I had a real scare with the Doberman a few months ago. Luckily I was on the terrace and watched as he suddenly stopped in his tracks, went into attack mode and raced to the back of our house.

The house behind is a holiday home and unoccupied for most of the time. I raced after the Dhobe and saw him chase a young boy who had climbed into our garden from the house behind. The boy was trying to climb back over the fence but the Dhobe got him by the ankle, pulled him down and when I arrived had the boy's head in his mouth. I managed to free the boy and pushed him back over the fence.

I recognised the boy as a 14-year old from a semi=gippo family that lives two streets away.

I got the dog insured early the next morning, but heard no more.

I dont think my poodle will stop them maybe I need a new dog!

Well I did a daft thing, got out of the car to fill up with petrol, locked the car and then couldn't open the flap for the petrol. No way - so gave up and drove off. Not till later did I find out that locking the car also locks the fuel filler flap - Doh - so now it's fill up then lock the car.

Shades of Kenny Everett, and his character who goes in to buy Insurance for his car.

"I wanna insure my car against fire."
"I'm afraid that Sir can only insure it against fire & theft."
"Leave it out John. Who's going to steal a burning car?"

Surely most cars have a little lever beside the seat to release the fuel cap as you get out, so by locking the car then you are still free to fill the fuel before flipping the cap back into the locked position.

Don't know about most, but not all!

Unfortunately mine doesn't have that lever in the car, I have to physically lift the flap to gain access to the filler pipe. Cheapo Ford Focus for you.

Don't knock the FF. Damn sensible cars. I have an estate, and wouldn't be without it.

Don't get me wrong, if I was looking for niggles with the FF that would probably be the only one I have, otherwise quite agree with you. It's an automatic so could be better on the petrol consumption. Drive back to UK with it quite regularly and it's one of the few cars I have had that doesn't give me a backache.

Ours is stick shift, and now you come to mention it, yeah, I don't get backache in it either. It's diesel too.

Good car - I had a 1.8TD estate - loved it.

The crap I can fit into it amazes me. It'll take 8 bags of cement, or half a dozen 3M posts, which is impressive.

The OH has learnt not to say to me 'You'll never get that in there,' as I treat it as a challenge.

It got pretty close once. It was when we had just bought the house and needed to get some stuff to fit it out. Chains, table, TV etc etc.

(The previous owners had practically taken the paint off the bloody walls. I think there was only one light fixture, that's FIXTURE, never mind shades, they took almost all the sodding fixtures the bulbs screwed into and left bare wires.)

Anyway. We took all this stuff to the hire car, and I started to sweat. I did get it all in, JUST, but Jan had to sit in the back with something on her lap.

I´m guessing he wasn´t referring to the car, I think his "comment" was wasted on you!: