Paul had donated a pair of Calvin Kleins which he claimed had stretched after repeated washing..
Jason's plane landed at gatwick at 10.52 on saturday 2/6/01.. A small but enthusiastic group of razzers was there to greet him..
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A special greeting banner was prepared so he would recognise
those there to welcome him.. Paul had donated a pair of Calvin Kleins which he claimed had stretched after repeated washing..
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| Now, I don't know about you, but if I'd just spent 12 hours
on a plane and was faced by this bunch on arrival it would be a tough call as to whether
or not I got back on the plane ! Anyway the reception committee felt that a rehersal was needed.. If nothing else it cheered up a dull day for many passers bye if the number of smiles was anything to go by.. Of course they could have just been admiring Paul's rock hard manly physique... Not bad for a man of his age.. |
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Rehersal over we adjourned to the coffee shop. We felt that Paul's attempt to obtain free coffee with the aid of a pointed stick was doomed from the outset but he was determined to give it a try.. In the end the more tradition route of a fistful of folding stuff proved more successful. It was during this interlude that a fleeting brush with someone who had almost but not quite achived fame turned Glenys' head. Instead of the cool, calm, sophisticated woman we all know so well she became a wild papparzzo without a camera as she spotted two rejected contestants from Big Brother 2 sitting at a nearby table.. Before we could stop her she was sitting at their table and chatting to them like a long lost friend.. Suspecting that she was in fact a reporter from one of the more disreputable tabloids they delcined an offer of photographs and went and hid in a back room.
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In an attempt to ascertain how long it was likely to take Jason to clear formailities and collect baggage etc Tony accosted a waiter. Sadly, it turned out that he was in fact a passing business man and could not furnish us with the information we required. In fact he seemed quite put out by the whole affair. As Glenys pointed out he was probably upset by the fact that his expensive suit had been mistaken for a waiter's uniform.. In fact we probably ruined his entire day.
Suitably chastened and fortified we returned to our vigil by the arrivals gate..
A minute passed..
Followed by another minute..
I can do no better that use Glenys' own words to describe what happend next...
"Then we went and prepared our special sign: A pair of underpants on
a
washing line. As we were doing so, the announcer said: "Could the
person waiting to meet Jason Vissers please go to information." Which
we did. To find an immigration officer.
"I've got this young man upstairs," he said. " Who doesn't seem to
know why he is here, what he is doing, or where he is staying. He
also doesn't have any cash with him."
We duly calmed his nerves, and cashed in the Get Jason Out Of Jail
Free card, although the money thing _did_ worry me slightly. Turns
out Jason _does_ have money, only he neglected to tell immigration
that he was planning to use his international Visa card"
Having managed to reassure the immigration authorities that there was a suitable adult, (thankfully Paul had hidden his knickers onna stick), willing to take responsibility for this strange creature currently in their custody we were told that he would be allowed through in about ten minutes.
At this point I have a confession to make..
I was so overwhelmed to be in the presence of such a famous denizen of RASF1 that I forgot to switch on the camera and spent a minute or so failing to film Jason's triumphant arrival ;-( Hence, the best I can offer are the two following, extremely dodgy, vid-caps.. Mea Culpa..
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 Shortly afterwards Tiina (with coffee cup) and Fede arrived to join the happy throng. Tiina said that under the circumstance Jason had done very well to clear formalities in under an hour. These thing can easily take two or three hours to clear up ! And finally a 'Well done' to Tiina for looking after Jason on the flight ! |
