Saturday afternoon we were called down to the pub, and there was Ray the car salesman in all his snakeskin glory, looking even more like a shiny and colourful lizard than the previous time.He was not alone, as on his side was this younger woman, dressed all in black fake leather, and with hair so white and strawlike that it must have seen many a lightning product! Anna was quite put out, as I think she had plans to seriously persue a little flirtation with this man, maybe to make sure about the extent of his tatoos!
How and so ever, he informed us that he did find us the perfect car, a little Fiat Panda, as old as the mountains, but still running well, the enjin in very good condition, and it was standing outside, if we wanted to have look and take it for a test drive. I fell in love with it immediately, but Anna, who had a small purple jeep, quite new, at home was a bitty put out, and we almost had a fall-out, so I told her that I will buy the Panda on my own, after which she got a bitty pale, as that would mean that I would be out and about without her, as I told her so!
The seating in front of the hotel were packed with people, as it was a lovely day, when every-one came out to enjoy the luxury of a dry and sunny day, and the villagers were very interested in us overlooking the little car, as they knew of our plight. I thought it perfect, and Ray gave me the keys to take it for a run, Anna of course refusing to get behind the wheel. The enjin sprang to life immediately, purring as contented as a kitten, and with everybody clapping and shouting encouragement, I pulled away neatly, and off we went!
It was such a wonderful feeling to be free at last, and I said to Anna that if she was not interested, I was taking it on my own, at which she flared up and told me that I was just selfish, and didn't want her to have some pleasure too! I was unperturbed, as by this time I knew exactly how her brain worked, and just kept quiet, not feeling like squabbling with her, knowing that even if it was a rusted piece of tin on wheels, she would go halves, as she was also bored with not getting to places we wanted to see.
The transaction was done, we paid over the money, and after Ray gave us both a hearty, if sweaty hug, we all drank on it, and we were the co-owners of a little black car.
Sunday morning we raced through our work, as we had decided to go to Callender for lunch, but both almost had a heart attack on coming back. The road to Callender, and actually all over Perthshire, was very narrow, with a lot of sharp bends, but there was one, quite near to Strathyre, that made a complete U , then a tight S, and we were laughing and joking about our new car, when suddenly, coming out of the U and into the S bend, there was a huge freighter truck right in front of us, on our side of the road, with nowhere to escape to, as on one side was a sharp fall down to loch Lubnaig, and on the other side was the mountain! After a lot of screaming, and me trying to get the car onto the narrow shoulder before the drop to the loch, I saw that the truck, who was going very slow, had now actually stopped, and I just sat there, crying like a baby. Anna was quite hysterical, and started telling me that I was a clod, and should open my eyes, so I told her to bally get out and walk, or get behind the wheel, which effectively quietened her. The driver of the truck smiled and showed me to revers a bit, so I did reverse back far enough so he could get through the tight bend, and with a smile and a wave, we were all on our ways again. That bend I took at ten miles an hour from then on, as I met a lot more trucks in the same way, but was able to stop without my heart wanting to jump out. Before our almost mishap, we had also stopped at the Edinburgh Woolen Mills to say hi to Hamish the Highland coo, coo meaning bull, or so I assumed, as he was a foolblooded bull! He was very clever, as, unless a camera is taken out, he will not come to the fence, as he knew that the tourists always fed him fresh produce they bought from the shop, and they were the ones with the cameras.