Caving under pressure

It's not the first time it's happened.

We got home from camping yesterday and unloaded, throwing all the filth of sportswear, smoky parkers, sleeping bags and other assorted bedding, a million towels, grungy tea towels - pretty much anything and everything that can go in a washing machine.

We're less than 10 minutes into the first load and the machine starts to make some very loud noises. Bloody hell.

It was probably about 10 years ago when exactly the same thing happened - straight after Easter camping. I think the machine is fitted with a detector, sees what's coming and it's "Goodnight Irene".

Here's a selection of what it was facing:

I can't say I was sad. I've hated that machine pretty much since we bought it. There's not one dark item of clothing that doesn't come out looking like its been through a snow storm. The lint is a killer. 

Meant to be 'the best on the market' at the time, it was an 'industrial' American brand, often seen in public laundromats that gave me no hope that it would ever die, but thankfully, that day has come.

So desperate were we to get that washing down, we jumped straight online to Product Reviews to find a new one. Heading up the best was one that closely resembled what we had - both in looks and price. Forget that.

Number two looks like a ridiculous oversized bread maker - but at less than half the price, that'll do. It had rave reviews.

Geoff suggested we look at the more expensive model of the same chosen brand, here's just one recent post of 42 on the same theme.

And another:

Who'd have thought reading product reviews could be so entertaining?!

I also note today that the above model has in fact been discontinued. I'll get back to you on the model we're getting.

The fruitless rummage.

A stranger had a dig through my car earlier in the week.

I can't call it a break-in as in truth, we may have inadvertently left the car open after unpacking from the long weekend. It's also parked on the street so I guess that combination was irresistible for someone.

Sass jumped in the next day and wondered why all the service books were scattered over the front seat. I noticed the contents of the console was over mine. It was very slim pickings.

The only things stolen were my out of date prescription glasses (the case was way cooler than the glasses) and my spare sunglasses.

I suspect my business partner.

She did once threaten to dissolve the business should I be so brazen as to wear said sunglasses to the Spring Carnival races with clients - just because they came out of a $10 show bag. I've actually found a picture of the exact one!

It was the last day of the show so they were flogging two bags for the $20. You got to choose one hat, one pair of glasses, one scarf and one carry bag... oh the pressure!!! I chose the heavier, matt rimmed glasses which were the ones that were nicked. (BTW, the black floppy hat was too tight so has recently been sent to charity and Sass claimed the grey scarf.)

You'd have wonder how trying to sell those for a spot of cash went. That would have been worth witnessing.

On the upside, the culprit left behind my umbrella, the first aid kit, a pile of 5c coins, mints, a mini perfume, my coffee card and heaps of other small essentials that they obviously deemed worthless but would have been annoying to have lost. They also left the drawer under the driver's seat open, which was a bonus because I never knew there was a drawer there!! If there was some treasure in it from the previous owner, I'll never know.

Hopelessly underprepared.

It's time for the Run For The Kids again. It seems to come around more quickly every year, but the fact that it also seems longer, is a reality. It's managed to sneak up from abut 13km when it started  to 16km!

Here's Elle and I from last year - or the year before - it's all a blur. But I think this year will the most memorable as my training has been less than exemplary.

I have been walking a lot - most mornings for an hour - and running once a week or two. Let's see how that works shall we??

I was lamenting this my sister-in-law who reminded me that some years ago, she shot out of the blocks of the 5km course with great gusto but quickly descended into an injured limp. Afterwards, she popped up the the Royal Children's Hospital (coincidentally the beneficiary of this run) to see George. 

Are you alright, KB? He inquired. You seem to be struggling.

He always was perceptive!

So slack have I been, that I've barely put out the call for team members. I'm not even going to disgrace George and Jaz by wearing their T-shirt. Anonymous black will do it. There's absolutely no need to draw attention to myself!

Anyway, as I see it, every minute that passes is a minute closer to it.... being over!!

Karma

Sass is an enterprising thing. She and her friends have run a series of stalls at the front of the house selling, well, junk -  DVDs, 1980s 'jewellery' (what the heck was I hanging onto that for?), stationery, toys. Without any input from me, she also implemented some classic marketing tactics; the BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) and GWP (Gift With Purchase). The latter was an outdated magazine.

They even worked out that if anyone asked what the movie on the DVD was like, if they said it was really good, they'd be more likely to get a sale - even if they'd not actually seen it. No wonder we people in advertising have such a bad rap!!

We live right near a cafe so they've actually managed to raise a reasonable amount of cash, not to mention getting rid of a heap of rubbish.

Ever the entrepreneur, she was trying to work out how the team could make money even when they were asleep. (Aren't we all??!) And here's what she came up with:

Wishing Well.

Where your 

dreams can 

come true!!

It has attracted quite a lot of attention. I've spotted people walking past and doing a double take - some even laughing out loud and then chucking in a coin.

I even had a very odd couple come and knock on the door to discuss it (and more so, them)  for a good 20 minutes before I could ease the door closed....

Anyway, someone's nicked it.

I think it must have been Saturday night. I don't recall seeing it when we got home but it was after 2am and I may have consumed at tad more of the bubbly stuff than's generally considered prudent... 

However, I did notice it was gone when I got back from my penance run late Sunday morning.

More annoying than the loss of what must have amounted to at least $4.35 was that they took my plastic container, god damn them, leaving me with yet another unmatched lid that's now just junk!!

We all know karma's a bitch so I'm guessing the small coffee that coin may have afforded them was crap!!