Hello everyone, Brum here! Yes, I know it’s been a long time and I should warn all my loyal readers that it’s been a bit of a rocky road for me. Prepare yourselves for some shocks!
As you will have read in the last post, there have been a lot of changes here in the museum over the last 9 months or so. “How have they affected you?” Well, thank you for asking. In brief, good and bad!
Good news, I’m on a table, high off the ground where everyone can better admire my finer points. I used to be next to that gorgeous Jaguar XK120 but most visitors spent more time looking at me than at the Jag – well , that’s what I thought. You may remember that when I was on the TV a lot and drove around Bourton and the ‘big town’, I used to sneak past Mike Cavanagh just as he was opening his museum and sneak back in just as he was closing. Well, being up here on this table, sneaking out is a bit trickier but, as you will see later, not impossible.
Now the not so good news. You all know, I am a car, maybe even the world’s first auto-mouse car. [Editor ‘s note: I think Brum is looking for the word “autonomous”]. I used to drive around the village and the ‘big town’ and have all sorts of adventures. I’m told that you can still see these on something called YouTube. Well, the table is great but you will never guess where it’s been put. It’s in with the toys!
Well, at first I was speechless, I didn’t toot for weeks and I had to try very hard to stop my radiator letting off steam! I have been living alongside all those other ‘real’ cars for years in the Mill Gallery and now I’m with the toys! I’ve calmed down a bit now, after all, most of those model cars around me are very old and they don’t like a lot of noise, and, I have all those lovely Brum model cars alongside me, it’s like looking in a miniature mirror.
Lots of my regular visitors – I suppose a few come to see the other things in the museum as well – look so disappointed when they don’t find me in my usual place but as they come into the toy gallery, their eyes brighten and a big grin spreads over their face – they are so pleased to see me. I guess it isn’t so bad, maybe I’ll get used to my new home. Are you thinking, “Is that an imposter on the floor under my table?”. Well, more on that another day!
Finally, it really hasn’t been the best few months. I sneaked out the other day (“How did you get off of that table?”. Thank you for asking, let’s save that till another day as well) and I only got as far as the entrance to the museum when I was stopped by a policeman. I thought he might be about to tell me that it’s illegal to have no driver with me but no, he said something about ‘double yellow lines’. I think he may have wanted me to paint them a different colour. I didn’t really understand but he was very nice and said I could ‘run along with a warming’. I’m not sure what that meant either but I was glad he didn’t make a fuss! In any case “warming” sounds better than “crushing”; that word always makes me nervous.
I could tell you much more but I’ve been told that I must stop as there is something about old motor bikes waiting to post after me (whatever that means – I must get out more), so until the next time, Toot, Toot and come and see me soon in my new home.