Wordless Wednesday: Halloween

Since our first Christmas as parents, we’ve become a little gung ho about decorating the outside of the house for Christmas.  Nothing ridiculous, just a few simple lights and a couple of ornaments.

 

But The Robos don’t stop there…

 

A sweet bunny stop sign is hammered into the lawn for Easter, a flag flies proudly on Australia Day and now, these little cuties sit in the front garden for Halloween.

 

 

 

 

Some festivities are just bloody good fun.

 

Are you swept away in the silly season?

 

 

Love,

Robo X

Linking up with Trish from My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

Make Me Laugh

My little one hit my laptop late last night and regardless of how many times I hit undo, I couldn’t get my document back on my screen.  So no funny post from me today.  There’s one here though.  And here.

 

 

Those who know me best know that I love to laugh.  And if something is funny enough, suppressing the giggles is a hard thing to do.  I especially appreciate social commentary, best delivered of course in places where laughter is highly inappropriate – in front of important people, in the classroom, at meetings…

 

 

I’m lucky enough to work with a complete idiot who makes ridiculous statements many times throughout the working day.  Upon hearing one of these statements, my work bestie often send me a text from her desk, while I sit at mine, less than two metres away.

Stifling a burst of laughter in a quiet staff room has become something of a skill.

 

 

So what of you?  Hit my with your funny links.

I’m very much looking forward to sitting back with a Thursday wine and laughing my arse off.

 

 

 

 

Love,

Robo X

Say Hello to my Little Friend – Wordless Wednesday

I’m not much of a photographer, this is more of a ‘had camera, right place, right time’ style situation.

Since taking these images the other week however, I haven’t been able to stop looking at them.

 

 

 

Gorgeous, isn’t he?

 

Love,

Robo X

 

Linking up today with Trish from My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

The Garden

Welcome to The Lounge for another week.

This week it’s all about Power.

The links are below.

Our neighbours are mad keen gardeners.  

Mr and Mrs Robo, on the other hand,  are a bit younger, so we aren’t as earnest yet.  We’re getting there.  I predict that gardening will feature more prominently in our lives as we grow older.  

 

 

Gardening can be boring at times, especially if it’s tiring, repetitive work.  But there is a great sense of satisfaction to be gained from an afternoon in the yard.  

 

And no-one denies you a few cold beers throughout the day.

  

 

A few weekends ago Mr Robo had an epic gardening session. It involved hiring a lopping crew to remove some damaged trees.

 

What resulted was a mound of mulch that took up most of our front yard.

 

 

Our gardener neighbours spotted the mulch pile and we offered it to them.

This began another epic session of moving the mulch to their yard.

 

 

Our gardener neighbours wanted the mulch to re-pot their orchid collection.   To say thank you for the hundreds of dollars worth of free bark, they gave us one of their orchids.  Mr Robo gave them one of our cold beers.

 

 

I don’t know a great deal about orchids but if I have any questions I will ask my neighbours.

Nature encourages communication.  It can create the most wonderful conversations and build beautiful relationships.

 

 

Nature is a great teacher.    Nature is a wonderful companion.    Nature is all-consuming.    Nature is God.    Nature is about discovery.    Nature is about giving.

 

 

Nature is a powerful thing.

The power of the garden should not be underestimated.

 

 

Garden much?

 

Love,

Robo X

 

Car Park Rage

Welcome to The Lounge for another week!  Thanks for stopping by. 

The Lounge will be stationed here at my blog for the foreseeable future.

Get comfy.

This week we’re all about The Open Letter

A letter that is addressed to a particular person or organisation but nonetheless, publicised for the whole world to see.  I love them hard!

 

 

An Open Letter to Australian National Car Parks

(Do you know the bastards?)

 Image

 

 

From time to time I visit Aldi where the nappies, wipes and tissues are very cheap and excellent quality.  My hairdresser is also opposite Aldi, so I use the parking lot for that too.

 

 

The other week, I was booked in at the hairdresser and as usual, used the Aldi car park.  I dutifully purchased my ticket and walked over to the salon.  Fifty-five minutes later, I walked back to renew my ticket for a further two hours, (my hairdresser cannot multitask).

 

 

When I finally finished at the salon, I had an hour to spare, so looking a bit glam, I went to Aldi to buy my nappies and wipes. When I returned to my car, there was an $88 fine stuck rudely to my window.

 

 

Now, this is not the first time I’ve had a fine from your organisation.

 

The very first time a fine arrived was via mail, A YEAR AND A HALF after I’d sold my car!

The second time, your dumb machine was broken so I couldn’t obtain your stupid display ticket.

And the third time I was fined was when our local Woolies gave you the rights to manage their car park overnight and I didn’t even realise until I almost collected the Indian guy who was trying to shove a ticket under my wiper blade AS I WAS REVERSING OUT OF THE CAR SPACE!!

 

Coincidentally, you’ve also booked both my parents with the same surprise car park management takeover.

 

 

I hate your dodgy company.

I hate having to waste time writing letters to your company.

I hate the fact that you issue penalty notices as you call them, and then badger people with your debt collection letters.

I hate that your ‘fines’ are technically illegal yet still, you get away with harassing naive citizens.

 

 

This is from the NSW Fair Trading website:

Private car park operators do not issue fines, however may issue payment notices for ‘breach of contract’ stating that when a consumer enters a car park they agree to the terms and conditions stated on signage. Private car parks do not always have a boom gate operating; meaning consumers must find the ticket machine, purchase a ticket and place it visibly in the front windscreen.

 

Contract?  Terms and conditions?

 

Who has time to stand there and read fine print on a sign when they’re rushing in to buy ham for tomorrow’s lunches?

 

 

I’m posting today in hope of helping anyone who has been ‘fined’ by your company.

 

 

I urge readers to take the time to look specifically here at NSW Fair Trading, here at this awesome guy’s website, and here where there is a response letter proforma that will help anyone who needs it.

 

 

In the past, I wrote letters to get out of the ‘fine’ but this time I won’t be doing that.  The likelihood of being sued for $88 is very low.

 

 

I’m willing to bet that your ‘parking cop’ saw me heading into the hairdresser and raced over to ‘book me’ without even checking my dashboard.

 

You are unconscionable.

 

 

I fucking hate your thieving company.

 

…

 

 

Have you been done by this crowd?  Or similar?  

 

 

Link up your Open Letter here.

 

Robo X