Mrs Down's Diary

A neighbour has made a start but they are harvesting a much bigger acreage than us and have had to accept that some of the wheat will come home with a high moisture content and need drying.

Our combine harvester is titivated and primped to perfection. For the shed that is. Get her out in the field with some work to be done and it all goes disastrously wrong but, as she stands, every bit of her is working perfectly.

Which was the same as could be said about my car.

In six years it had never let me down. Its capacious boot, especially when the back seat cushions were removed, has transported wardrobes, bicycles, tables, chairs and, a few weeks ago, a bed settee. Owning a Volvo estate almost enables you to run a small furniture removal business.

But all good things must come to an end, and I am afraid it is human frailty that led us to trade in my beloved V70.

The frailty? John's back. My car was just too low for him to get in and out of without difficulty. Used as he is to stepping down from his Land Rover and tractors, the scrabble to lift himself out of my car was becoming increasingly difficult.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette September 10