never try to import birdseed to america.

Well it's July 7th and the shipment of products i am bringing over from the UK is STILL in Boston.  the boat left sometime in May I believe.  First it was the "volcanic ash crisis" that delayed my order, then it was the pit-stop in New York, then it was the "Vacis check" or something or other ( its a random check that customs do on a random container and the random container picked was the one my stuff was in.... and you pay extra for it)......And now we are awaiting FDA approval  on the 12 tins of birdseed I foolishly bought. FDA approval?  Do they think im feeding it to small children?

What was I thinking? 

1) to bring birdseed over here in the first place (even if it is in a pretty tin)

2) to tell the truth on the customs declaration form (would they have even cared)

3)  not to check on the regulations and requirement that this bloody country has.

I was thinking how nice the tin is and how lovely it will look with the other Baileys stuff and that Carly Simon has already bought three tins of it, (i airfeighted some samples over in April)... to encourage the songbirds to her garden, so simply must have more of it, right?

I told my customs broker to just dump the birdseed in Boston Harbor.  It quite frankly is not worth all the hassle - but was told this is not how you do things in importation!

Gladwells are a company in Ipswich who manufacture the birdseed for Baileys. They were more than reluctant to go through the process of applying for FDA approval in order for my to get my birdseed into America, and wanted to charge me for the process.  But after the gentle persuasion of the lovely Laura at Baileys they agreed  ( with the help of the equally lovely Franco , my customs broker - with his thick Italian American accent - to guide them through the online application process).

So on Friday i was overjoyed to receive an email from Laura to say that the FDA application was complete and they are awaiting the registration number.  We are now at Wednesday and still no number.  My goods are now in an expensive storage facility in Boston, with a daily rate amounting to hundreds more dollars and its all totally out of my control.  But I'm the one who pays.

I hope Carly Simon wants some more of this bloody songbird seed and I hope she's sold a lot albums (or downloads) lately, because this stuff is going to be selling at about 150 dollars a tin!

to be continued.