Blog-tober - On the Road

Two things that left me scoffing today as I drove around Melbourne today.

9 a.m. was too early to witness this sight. As I waited at the lights on Burnley Street on my way to meditation, an elderly gentleman went past me on his mobility scooter.

Nothing unusual about that.

Other than the mobility scooter had a bull bar on the front of it.

Nearly missed my light cycle in shock.

The second sight that got me wondering was out in the 'burbs. I was heading out to Millie's place to drop something out to her. We're out in the heart of four-wheel-drive territory on the way out to Millie's. CR-Vs, Territories, Pajeros - you name it, big, unleaded guzzling vehicles used to pick little Amalia, Makaylah, Maximillian and Tarquin from their overpriced private school as well as providing assurance that they will get over the speed humps in the Coles car park.

I don't venture out to suburbia very often, but when I do, I'm always surprised by all of the things they have out there which seem completely pointless.

My Family stickers on the back windows of the family car is one of those things. It's allegedly an Australian phonomenon.

 I really don't get these. Why do you want to advertise who is in your family? Why would you want to represent your family in badly drawn, strangely whimsical stick figures? Maybe this is just me and my knee jerk reaction to having to buy one sticker (and maybe I could shove half a cat sticker next to me.)

The way I see these stickers is this:

Although if they all looked like this, I might have a different opinion of them:

Driving down Tooronga Road, I spotted a Ford Territory with a number of these stickers on it. I had a better look as I pulled up behind this car at the lights. There was a Mum, a Dad, two elder sons, and elder daughter and another couple of assorted kids.

What I found surprising was that the middle daughter appeared to be peeling off the window, looking rather ragged indeed. What did this mean? Was the middle daughter in trouble? Was she sick or dying or had run away? What did she think of the fact that her sticker was peeling off the car and looking rather shabby when the rest of the family appeared to be intact? Was she worthy of this sort of ostracism?

It appears that these stickers become more common the further out of the city you go.

There are reasons why I live inner city. One of them is that I don't have to waste thoughts pondering things like this.