All through spring, summer and autumn, I have been using the scooter and occasionally the SAAB I bought from Kannan to help him out financially. It gave me a chance to get the Rabbit reconditioned.
The 1984 Ford Escort Farmer has done yeoman service since I got it, thanks to Kamu, in 2000. It has pulled many a car out of trouble, especially in winter. It has towed several cars twice its size and half its age, rushed to start up stranded cars, and it has hardly cost a penny to upkeep.
Of course, I kept it in peak condition, changing whatever was necessary before any troubles came to a head. All the MOTs that it went through were clean sailing.
But Annikki and both daughters did not very much like the look of the car as part of the paint had faded!
So this summer I gave it to my dear friend Nassar, who has a Garage and Paint Shop in Haukipudas. I gave him carte blanche to do up the car. The colours - football fans Samu and me chose red and golden orange (which were my team colours in Oulu when I bought the car).
Earlier today, I drove out the 20+ kilometres on the scooter to Nassar's garage to see the progress.
Standing in the compound, gleaming in the beautiful autumn sunshine, stood the new look Rabbit. Not only had the outside been done, but Nassar had changed the air filter, changed the oil, done some welding work and also got it MOTeed!
I can put the SAAB to hibernation after a thorough service. Although the SAAB is a great car with a lot of power, and it is a super safe car, I will be glad to get back to driving the nippy and powerful Rabbit once autumn is over and I put the scooter away!
Now that the Rabbit is back with a shiny nose and a great tail, I may even think of selling the SAAB if I get a reasonable price. It will be sad to sell such a good car as, on occasions, we do need a larger car for our travels.
