Residentvagabond’s Weblog

Exactly 2 weeks ago I was attending an annual conference in Belfast.  A cocktail of laziness, sunstroke and a visitor from Kilkenny prevented me from seeing sense and taking the Metro into the capital.  Instead I chose the speedy and luxurious option and drove the Rover.  My lovely car comes in for a lot of criticism from many people who can be heard scoffing behind the steering wheels of their overpriced Renaults, Volkswagens, Peugeots and Fords.  They mock the subtle lilac/blue tints and the chrome trim of the Rover.  It may look like the choice vehicle for every suburban granny, but appearances can be deceiving! 

I can forgive these aforementioned philistines but what truly offended me was our involuntary receipt of a big yellow parking fine, issued on 3^rd June 2008 at precisely 15:22.

 My immediate annoyance at the sight of this ticket on my windscreen ebbed away over the course of a few days.  My annoyance was soon replaced with joy and laughter when I was informed that I could easily pay my fine online at www.roadsni.gov.uk.  In addition to this convenient and hassle free payment method, I was overjoyed to learn that if I paid within 14 days I would receive a discount!!  How generous!

The cherry on the cake however, was being able to view photos of my illegally parked Rover on the government website (see above).  The traffic attendant had taken 5 photo’s altogether including an artistic shot of the big orange sign I had obviously not seen earlier that day.

So I suppose every cloud has a silver lining after-all.  For a mere £30: I travelled to and from the conference in luxury; I learned how to pay a parking fine online; I got a 50% discount; realised that the colours lilac and yellow should never go together; and obtained some rather fetching photos of my stylish Rover (all included in the price).