Misplaced Vespa

I used to have a scooter but gave up riding it as I fell off it too many times. It was probably because I used to try to ride it like a motorbike and did not make enough allowance for the fact that its tiny wheels had little grip and the back wheel would easily slide away on any greasy or leaf strewn corner. I love the machine as an iconic piece of design though. I well remember the hundreds of scooters that would pass us on their way to Margate in the 60's and 70's resplendent with more mirrors than a tart's boudoir. Then there was the moral panic over the confrontations between the Mods and the Rockers that, with hindsight, were little more than a storm in a teacup.

This Vespa, however, seems sadly forlorn. Yes it looks magnificent in the hairdresser's window but in much the same way as a lion in a circus cage. It should be out on the open rode being ridden by a well dressed young man in a Parka or a sharp suit and not stuck behind glass like a museum piece. The only consolation is that the tax disc was up to date so maybe it is just having a winter rest!