Have wheels, will travel (chapter two)

No wheels, can't travel! That's a lie, my car has four wheels, they still go around, she still starts and will stop when asked, it may be fair to say she has a limp on the near far, unfortunately it would appear it is a limp which is incurable. A problem which can arise with sheep, they too can suffer injuries which on occasion can be incurable, it is then that problems arise.

There are many rules and regulations in life. Cars for instance have to be roadworthy or else they are deemed illegal, mine still has MOT, an annual health check which every car over a certain age has to undergo, however, this no longer means it is roadworthy, it ain't, it's old and infirm. Sheep don't need an annual MOT although they are checked throughout the year by those looking after them and issues resolved if and when they arise.

An incurable problem with sheep can also be a problem for the farmer/shepherd. There are welfare issues to respond to, vets bills may occur, the outcome may not be satisfactory, some animals may be able to travel for slaughter with certification from a vet, others may not. Those which cannot travel may be slaughtered on farm and even butchered but only for personal consumption, others however may have to be slaughtered on farm then collected by the dead cart with additional expenses incured. All in all it is rarely a happy scenario.

My car is hardly the same as dealing with livestock but all the same it is a sad sight, faithful old motor, home to spiders on the inside and lichens on the outside, it has come to the end of its days. I have been on the look out for quite a while now to find a replacement motor, long before she gave up the ghost and fell to pieces I have been scouring adverts looking for something suitable to take her place.

Spare time has been of a premium this year, the opportunity to get away and view suitable vehicles has rarely arisen, but then suitable motors have been hard to find, they are usually miles away in the big towns and cities, many have higher mileages than my car does for far less years. Any which have seemed suitable have been snapped up in no time, those that aren't snapped up obviously mustn't have been suitable!

Do I really want to spend a few thousand pounds on something which will carry three dogs and end up looking like mud wrestlers have competed inside it, something which will find itself dirtier on the inside than the outside? Personally I would say no, most definitely no. Money is hard earned as it is, I'm not keen on throwing it away. Anyhow, who's to say one of those expensive second hand cars isn't going to blow it's engine up in disgust with the way it is treat?

I've never been a car snob, I just require something that goes when asked and stops when told - quite simple really. Except I would like another diesel, preferably with a sunroof like my old one, preferably the same make, although I ain't fussy about the colour except dark cars aren't as easily seen on country roads........ I haven't been asking for a lot other than my old car reincarnated - is that a lot to ask for?

Anyhow, regardless, I found myself in the unenviable position of being without a car, work booked in for days to come, no opportunity to get away and try to find a car and yet no car to get to work in........ Oh!