Van Squish was born many years ago. Next year we will celebrate her 21st birthday. Speeches will be made. I will try to make a fool of her in front of her friends.
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| Aint she perdy? (Lily's orright, too.) |
Unfortunately, I don't have any baby photos, but I will try to get in touch with many of the kids that went to the same primary school.
I do know that her secondary years were spent as the bus for a Catholic College in Melbourne. Before anyone accuses anyone of anything, she came out in good shape, having done fewer than 105,000 lines ("I will not speed. I will not speed. I will not speed. Oh really! Who am I kidding? I can't speed if I try...").
From there the history is a little hazy for a few months where she went off the rails and sat in a van dealership.
At the same time, Tim was falling off the rails himself and having a time of it. (If it wasn't for bad time, I wouldn't have had no time at all.)
I still get frustrated with double negatives. Don't you? Go on, tell me you don't not mind them.
Anyway, Mum stepped in and took my hand and said, "We need to sort this downward spiral shit out" or something like that, since my mum doesn't speak that way, even when someone drops something on her foot.
So we went out to the burbs of Melbourne Town and found Van Squish. We wheeled. We dealed. And life changed...
From there it's been a journey. Van Squish has been to Meredith a few times, driven about 80,000kms (still repeating to herself "I will not speed" with each wheezy cough) and introducing her drivers to the joys of slow travel and mobile instant camping.
With her new bed and lots of love, she's looking forward to getting out on the road and spreading her wheels for the weary road in one (perhaps last) absolutely epic adventure.
Like a really ace grandma, when you know her, and can look at her the right way, you can honestly say - rust streaks, little dents, missing front thingy, irremovable dirty underlay and all - that she's pretty awesome and I'd really like a ride in her.
