, but they are interesting that's for sure.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes there is Chris. Our programme is "Border Patrol" and the Aussie one is "Border Security." We also see the UK Customs version too but I don't watch it as it's on a relatively obscure channel.  Wouldn't watch an American one either but mercifully, we don't get that. I prefer the NZ version to the OZ as the officers deal with things relatively quickly and don't keep going back so much to repeat what's already been said and seen.

I don't know why I watch them either except that NZ being the size of a village, just very rarely, someone we (gardeners) all know, pops up. There was a case a few years back now when someone from Dunedin had smuggled Trillium plants into the country but they were discovered as the stuffing in a teddy bear, and in a hollowed-out book. The gent concerned seems to have vanished of the gardening scene now and certainly became persona non grata in the Trillium Group. On screen, when the MAF person opened the package, while the culprit's address had been blurred out, the sender's address in the States was readable and was someone I had been emailing with for some time. Two stupid men because even though it was the NZer who was smuggling, the American, asked to pack in that way, obviously knew he was breaking our laws. NZ Customs and no doubt Aussie and UK customs all work together with information and the American service also works with them all.