Sorry, dear, blog. It seems I only write about things when I’m genuinely excited. And few things genuinely excite me.

And what does genuinely excite me, is the Mini. Believe it or not, it’s actually moving now, after dispensing with the services of Mr WD40 and giving Copper Grease a try. So, it’s rolling, but does it work?

Well, if you were on the A96 heading towards Aberdeen last Sunday night, you might have seen my L plate testifying it does. Said sign flew off at 55mph, causing my dear father to have kittens as he wondered what I’d hit/what had just fallen out the engine.

I’ve got my test coming up at the end of June, so getting the motor going, and being confident enough to take it out is a big help.

It’s now been out a couple of times with no ill effects, though my dear father’s back may say otherwise. He just can’t handle the way it bumps and bashes over every uneven bit of road. Can’t wait to try it on cobbles!

I must admit to being surprised by the number of people who’ve commented on it, though. The Mini is still an attention-grabbing car, and as the owner/driver, I feel obliged to pass on the feel-good factor owning one provides.

Best one I’ve heard so far, was a small child who stood excitedly by my parked motor, pointing and shouting to his dad: “Dad! Dad! This is Mr Bean’s car!” Close enough, eh?

Annoyingly for my bank manager, I’ve started to formulate plans for a second Mini, a proper project car. We’ll see how that goes!