My second car was a new red Renault 4 for which I paid £920 and drove it to Norway for the winter. The high ground clearance helped a bit in the snow but when I arrived they told me winter tyres were mandatory, I couldn’t afford those so chains were the alternative which were fine in snow but on ice gave no control at all. I nearly didn’t make it when a track suddenly ended in a pool of ice across which I slid, miraculously just stopping short of a cliff. It took an hour to gingerly get back across the ice with a makeshift track of bracken. When it was -20 on a trip to Sweden it went slower and slower and I realised it was overcooling so bought a newspaper to stuff in front of the radiator. That worked but for the rest of the trip the heater was turned off! I managed to fit all my worldly possessions in that car but sadly it had to go when I accumulated a family, dog and hamster.

The standard car parking bay of 2.4 x 4.8m was established in the middle of the last century but is still used by planning authorities; hence to meet parking provision standards in planning applications this size is still used. However in newer car parks for supermarkets and motorway services larger spaces are provided. It isn’t just the width that is the problem but longer cars make manoeuvring in and out of adjacent bays more difficult especially given minimal width lanes between rows. An additional hazard is the fashion for running boards added to cars like Range Rovers which increase width.

Nice shots Gareth. When I did a self portrait for my passport photo I used an ipad on my lap paired to the K1, it worked a treat with touch screen focus and remote trigger.

Well my padded underpants (for cycling, remember?) arrived and I now understand why Lycra clad speed merchants with the physique of a skinned rat are so bandy. Or as Mrs L says I couldn’t stop a pig in a passage! Much hilarity at my expense but at least my backside doesn’t feel like it’s been tenderized.

Please tell me you Photoshopped this!

Ever had that awful moment in a garden centre when a tannoy announces “will the owner of car reg. no........ report to the front desk”? And it’s yours? In the car park an old lady had slammed the accelerator instead of the brake and rammed my brand new BMW Z4 into a tree. I shed tears!

Are you sure about this? I thought marine insurance was offset by spreading the risk across a number of wealthy individuals who were told this was a great investment with minimal risk, only to find that the risk was real and unlimited.

Don’t get me started on Range Rovers in car parks, the reason they get damaged is they are too damned big for the spaces which makes things difficult for those who drive sensibly sized cars, especially when you get back to find your car door only opens a crack because some prat has filled the next space right up to the line. They are used around here as glorified baby buggies and shopping trollies.

What an excellent shot! Another early riser.

You would expect car insurance to be cheaper right now seeing as we can’t drive anywhere! My renewal just came through and guess what, it’s gone up significantly. Apparently car insurance is the most competitive field as any Saga investor will be painfully aware.

On a different subject is anyone else sick to death of photographing b****y flowers?!

If you only effectively use the APS-C area of the K1 sensor then you are using less than 16 megapixels so would be better off with a camera having a smaller sensor of 24mp over the same area. I can understand checking out the DA lenses as it makes sense to use what you already have but at some time you will need FA lenses to get the full potential.