The 2CV will be going off the road next month. I have various possibilities flying around for her salvation, but they all require money I don’t have, so that salvation is going to take some time to put into action.

Restoring this car has to be the priority, surely?

That leaves us with just the XM. That makes life tricky and while I have no reason to doubt the XM, it is a 20-year old hydropneumatic Citroen that cost less than £400 to buy. Chances are, it could develop the odd niggle. It already has – just not any that stop it being used. Yet…

There’s also the issue that while I’m temporarily working part-time, it leaves Rachel at home with no transport. Apart from the once-a-week bus service that the company I’m working for provides! Here is the biggest problem with rural living. It becomes quite difficult if you don’t have a car.

The temporary job is at least providing a bit more income, but things are still pretty tight. Especially as the XM is well overdue some attention. It needs a service – including timing belt replacement, which inevitably means replacing the timing belt tensioner and water pump, because failure of either could potentially wreck the engine. It makes sense to replace the lot. I have the parts, and have probably spent about £80 for all the service and timing belt bits. I already have the oil in stock and I have a feeling I probably have the right fuel filter in the garage somewhere, brought incorrectly for a BX some time ago. Possibly. I’m also replacing the entire sunroof cassette next weekend because the leaks are just beyond annoying. Especially if, like my dear wife, you have the misfortune to sit on the passenger seat after a day of rain…

Oh, and just for good measure, both the 2CV and XM are out of tax this month. Both need taxing, as Elly the 2CV has to attend an event I’m organising in early April. I guess I’ll be testing out the new direct debit option – which should automatically cancel when Elly’s MOT lapses. We’ll see…

This means trying to acquire a new car on a tiny budget. Well, I do like a buying challenge! A challenge that has been greatly assisted by friends and readers of this blog. I don’t know who sent me a set of strings for my bass guitar, but they were greatly received. Other generosity has revealed itself recently too. It’s nice to know that people are nice! Even if I don’t feel I deserve it.

Anyway, all this means that my bold assertion earlier in the year that I would own a Citroen Ami 6 before the end of 2015 may be shot down in flames. We need something cheap and fairly ordinary fairly quickly, and restoring Elly has to be a bigger priority than buying yet another quirky Citroen.

So, we’re in March already, and I still have no idea how this year is going to pan out. Hopefully it’ll be fun!