Further to the stories on the joggers not enjoying the Sculptures by the Sea, I was going to Rottnest Island some time ago on the ferry, enjoying the sea air and the views, but most of the Asian tourists were below deck watching Mr Bean shows on the TV. But they were having a really good time and laughing their heads off," from Tim Donovan of Bahrs Scrub, Qld.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I picked up a Walmart catalogue in one of their Fuzhou (Fujian Province, China) supermarkets – advertisements for Halloween costumes, complete with Chinese child models flaunting witches' hats, skeleton suits, etc. Chinese people know three-fifths of diddly-squat about this Western ritual, but it seems American cultural invasion knows no bounds," writes Peter Burns, Murrumbateman NSW & Fuzhou, China.
From Bill Atkinson, Orange. "I am ambivalent about the voice on my Satnav (C8) but what really gets my goat is the woman's voice used on the self-serve checkouts at my local Woolies. The voice is just too "bossy" and impatient when I am too slow to place my item in the "bagging area".
Want some fun? Drive along toll-ways with two satnavs, one with a woman's voice, one with a man's, one set to use tollways, one set to avoid them. Every exit you pass they'll argue like a married couple. Did this from Liverpool to Ryde, it was so much fun." Adrian Gallagher, Wollongong.
It seems spring is a confusing season when it comes to clothing choice, says Joan Brown, Orange. "In the space of half a block I saw a mature woman in a thick quilted parka, and another in a halter-neck, backless sundress."
"I was on a quiet carriage (C8) when the person in front of me made six phone calls. I wrote him a note: 'This is a quiet carriage! Stop'. He apologised, waited a few minutes, and made another call." Mia David, Wollongong.
"Why, in the 21st century, are passenger rail vehicles still called "carriages"? Think buttoned leather, varnished woodwork, brass fittings and spoked wheels. 19th century ladies perched upright, gloved hands demurely clasped on parasols, bustled posteriors precluding serious repose." Ian Grant, Mount Victoria.
"This afternoon two large white draught horses patiently plodding along, pulling a family in a rather unusual type of carriage, gave many memories of years past," writes Marjie Williamson, Blaxland.
Twitter: @Column8SMH