If my wheels aren't gripping when I try to slow down I pump the pedal. It suffices to bring me to a stop on icy slopes where everybody else's cars are behaving like sledges with all the wheels locked.

If there are vibrations at a specific speed, don't forget the propshaft joints. I can tell when mine need doing because I get vibration at about 50 mph, for example.

I wish you lived as bit nearer - I'd make you come out with me and do stuff. Drive my digger, visit vintage car shows, that sort of thing. It's not formal 'therapy', but there's lots of evidence that pleasurable activity in company with others makes a difference to mood.

Yes, ours do that - knock stuff over and then run away at high speed. We had one particularly plump specimen who used to use the litter tray and then climb out by putting all four feet on the edge of the tray, causing it to capsize and empty the litter and other contents onto the floor. She...

Some had ABS and some didn't. It seems to have been more common on the 110 but not inevitable. Mine's a 2006 model and doesn't have ABS. It still has an awful lot of wiring to go wrong though!

I'm intrigued that it won't do a purge cycle. Turn it on and (before the engine management and glowplug light have a chance to go out) press the accelerator five times in quick succession. You'll hear the pump going on and then off again for a few minutes, whilst the engine light flashes. If...

The trouble with these intermittent faults is that the car behaves impeccably when presented to a garage or auto electrician, yet when on a lonely road with no mobile phone signal will become more or less inoperable.

Ah yes, the liberation of the captive nuts. As they are usually hidden not only behind the sheet metal but the component they are securing, it is best to draw a veil over the subsequent suffering.

The tachometer fault is usual on these things, because it's not fitted on the Defender. It probably originates from the fact that the software and ECU are very similar to what was used on the Discovery, which does have one. Although the ECU part numbers and fuelling maps are different, they...

Anybody getting any snow? It was a possibility in the forecasts a few days ago. We've just got drizzle.

That's exactly why the vacuum cleaner is a good option. Depending on which way round you place the instrument you can mimic both the exhale and the inhale.

I've found that a harmonica can be played most effectively by placing it over the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner. Something like @Hippo 's Henry is ideal but other makes can be pressed into service. That avoids the problem of getting out of breath completely.

Sounds very bland. Are you sure you wouldn't like something with a bit more flavour?

Tagline? It must be hard to subsist on subtitles, no matter how catchy they are. A tagine may be a bit more appetising.

Goats make very nice pets in my experience. They're very friendly and companionable and enjoy human company. The Billies can be a bit robust in their behaviour, but if you push back at them as they butt you they seem to really enjoy it, a bit like stags rutting. The major downside is that...

Q: "If winter comes can spring be far behind?" (Shelley, Ode to the West Wind) A: Yes.

I doubt if it's a bird. It's just more Leicester litter. The picture was taken around 5.00. It's a 24 hour petrol station near me, but I don't buy anything from them as it's a little dear. Generally speaking Sainsbury's is the best value for fuel round here, despite their groceries being rather...

Excellent. But shouldn't you be having two birthdays per year, like the late Queen?

In other news, Met Office data now includes January 2024, so we can see the full scale of the unfolding climate emergency in Wales: At this rate we'll be able to poach eggs in the formerly frigid waters of Llyn Tegid before the decade is out. Not.

At the ancient festival of Imbolc the sun sets directly over the somewhat over-priced Texaco petrol station: It's not widely known, but these things are positioned as points in a sophisticated astronomical computer, marking the important festivals of the Celtic year. At the summer solstice...