Flat tyre on a hire car ...

It was to be a fairly straightforward journey. Get up, taxi to Euston station, train up to Apsley, pick up a hire car from the hotel opposite the station, and drive half a mile up the road to the office.

Got up, checked out of the central London hotel. Raining. No taxis! Had to walk to the station. No time to pick up breakfast, so get a ticket, board the train and a minute later, on my hungry way.

Got off at Apsley, walked across the road, picked up the keys from reception, found the car out the back, no obvious scratches, waited ten minutes until 9am (when the hire started) and drove up the road.

Odd noise from the car. Steering a bit wonky. Half a mile later parked.

Got out and discovered that the front right tyre was completely flat. On a newly delivered hire car. Arghh.

Rang up the local Hertz depot, and they reassured me that while I could call the AA, if I changed the wheel myself there would be no charge! To speed up the pressure checking they when reparing a car for hire, they don’t put the little black tops on the wheel valves. So every now and again, some dirt gets into the valve and the tyre deflates overnight.

So out with the spare wheel, and in the light drizzle changed a wheel.

Half nine and I think I’ve now complete my six impossible things before breakfast.

Time for food.