My ex-landlady always told me, you can write a book about your Mini.
The Mini-Mayfire 1986 was the first car I had in the UK.
Living in a small town like Bournemouth, you have to remember the timetable of the bus which you usually take, otherwise if you miss the time, you have to wait at least one hour for the next one.
It's wise to have you own transport rather than take the bus.
One day, I was sitting on the upstairs of a bus on the way home and just before getting off, I saw a mini parked in the drive way of a neighbour's house, priced £500. Immediately it caught my eyes, I went to the house straight away to show my interest to my neighbour after I got off the bus.
Hehe, £450, deal. two weeks later, the mini was under my name and that's the first year I was in the UK.
What an excitement ! But I was afraid to drive it, because I was a bit scared of changing side from right hand to the left hand. No doubt, my ex-landlady-Verena became my instructor.
I drove gingerly on the first day on the road to my school, it was ok when the day was bright. However, damn! Foggy!- when I have finished school. I lost my sense, I carefully drove the mini from side road to the main road, but just 5 seconds, I saw a car lights 20 meters away in front of me, God! I have droven into wrong side of the road. I was sweating, no time to do a turning on the road, I stopped the car to the side of the road, the cold sweat wetted all of my body. Fortunately, it only happened once.
To have a car, it means have freedom, that you can go anywhere you like. Especially I would like to explore the UK.
I planned my first excursion, Swanage-Corfe Castle. My friend Charlene and I prepared a picnic bag with coffee, soup, sandwiches, fruit and snacks and then we set out on our way.
So excited, firstly we needed driving onto a ferry between Bournemouth and Swanage. I was so proud with my little Mini and myself, it was first time I driving a car on a ferry and it was a Mini, hehe. Only take 10 minutes, we landed on Swanage.
I always admire the bus driver who driving a bus on the narrow road in England, because in my opinion, the road in UK only suit for driving a car such like a Mini, hehe, Especially in a primordial island.
I was driving my Mini around the island, every time when a bus was passing me, likes a giant to me. So when I saw a Mini driving toward to me, I felt friendly and amiably.
There is a Mini code or called Mini fashion-when two Minis meet, the drivers will wave their hand, and flash the high lights. It just like two good friends say hello to each other.
After we visited half of Swanage island, the mini ran out of petrol. In a gas station, we stopped and filled up the tank.
We carried on our way to Corfe-castle, funny things happened. Just we almost reach the Corfe-castle, my Mini exhausted a white smoke, started slowing down and finally stopped.
Guess what's wrong? Hahaha...silly me, I put diesel instead petrol into my gas tank.
(I am tired now, need a cup of coffee, to be continued...)
Luckily, we were at the foot of the Corfe-castle and there is a car park. Luckly there were some kind people who helped us to push my Mini into the car park. Luckly there is the office of the ‘National Trust’ .
(I have some pictures of us and Corfe-castle, but these weren't taken by digital camera)
(The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England,Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust does not operate in Scotland, where there is an independent National Trust for Scotland.)
Having settled down the Mini, We had been invited to the office by a gentleman, the officer of the National Trust, who made tea to us and said: ‘Just enjoy your visiting of the Corfe-castle, when you have finished, come back here, I’ll drive you home. You can pick up your Mini tomorrow.’
…
Yes, the National Trust gentlemen drove us home, on the way home, we were talking and laughing, he even wanted to offer a job to my friend Charlene. Because Charlene spoke very good English since she had been in the UK more than three years already.
My landlady opened the door for us: ‘What a surprise! One goes out, three come back, haha’, she thanked the gentleman and kept him for a while for a cup of tea.
When we were saying good-bye to the man, my landlady told him jokingly: ‘I guess the Mini is becoming a trouble maker, hahaha’.
Indeed, the Mini became a trouble, because after that loads happened…
(I am not tired now, but have to do other things, to be continued...)
My Mini stayed overnight in the car park at the foot of Corfe-castle. ‘What can I do of the Mini?’ I asked my landlady Verena on the way back after taking Charlene home.
Verana answered me confidently: ‘Kan knows, he will help you tomorrow.’ Kan is our neighbor who lives next door. By the way, Verena told me about Kan’s car accidence. Once he was repairing and maintaining his BMW. Suddenly, the engine was on fire and somebody called the fireman immediately. Next day he and his smoky car were on the local newspaper. Verena told me Kan was very embarrassed because he is a mechanic but couldn’t fix his car.
Anyway, Verena gave Kan a call in the night and Kan promised to help me to pick up my Mini.
Next day, Kan knocked on our door very early with two big plastic tanks in his hand. He told me we need to buy some petrol on the way.
Kan was excited too. He said he hadn’t been to Corfe-castle for a long time. It was a bit foggy, but Corfe-castle was more mysterious flickering in the fog. We enjoyed the beautiful view.
My Mini looked a bit lonely in the car park. I felt guilty and said to it: ‘I will take you home soon.’
In my life I had a chance to taste diesel because of the Mini, hehe. I needed to suck diesel then drained it into another empty tank. Kan wanted to do it for me, but I refused because it’s my fault, so it’s my duty-bound.
After emptying the diesel, we refilled the petrol into my Mini. Ohoo, the Mini’s engine sounded better and better. I tried to start it, fine, it worked well.
Thanks to Kan, thanks to everyone who helped me. God blessed me.
(to be continued...)
But God not always bless me that I had three accidences with my Mini;-)
For the first year living in the UK, I did not know what the bus line is, my limited English made me could not completely understand each road sign.
One day, I drove my Mini followed a bus to Asda supermarket to pick up my friend Charlene, just I was arriving the Asda, a Taxi suddenly hit my Mini in the side. The Taxi’s left hand side front high light was broken and my Mini right hand side only had a tiny crash. I have to say, it had proved that Mini was made in a good quality.
The Taxi man took off his car started shouting to me: ‘It’s your fault, you are not allowed to drive in this line, it are bus and Taxi allowed only.’
I said: ‘It’s you hit my car, why you hit my car?’ I did not understand the situation, because it was impossible, that the Taxi could to hit my car.
Then the Taxi man asked me, did I have my car insurance. I said yes. But I was a bit scared. Because I was a new arrival in the UK, I did not know what I should to deal with this. So I called my landlady immediately.
My landlady was so calm, she asked me, how was me and how was my car, did my car can still drive or not. After she had got the positive answer, she asked me to give the Taxi man my car insurance policy certificate number and drive my car back.
My friend Charlene was waiting for me at Asda, and then she saw me and my car, she came to me and it made me felt a bit stronger. Because I knew afterwards the Taxi man hit my car which he did in purpose. He wanted to bully me. Because he wanted me to give him some £200 for the damage, but I refused his demand.
I gave my car insurance policy number and my car insurance company’s name to the Taxi man, and said to the Taxi man as my landlady taught to me: ‘Please call my car insurance company, they will deal with it. Because there was no body has injured, so we can leave now.’
Charlene gave me accompany to drive home, my landlady saw us, smiled and said to me: ‘What I said before, Mini is a trouble maker, isn’t it?’ I was embarrassed, and thanks to my landlady for her help.