Pee in a pocket

When you've gotta go, you've gotta go.

There's nothing worse than that awful feeling that you either need to wee or poo, and there is not a loo in sight.

Men have things slightly easier than us girls. Not only do we have to put up with pregnancy and mummy bladders, but we just can't whip out a handy appendage and go anywhere. As men seem to delight in doing, particularly if they've had more than a few drinks.

Have you ever seen those yellow-filled soft drink bottles which litter some of our busiest highways? Legend goes that male truckies and/or other long distance travellers, who don't have time for a wee break, keep an empty soft drink bottle handy, just in case of an emergency.

It seems that our long distance truckers are not always environmentally considerate, as many apparently toss those warm, full bottles, out of the window. Fast and convenient, without needing to make a pit-stop.

And how many times have you passed a car, with two doors open, and a trickle of bodily fluid running down the gutter from it? Yep, that's a child who needed to go Right Then And There And No I Cannot Bake it Mum.

(Only, occasionally it may be a woman with a mummy bladder after a few too many wines ... But I'm not naming names here or I would be in Very Big Trouble indeed.)

If, like so many Australians, you have the need to pee urgently and often, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

The Pocket Toilet provides a lifeline to those who are regularly caught short.

Designed by Ardern Healthcare, the portaloo in a pocket costs under AUD$10, and is being touted as the perfect Christmas present.

That's because retailer Halfords discovered that last December, sales went up by 250 per cent. Stocking stuffer anyone?

But it's not just drivers who find the Pocket Toilet useful. Apparently, there are always spikes in sales during  music festivals like Glastonbury. And the portable portaloo is great for hikers and trampers, and in fact, anyone who wants to avoid long toilet queues and/or disgusting public loos.

Rest assured, the pocket toilet is said to be very discreet and easily fits into a glove compartment.
And while it's aimed at men "aged between 3 and 103" apparently, it can also be used by the ladies.

I couldn't find anywhere whether the PT (Pocket Toilet) is okay for number twos as well as wees, but Halfords reassures us that the product contains polymers that turn wee into a non-smelly, non-leaky gel. All in a handy plastic bag. Which generally can usually only be used for one wee, and you need to dispose of it later.

A Halfords spokesperson is quoted as saying: 'We want to help our customers stay on the move and enjoy their journeys.'

Gold!

But seriously, wouldn't this be great for those long summer car journeys or treks through our national parks where we only want to leave behind our footprints?

Not to mention the perfect present for someone who has everything. (Except for a powerful bladder).

Still I wouldn't know whether to be offended or pleased if someone gave me a PT for Christmas...

Halloween Carnival, Manly, part two

And so it's time to share part two of our day at the Halloween Carnival at Manly, Brisbane.

The stalls featured a weird and wonderful collection of products for sale.

Including this witch, who is sitting on a toilet while eating an ice-cream. If you push a button she cackles madly and her eyes go red. Yes, the kids did want one, and yes, I said no!

Then there were elegant stalls, like this one which featured handmade jewellery, bags and funny little scary monster balls which the kids loved.

Trick or treat bags and carved pumpkins were everywhere ...

A bonding moment with their bonanza of toys

It was a hot day, so Miss 7 enjoyed a snow cone. Thankfully, she didn't choose this flavour, which is wrong on so many levels.

This was a monster of a jumping castle!

The laughing clowns. Every child a winner (of some useless crap).

The Manly Halloween Carnival was one of the more unusual public events we've been to.

Readers, have you been to any interesting days out lately?

Halloween Carnival, Manly (Part One)

I have never celebrated Halloween in Australia.

In previous years, there have been times when the kids have pestered me to buy a pumpkin and carve it, dress them up, and let them go trick or treating.

And each time, I've said no, because it's not an Aussie tradition.

But this year, we discovered that the Wynnum-Manly area of Brisbane celebrates Halloween every single year.

Always suckers for a good marketing campaign, the kids saw the ads on television and pestered me to go.

And when the Halloween Carnival Day dawned fine and clear, and with no better plan in place, I agreed to take them.  (Note: It wasn't on actual Halloween, but the day before - which was even better as kids got to celebrate twice!)

We got there soon after the celebrations began, which meant many stalls were still setting up and/or were trying to entice customers.

Which meant the kids had a better chance than average of taking home a prize. (And I managed to find a free parking space within walking distance of the event. For The Win!)

Sideshow Alley, Halloween style. I'm not sure about the No Losers promise though ...

Mr 9 was stoked to win a penguin from one of the stalls, outclassing adults in the same category. (The first person to get an Elmo to the top of a pole was the winner. Not even touching what is wrong with all that. Because, well, look! My boy got a penguin!)

My 9 very generously gave Miss 7 his points from the fishing stall, to add to hers. That meant she got a pick from the Big Toys Section. She chose a husky dog.

(And can I say how proud I am on Mr 9 that he did that? They both could have had a reasonably-sized pink or blue dinosaur each, but he wanted his sister to get a good prize too, so did a deal with gum-chewing Carnie. That is a huge achievement for Mr 9, who, as an Aspie, used to struggle with showing his feelings or acknowledging those of others.

An Unlucky Dip. Love it!

When Miss 7 managed to get a husky of her own, Mr 9 was slightly regretting his grand gesture ...

Usually we'd visit the region for sights like these....

Miss 7 was entranced by the creepy hand lollie basket

 

Then it was Mr 9's turn to get grabbed whilst grabbing a lollie

Did you celebrate Halloween this year?  (MTC)