“Stop Whingeing and buy snow chains” says Geoff Hoon the Secretary of State for Transport.

‘Why has nobody got snow chains and why are you all whingeing about what the Government hasn’t done? He suggested motorists who have not spent £54.50 on snow chains for their tyres could not grumble about disruption to their journeys.

This only goes to prove that this man is a total fool. No wonder he’s known as “Buff Hoon”. Transport experts say tyre chains are unsuitable for the UK because they cannot be used on cleared roads or at more than 20mph. They are designed for use on frozen and compacted snow that you would find in Alpine areas of Europe where many of the roads are not salted or ploughed.

I have been a member of the Hertfordshire 4X4 Response since its inception and we have really come into our own this week. We have been on standby to support the East of England Ambulance Service since last Sunday. But the phone really started to go off today with requests from Bedfordshire Ambulance service to help snow bound staff get in to work. If it hadn’t been for my Land Rover I wouldn’t have got into work myself this week, the roads out of the village not having been ploughed or salted.

The Hertfordshire 4×4 response unit was set up in 2007 to aid the Emergency Services and Local Authorities in the event of severe weather, flood or other emergency where four wheel drive vehicles were required for the response.

Well after the trials and tribulations of yesterday I decided to return the Netgear Storage unit “Wrong”. The shop that used to open Sunday mornings doesn’t now. Never mind I may have calmed down a bit when I take it back tomorrow.

Well I thought while I’m out I might aswell call in to Halfords for some firegum to fix the small exhaust leak (That the mot man pointed out) on the other love of my life my Landrover.

When I got underneath (between showers) and took a better look, yes there was a small leak, but the rest of the down pipe was like a piece of lace along the welded seam……..”Bugger”………. it’ll take more than firegum to fix that……..Get a new one I hear you say……..Not on a Sunday….

Twenty minutes later and a set of bloodied knuckles the downpipe was off with only a little application of the gas axe. In the vice with it and grind out the rusty seam. It wasn’t just the seam that was rusty so were my welding skills I realised that it must have been a year since I’d done any gas welding but hey hum its like riding a bike you never totally forget, but there again I Can’t ride a bike…..

It took me about an hour to re-weld the seam and the flange on the end, not a bad job done, even tho’ I say so myself.

There’s one thing about Landrovers there is so much ground clearance that re-fitting the exhaust was easy… and it didn’t leak.

I rewarded myself with a can of Bass………………………….heaven…………………………