Mister Toad's Wild Ride Part 1

There's no way Mister Toad's kind of lunacy could ever have happened if not for the generosity of two people during a time which was much more dangerous than I realized. If not for that help, I would have wound up in the darkest hole in my life, somewhere in the middle of France, and no chance of getting out of it. As you read, you may (I hope) find parts of it funny but, through it all, that was the most important thing.

Neither of those people likes being named but I know who you are and I don't forget. There's no way the cost can ever be repaid but bringing a smile if possible is just fine.

Starting all this was the thinking in Texas, man, you're screwed, ain't got no move ... that means dump everything and fly to Greece.  The logic was if I'm croaked anyway then be croaked somewhere cool. Sometimes that's all the logic I need.  Cadillac Man has said he thought that was brave but I really didn't think so.  It just seemed like the thing to do at the time.

There had been a few times before when I didn't know anyone for a million miles in any direction.  Maybe some of that is from Australia too since maybe it never wears off that home is a long, long distance from here.  It's a good vibe and maybe I don't really dig it too much but you gotta roll, you gotta roll.  Unusual things happen.

I couldn't quite pull it off in Greece due to deep lack of Euros but lasted for the best part of the year even when the rainy times are hardly the best part of the year for Greeks.  The biggest disappointment was not being able to last long enough over there for Lotho and entourage to come.  That would have been such a blazing riot of wonderful.

I knew I was sick and had been spinning things online quite a bit.  Medical in Greece was five hours away in Athens so that wasn't going to work.  Eureka was the thinking I'm a UK citizen and UK has NHS so get yourself there.  My cousin had offered a place to crash so that gave a target and even with bloods.

That gave a target and a possible solution so let's get cracking.

Mister Toad only rides in supreme elegance so he had an SVM 170cc motor scooter and it ran well, had zippy acceleration to acceptable speed, and got unbelievable fuel mileage.  I figured how much more analysis can it really need so I decided to roll.

Ed:  a lot more!

Roger that, Cap'n!

Prior to rolling, I had to review my pitiful collection of property ... and then attach all of it to the scooter somehow.  It turned into the Mt Everest of motor scooters and the beauty part was I could only attach the guitar going across the seat so it protruded from both sides.  It was the Beverly Hillbillies on two wheels and it looked so ludicrously impossible I just had to do it.

There was still logic since I knew I had to be there, it might be a solution to the medical, and this was the only way to get there which wouldn't mean abandoning the scooter.

Ed:  you ended up losing it anyway!

That part wasn't precisely in the plan.  I really thought I could hang onto it, pull things together, and roll out again.  It would have been better to sell the scoot and then fly.

Ed:  you're seriously saying this hare-brained logic is what drove all this?

Well, yep, that would be about the extent of it.  I'm really great with computers, tho (larfs).

Ed:  not much good at anything else?

That's a negatory as I'm coming up dry on being good for anything else.  I've never bought a stock on Wall Street.  I wouldn't even know how.  This world is so different from mine and I know I need to get in touch with it once in a while but, well, stuff happens.

That will be a peach of a segue since what happened then was Mister Toad's Wild Ride.  Thank you again to Harry and Natalie Loutas and their family for befriending me as you really made it feel like I was home.  You can find them in Pyrgos, Greece, and everybody knows Harry.

Thank you to the anonymous helpers since otherwise in high likelihood I would have ended up an ex-scooter rider in a pile in France somewhere.  I know enough French for my manners but I know zip for anything else.  You can't get much more screwed than that.

If you're young then you might be able to pull it off but this stunt went down when I was sixty and going for it,, in retrospect, may not have been the best of all possible decisions.  It did lead to some of the best of all possible experiences.

To be continued in Part 2