serendipity...

So... here's a little story I've been meaning to tell. It's quite long & has many parts, so please bear with me.

Before the husband & I moved to the country, we lived in Richmond. A few times a week we'd pass this car in a street near to us. She was always there without fail, parked on the street & looking like she needed some love & attention. For almost three years we admired her. Even after we moved to the country, we'd still drive past her if we were uptown. One day, a few months back she disappeared & every time we went past after that, someone else was in her spot. We were sad & wondered what had happened to her.
Samuel & I like old cars. We both have a list of five cars that we would one day wish to own. Not all at once necessarily, just throughout our lifetime. One of the cars on my list is a Daimler 2.5 or a Jaguar Mark II (they're exactly the same body, just different engines & badges).
The drive into Melbourne takes us about an hour & a half. Driving along the monash is extremely boring & to entertain ourselves we play a game. We both choose a car that we hope to see that day & then we keep our eyes peeled. One day last month, I said we'd see a Jaguar Mark II. All day we drove around, doing our bits & pieces & nothing interesting was seen. We were headed up Church st in Richmond in the late afternon, when Samuel exclaimed that there was a Mark II up ahead. It was actually a Daimler & just so happened to be the very Daimler we used to pass. By this time we were right behind her & for some mad unknown reason, we followed her. We stalked a car through the back streets of Prahran! The poor bloke driving it, I don't know what he must have thought. He eventually pulled into a carpark & started making his way into Lodge. We quickly pulled up & introduced ourselves, who does that? So strange! Anyway, we got chatting & found out that the car belonged to an old man who had recently moved into a home & was no longer capable of driving. The man we were talking to, was his power of attorney. We told him how much we loved the car & if the old fella ever wanted to sell, then please consider us as potential buyers. We exchanged numbers & over the next few weeks, it was decided to be sold & a price was decided upon. Samuel & I had discussed the maximum we would pay & when the old fella set his price, it matched ours. See, meant to be.
Last Saturday we went & picked up my new car & after doing all the paperwork & meeting the old man, we set off home... only for the heavens to open up & hail golfballs! I took this as a good sign as we sat in the car on the side of the road. The car luckily didn't suffer any hail damage as panels were made out of thick metal in the good old days. We waited for the freak storm to pass & set off home.
So this is Ingrid, my 1966 Daimler 2.5. Don't be fooled by her pretty looks, she's very unassuming (there's a V8 under her hood). She's not interested in going fast though, a lady of her age likes the quiet life. One day she'll get a new interior & a respray, but for now she's just swell.
Thanks for listening to my long tale about two crazies that stalk cool old cars.