I’m just going to call “it” Arthur.

Firstly though, I must apologise for getting ahead of myself and publishing, albeit very briefly, the post about us doing a bike riding course. All in good time. Those of you who subscribe to this blog would have received an email about it, but hopefully when you went into the Reader part of the app, if you use it, that post had been removed.

Other readers will not understand that last paragraph at all. Apologies.

Anyway…………..

Arthur was delivered a few days ago, weighing in at just over 90Kg. It was missing its top case (luggage compartment), but that will be delivered in a week or two.

Already registered and insured, as I had done that while Mick was in Japan. I also bought an Apple AirTag for it so I can find it if I forget where I parked it, or if someone has stolen it (as Mick is very worried this might happen) – but it does have a safety lock.

We wondered if it made sense to buy the electric scooter before we move to Brisbane, as we now have the extra job of getting it transported to our new apartment some time late this year (when it is finished). But we could see the sense in having it for a few weeks / months to practise riding it on the quiet private roads near we are currently living.

From our initial test drive, it is quite easy to ride it once you have some speed up, but what is more challenging is slowing down and turning around, not to mention parking it.

Those are the things we will practise over the next few weeks. And so far, it has not proved as easy as I’d hoped. But “practice makes perfect.”

The most challenging part so far is getting off our son’s property onto those bitumen (private) roads, as his road is still quite damaged from the flooding rains Queensland had 12 months back.

Arthur will be stored inside the shipping container – below where we are living; in with our boxes of belongings. And that too is quite a ‘workout’; manoeuvring it into its ‘garage’. Thank goodness we both work out at the gym three times per week, including one session with our son (Joe), where he trains us to be able to pick up the bike if it falls and how to maintain our balance in unusual situations.

Once the decision was made to buy Arthur, I rummaged through some of those boxes of belongings and found our leather jackets, bought in Cape Town when we were visiting our son Edward who was studying over there at the time. But the smell of the leather jackets was not very pleasant. A trip to the dry cleaners informed me that they would cost $100 each to be cleaned. The young woman serving me gave me her professional opinion: she gave them a good “sniff” and told me that she had smelt worse and that I should have a go at reviving them myself. So I did. Thanks to YouTube and bicarbonate of soda and lots of sunshine, the jackets are as good as new, and now ready for us to wear while riding Arthur.

Of course we bought a helmet each in order to ride Arthur safely, but as I no longer wear glasses I needed some goggles. I found this pair of aviator goggles at a motorbike shop when we were buying riding gloves.

Please wish us luck – our poor son Joe, who we live with at the moment, is very worried about his mother!!