The last few months have not been the best of our lives, but we have each other and, by and large, our health. My date with the orthopod seems to be postponed to the Greek Calends, and the summerhouse remains unbuilt after two deliveries and two rejections on quality grounds. Political developments hang over us like a dark and highly threatening cloud.
So, what to do? A trip to the seaside, of course. Good news: the
William the Conqueror at Rye harbour is much improved, and provided us each with a pretty good home-made burger and pot of tea per man, and at a reasonable price. The place appears to have had a lick of paint inside and out, as has the attitude of the staff - or maybe the whole payroll. We had a brief walk along the flood defence wall at Pett Level, getting force-fed with fresh air for ten minutes or so before turning and returning to the car.
As we left Hastings, however, we noticed a thump-thump-thump in time with the rotation of the wheels. Investigation revealed a hefty nail head in the tread of the offside back tyre. It's about an inch in from the shoulder, so I'm hoping it can be repaired: I dropped it in at our usual tyre fettlers on the way home, and wait to hear from them. The good news is that, once I'd found the key to the anti-theft wheel nut, I was able, with the help of some Bishop footwork on the wheel brace, to change the wheel without difficulty. It's comforting to know one still can (not to mention remember how to) at one's age. We'd then to do a 3-point turn on the main drag in Battle, which was totally gummed up with lorries and coaches, and found a route to the A21 via the back doubles. Imagine my joy when the nag behind the dashboard put up a tyre pressure warning. We could find nothing wrong, so assume it was protesting at the dynamics of a skinny spare wheel. We reset the warning thingy, and teetered home without further alarms or excursions - at the prescribed 50 mph max, much to the chagrin of following drivers.
I hate to think what tomorrow may bring.
1 comment:
Wow! I haven't changed a tire since God was a little boy. I don't think I could manage these days, as I really can't bend down very easily, but the AA, bless its cotton socks, usually comes within an hour.
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