Floating in the shallow end...

Still chewing on the tyres (have you ever been to a Harvester before?) I lifted the boot floor today and found that the car has five different tyres, as under there is an untouched full-size Continental Eco Contact 3, a tyre that still appears in the Continental catalogue but doesn’t seem to be readily available in the right size. 11 years in the dark will have saved it from the ageing effect of UV, so it’s probably quite usable.

Still favouring the all-seasons, all round option. But pondering directional tread: most all-season treads are distinctly V-shaped, seen from the front, so they must come left- and right-handed. Which means I ought to carry two spares! I guess most cars that might use them have space savers, so the question doesn’t arise. I’ll ask my man in Hayes.

It did occur to me that, with two powerful, RWD cars in the fleet, there might be the odd winter day when a small, well-shod FWD one might come in handy. All-seasons in this size (155/65 R14 75T, now committed to memory) actually seem to work out cheaper than equivalent 'summer' tyres. Four Eco Contact 3s, if I could get them, would cost as much as five All Season Contacts. So, if I'm swallowing the cost of a full new set, all-season Contis or Goodyears seem the way to go. A small compromise in dry grip is fine, if they're doing the job in rain, ice and occasional snow.

I'm actually thinking the same. This car is unlikely to go far from home in our keeping anyway.

It is. But they’re more expensive than their highly-regarded all-season offering.

Ordered the Continental all-seasons rather than the Goodyears, for no better reason than that I'd then have a one-make set of five, even if the oldest one is confined to the boot and strictly used as a get-you-home. They're rated slightly noisier but score marginally higher on braking performance too, which might count for something in a lab test but probably not on the road. Anyway, all-seasons better than allsorts, and should give the little car the best chance to perform well for us. They'll be here next week. No rush.

Boy1 is home this weekend, ahead of our cricket trip on Sunday. His Southampton instructor thinks he's ready for a go in the Aygo, so we're planning an early outing on Saturday. (I'd have offered Friday evening, but then I couldn't have a glass of red with my steak. Or with my cheese afterwards. Committed parent, eh?)

If I don't report here immediately after, there's no need to call the emergency services; it's just we have a pretty full weekend, so I may not get the time.

I would have thought the incessant sirens would ensure that anyway, but in any case I was thinking of some more rural tootling for a first outing together.

Ah, right so, Ted. But if you prefer to let them sleep in on Saturday, tell them it’s OK with me.