allana | Vroom-vroom!

So... this afternoon Dave bought me a car!!

I'm a bit flummoxed. I never expected to find anything so soon or for it to be so nice.

Dave's brother and his partner have been on the look-out for a suitable Ang-mobile--in their capacity as motoring gods--since I passed my test and today they spotted a little gem hidden away in a dealers yard. It's a '97 1.8L Ford Escort in a weird sort of lilac/silver metallic blue--should be easy enough to spot in a supermarket car park :P There's plenty of room for me, Speck, pushchair and shopping but it's still smaller than Dave's Alfa and will be far easier to reverse as there's no spoiler and I can easily tell where the end of the car is. There's air-con, too, which was a big consideration for me as I couldn't in good conscience drive Speck around in a baking hot car in the summer.

We went over to the garage this afternoon and after we'd established that my legs really were long enough to reach the pedals, I went out for a test drive. She drives really nicely: very responsive throttle, as are the brakes--even if it is weird to not have to push down on the brakes much--and the gearbox is smooth. Oh, manual gearbox as I'm determined not to lose my skills by going straight into driving automatics for the rest of my life. Dave reckons that after two years of driving a manual I should be able to swap between manual and automatic without deteriorating.

I am thrilled, bouncy and just over the moon. I have a reasonable amount of access to Dave's car--and more if I were to wake up early and drive him into work--but the convenience of being able to drive myself to the doctor's etc. without any elaborate arrangements (or rush hour traffic) just can't be beaten.

*bounce bounce bounce*

Dave bought me a car!! He's the loveliest man ever (and I'd quite happily wrestle any challengers).

(Photos when we actually get it home. I'm too lazy to traipse upstairs and photoshop the dealer photo :P)