“I’d really, really like to hire a van and go over to France and buy up loads of brocante….” I’d been saying this for quite some time, years actually when, following a walk in the Derbyshire Dales with my friend Hope, a thrilling plan emerged. Hope’s new partner was selling his house in the centre of France and why didn’t I go down there to stay and take whatever of the furniture remained in order to start me off? An offer that had enormous appeal.
Whilst looking into renting a van for this trip another idea was suggested. Buy a van, it’ll work out cheaper and you can always sell it afterwards, was the counsel of Graham, my ever supportive and tolerant partner. He came with me to Buckingham Van Centre and I peered into a few obligatorily white vehicles – some polished and clean, some straight off the building site. No, I couldn’t see myself driving a three seater, let alone a Long Wheel Base jobbie. “What about this one?” – my eye was directed to a diminitive, quite elegant really, LDV Cub van. Her license plate reflected her name to be – MOE. One slightly nervous test drive later (a lot more noise than a car, rather wide, rather high!) she was mine. And did Little Moe get sold after “just the one trip”? How could I?
Moe has become my workhorse, my shelter, my mobile workshop and my pal, not to put too fine an anthropomorphic point on it. Sometimes I look at her and feel a quiet happiness that together we are creating a story, an adventure of so many possibilities – and joy!
