Feeling a little tyred, a bit flat and VERY fortunate...

The rain outside is frantically bouncing off the glass blown by a gusty wind.........and the cat has still gone out!

Daft animal.

So what am I sat at the computer poised to write about today?

I've done quite a few deep and meaningful, heartfelt articles of late. Some political, some more academic and still others .. situational.  In between the writing of which I've had three punctures in my van in the space of 15 days.

3 outta 5 tyres (including spare) Unlucky you might say?

Well it depends on how you look at it. I've been to Wales, Harrogate, and Stockton, plus just around more locally and clocked up well over 1500miles in recent weeks.

The first puncture went flat on my drive. A Screw. Oh well. I'll just fit spare. Then I discover the spare had knackered valve.

Got both repaired only to find the spare had a nail in it and thus a slow puncture ..(in an unrepairable place) and hard to see...

Oh well .. slow puncture isn't gonna be massively bad.. ill sort it asap says I. (payday)

A few days later whilst heading south the front drivers tyre tyre goes on the A1. ..8 miles north of Weatherby. So, having limped on the flat along the hard shoulder for about mile, then resigned myself to having to swap the wheel on the roadside because it was coming off the rim,  I'm delving in the back of the van not really wanting to change a tyre on the Motorway but with little option ... when an AA flatbed randomly bed passes, then pulls up asking if we need a lift and kindly drops us at Weatherby.. completely by chance and luck...

Also as luck would have it I change the tyre for the spare, pumped up to 32psi and it holds for the 70 miles home at a steady 55mph... Even with the slow puncture .. then promptly keeps up it's reputation by deflating on the drive over night.

Cue a new tyre and a quick check of the other front wheel to realise that It too is very badly worn and either something is wrong with the wheel(s) offset or the camber and tracking is massively out...

So .. I've had to replace the wheels and the tyres on 3 out of the 5 wheels on the van. but had any of the above happened in a different order.. Things could have been very different, dangerous and/or deadly.

So from a certain POV I'm actually incredibly lucky. Had I not gotten the first puncture I'd have been stuck in Weatherby with no spare, since until then i didn't know it was bust. Had either of my front tyres popped on the way too and from Wales or Harrogate...same deal..

So in this case I'm thankful for that silver lining or guardian angel, or natural 20 roll on evasion. Whatever you call it...

But in future.. i'll be checking the tyres juuuuuust little more  often .. and the spare will live in the warm inside the van, to be on the safe side!

xSarahx