My cousins ran a petrol station in Scotland. It was an Esso station. I around 1962 I think Esso started an advertizing campaign based around the slogan “Put a Tiger in Your Tank.” This struck my imagination very hard or like a freight train, if you prefer. I collected stickers of the slogan in many languages.

Italian

Spanish

Latvian

Chinese

Greek

Ouagadougou

Gaelic

Which leads to what happened today. I have been loaned an outboard for my boat. My excitement is intense and I rush from work early to get a tank, some 2 stroke oil, a funnel, a plug spanner and stuff to get the engine going.

Strangely they do not seem to sell plastic petrol tanks, just very elaborate and expensive metal ones. Not to worry as I remember that I have a plastic tank at home. It is too big really for the boat but I can fill it up with 2 stroke mix and it can act as a reservoir from which I can fill plastic bottles to take on the boat.

I rush home and walk over to my much beloved gasorinstandu brandishing my plastic tank. The attendant, who is a good friend, squirms with embarrassment as he mimes that he cannot put gas into a plastic tank. Ah so desu. Only metal tanks in Japan.

Aiee! I cannot start my engine. I will have to wait another day.

Still life of useless tank

I am very impatient. I hate to wait.

Sunset calms me some.

Sun sets around 7:20 in these parts