Less Hero, More Saga.

You recall how Frothgar (Nigel’s old van) was such a hero last Thursday when I needed to go and do a week’s shopping? Today I needed him to vindicate that heroic status because it was time to go shopping again. He didn’t. He was lacking energy, poor chap. Having stood in the garage through a week in which the temperatures fell as low as -19C, his battery just didn’t have enough juice. Since there’s nobody available locally to give me a jump start, the breakdown man had to be sent for. Frothgar started just fine once there was plenty of power providing the spark and pumping the pistons. But then a little story unfolded.

Driving along the bumpy roads that lead from here to the town, Frothy seemed distinctly out of sorts. He was jumping about all over the road, and I began to sense that something was definitely up. I wondered whether it might be the left rear tyre, which Nigel had told me was wont to lose air rather easily. It hadn’t looked particularly flat, but they’re low profile tyres which have such a narrow strip of rubber between rim and road that it’s difficult to tell. I decided to call in at the garage in the town and check them on the air line.

I checked the right rear tyre first: 32lbs, which is about what it should be. Then I checked the left rear: 0lbs. That’s zero; no air pressure; flat as the proverbial. I topped it up, and then checked the left front: 24lbs, which is a bit down on what it should be. I topped that one up, too. Finally, I checked the right front: 4lbs; as near flat as makes no difference. So I’d just driven seven miles on one fully inflated tyre, one under-inflated tyre, and two flat tyres. No wonder Frothy was hopping a bit, and if I’d got picked up I would probably have been prosecuted.

I wonder what next week will bring.