It was never the same after the mishap. I did fix it, temporarily; until other maddening faults crept in, which only made themselves known when winter started to grip. Engines, especially those that are 20 years old, do not like the cold. I should have learned my lesson by now; this being the second old car I’ve owned in the last two years that has gone wrong. Unfortunately, ageing cars such as these require more day-to-day attention than I’m willing to give them, which begs the question: why the hell did I buy an old car in the first place? Modern cars are safer, more economical, more reliable. However, they are also a boring, homegenised lump of plastic, metal and airbags; the affordable ones at least. The only new car that I consider to have any semblance of unique-ness to it is the new Mini; a car that retains many of the features that made the original Mini such a great piece of design and engineering. Anyway, while I lament at the demise of my latest jalopy and consider finally buying a new[ish] car; Mal has recently become the owner of the aforemention Mini, a Cooper S no less. Congratulations Mal, may your new wheels take you far!