Fairly early on in “Mushroom History”, having recently met “Our Robbie” and all the boys and girls who are the faithful, and having been taken on as “manager” a title, which I never was comfortable with, so played my role as a “Butler”.
Robbie says “OK lets get over to my Mum & Dads and take a look at my van we’ll need to get it going” so off we go, we get pretty close and pull up the small hill and then right down what appears to me to be a fairly salubrious area; we park up and walk a little way down the lane and as we turn the corner a very lovely and beautiful home and well tended garden is revealed, clearly from Robbie’s familiarity, this is home.
As I fully turn the corner there parked tightly up against the significantly tall hedge row is the “The Van” a white and orange VW camper Van, well, it used to be white and orange.
One could not help but notice that green moss and lichen had taken up residence on much of it’s coach work, and what is more the hedge and “The Van” had become one, whether Robbie could discern some disbelief and doubt on my face I don’t know for sure, but turned and grinned that grin and said “Alright in it” in ever optimistic fashion, I believe what I said was “Rob it’s covered in moss and cobwebs, and it’s got a tree growing round it” again the grin and response “it’s ok we’ll tow it out and give it a wipe down”
I think it was at this point I noticed the tyres, on further inspection of the tyres you couldn’t help but notice they were very flat, and not in “road worthy” condition I voiced my concerns that towing may prove difficult, my doubt was brushed aside with “OK have you got a pump we’ll put some air in” I just had to tell him straight “Rob they’re not just flat, they’re square….what are going to do with it any way?”
“We are going to tour France in it!!” says Robbie, like if that was obvious, “but Robbie, I don’t think it’ll make it” “It’ll be fine, it managed “The Fat Ballerina tour” I tried various forms dissuasion and defence.
Before my sentence was finished Robbie was attaching a tow rope to “The Van” threw the other end to me, and I like a lamb I complied helplessly.
We towed it out, some fiddling about was done and we towed come bump started it, it got back to “The Stoke” I can’t recall if we took it then or it happened a bit later, the fact is that “The Van” was spruced up, it did get an MOT, it did go to France, and went on to a have a life of it’s own, and will appear in many stories to come I am sure; all because “Our Robbie” believed it could be done and made it happen.
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