, although we did find that one wheel wobbled rather annoyingly, and it tended always to veer to the left. 
With the family harnessed to the front and myself pushing at the back we managed to keep up a creditable speed (notwithstanding the many traffic lights on the way, which always seem to turn red, as if to spite us). We had almost arrived at the concert location, and paused to catch our breaths at the top of the steep hill which descends into the village.
Afterwards, none of us could account exactly for how it happened, but it would seem that everyone had thought that someone else was responsible for keeping an eye on the piano.
Be that as it may, when we next saw it, the piano was half way down the hillside, and overtaking a beige Porsche Carrera in the outside lane.
Although we could not see clearly at the distance, it is quite possible that the flash of the speed camera at the bottom of the hill may also have been our beloved Steinway?It would be an understatement to say that I was disappointed at this turn of events; after pushing the piano all the way up the hill, we had very much hoped to be able to ride down the other side - naturally, using the sostenuto pedal to control our descent.
When we eventually arrived in the village - somewhat breathless - we were met with further disappointment; the piano was nowhere to be found.
On the plus side, however, the locals did not seem overly bothered about the loss of their concert. Instead, they seemed more pre-occupied with some kind of street-battle which had evidently just occurred in the main street. There was shopping scattered everywhere, cars overturned, windows broken, and ambulances rushing hither and thither. Sometimes, I have to wonder what this country is coming to! 
Anyway, there was no sign of the piano. We made enquires of an elderly chap – clearly in a state of deep shock; he just gibbered incoherently, and gesticulated with a trembling hand in the general direction of the harbour.
There was no sign of our beloved Steinway here either.
We stood for a while, admiring the gorgeous sunset through the broken pier railings, and noting how it picked out the light and shade on a small-paddle steamer, as she capsized and sank gracefully just off the end of the pier. Even then, the beauty and tranquillity of the scene was spoilt by the somewhat irritating - and in my view quite unnecessary - splashing of the handful of survivors, as they made for the shore. After a final fruitless look around for the piano, we set off home. We had noticed that the locals were busily erecting some kind of large wooden sculpture in the centre of the village.
We had heard that they were now very keen to speak to me, but to be honest, I had quite gone off the idea of giving a concert to such strange people, so we tactfully skirted around the village as we went home. Now my problem is - having apparently lost my piano - what do I put on the insurance claim? Unfortunately, my piano was only insured for fire and theft (it was also a 'Classic' policy, with a limited mileage clause). Have any other forumites experienced a similar situation?
Mole
