My heart is singing, but my budget is reeling (sorry: it's not a dolls' house!)

 I've been a bit AWOL for the past couple of weeks, because my mind has been focused on things not-mini (alas).

One of those things was the idea of upgrading my current scoot.

When I test-rode one option last month and discounted it as a possibility, Nico (the owner of our local, and fabulous scooter shop), said to visit in a month because he had another one he thought I might like that he needed some time to get ready for sale.

So I popped in to visit Thursday after work, only to be told to come back today.

Which I did.

Silly me.

Because there was Mickey. A lovely 2002 Vespa PX200 (75cc more power than Jasper has).

And yes, I'd already given him a name. And bought him a keyring. Because of course I was just exploring options. *cough* (To be fair the keyring had only cost $1.28 so was a small sunk cost if I decided not to go ahead with the concept. And I like to be prepared 😜).

We went for a ride, which was a bit hairy because there was an issue with the fuel line (that was soon fixed), and also because, apart from the test drive last month, I've not been on a scooter with gears for almost 18 years.

I'd plotted our course in advance: a few minutes pootling around the carpark next door to test the basics out and make sure I remembered how they worked, then a trip down the local parkway, a turnaround and a climb back up it through a quite steep section that challenged Jasper every time we did it.

And, boy was it FUN!

It sounded right.

It smelled right (as I said to Dad when I told him: 'I'm back to smelling like eau de 2-stroke!').

Ignoring the dearth of storage options on the classic design (there's only so much you can fit in a PX glovebox, under-seat storage is nil and this one doesn't (yet) have a top box) I was sold. Or it was.

(I felt the need to recreate a newer version of the photo I took in January 2020 when Jasper took over from Miss Daisy in my life, although in less salubrious surroundings, but in much better circumstances. Jasper on the left, Mickey on the right). 

Do I need a new scooter? Shut up.

Is it in my budget? Also shut up (although to be fair, the financial planner did say when he set my budget up 7 years ago that I was allowed a new-to-me car every 7 years and still be on track, so that's a relief. And the scooter upgrade cost much less than a car would).

Was it the right thing to do? Logically, no: because it guarantees that there is no car in my foreseeable future budget. But also yes, because today I am feeling like this:

(And also finding it interesting that my first Vespa was called Toto, but had a Mickey Mouse sticker on him, and my latest scooter is called Mickey.)