Eurasian Siskin

We won't mention the weather ...

Anyway, I started out this afternoon to go to a place where the river Tarn and Garonne form a huge 400 square hectare lake.
The idea was to get some pics of some water fowl - but they just weren't playing today.

So here's a female Eurasian Siskin - in French Tarin des Aulnes - Carduelis Spinus

So, I was on my way to this place, which is about 25 km from home, when my car started making a horrible noise - drive shafts I thought ... then had the euro signs flashing up in my eyes ... oh bother, I said to myself ... or words to that effect.
I decided to limp to where I was going, and have a good afternoon then think about it later ... breakdown truck ...

I parked up, got out of the car and tried to see what was causing this horrible noise - I could see nothing. I felt the tires, which were not abnormally hot and I noticed a wheel nut that seemed a bit proud - I checked it and I found I could turn it by hand, I checked the other three on the wheel - they were all loose too.
I got my wheel brace out of the boot and gave the nuts a good tighten then checked all of the wheels.

The front offside was the same, so I tightened them up too.

Tis may not sound that dramatic, but it sent a shiver down my spine - I had the tyres changed last Friday afternoon - it was the Terry Feckwit of a tyre fitter who had changed the two tyres and just forgot a little detail like tightening the wheel nuts - which should normally be torqued.
Now, how many of us check our wheel nuts?
Not many I would guess ...
and even less who check them after they have been changed by a so-called professional.
When I drove back this evening, the noise was gone ... surprise!

Now back to the spine and the shiver.
The car had been making a very tiny squeaking noise all week, but I didn't pay that much attention to it.
I went out with honourable son here last Saturday, then picked up honourable son N°2 from rugby.
We went out on Sunday together - then I drove from Toulouse to Arcachon on Monday - roughly 500 kms.
I've been driving all week with the car too - I could have been killed or killed somebody else thanks to the negligence of the tyre fitter - I think I may have a spare piece of mind that I may give him tomorrow morning.