At the beginning of last week, I noticed a funny ‘put put’ noise coming from my car. It was coming from the direction of the exhaust pipe and I assumed that old’ Arabella piggy was playing up because I was thinking about selling her (it’s true – it always happens!). Thoroughly convinced that I was going to have to shell out for a new exhaust before she could depart for pastures new, I gritted my teeth and limited my driving to going to work and the supermarket until I could get her into a garage. It gradually got worse. The ‘put put’ became a ‘bang bang’ and soon I couldn’t hear the noise of the radio. (2 if you are wondering, the new radio 1 ;) ) This was on Friday, so I parked her up and had a glass of wine or two so that I wouldn’t be tempted to go anywhere near her.

The next day, Saturday, me, him indoors and minimi decided that we were going to go to Build-A-Bear Workshop in the Bon-Accord Centre (Shameless Advertising – Free Stuff Me!!!) and I was to drive as it is much easier to park Arabella than it is to park the Gigantor that he drives. Thankfully, him indoors is a mechanic and spotted the problem within two seconds. About 200 yards away from the door he screamed at me to stop the car. I put on my hazards and jumped out the car and ran round to the passenger side to where he was frantically gesticulating towards my rear wheel. Which was sitting at a very odd angle. Put it this way, if you stood at that kind of angle, you would fall over. I have never felt so scared in my life. I would probably have merrily carried on driving like that assuming that because the car was still going and nothing had exploded, it couldn’t have been anything life threatening. I was really quite shaken up, and thank goodness I hadn’t planned any long range trips on the dual carriage way.

As it turns out, after examination, it looks like some dirty so and so was interrupted whilst they were trying to pinch my wheel - two of the wheel nuts had gone completely and two had been loosened. If that was the case (And I will never be able to prove it was) it is quite scary. What kind of person could possibly do that, knowing that by trying to take the wheel off, and leaving it in that state it could potentially kill the people in the car. The wheel was on the side that Minimi sits on, so she would have been in the thick of it, and god help the person who hurts my baby. I really hope that person can’t sleep at night and feels so guilty that it eats them up inside. And some large boils in exceptionally painful places would also be good.

What I can never understand is the mindset of these people. I can understand stealing food if you are starving, supplies if you are homeless, and a multitude of other things that constitute survival over morals, but I do not believe that a car is a necessity and it is not worth endangering the lives of others just to make sure you don’t have to take the bus to work! I could easily replace the tyre and can easily replace the wheel nuts. (locking ones will be the order of the day me thinks) but that’s not the point. Why should I have to? The car is mine. I own it outright – no finance or debt attached to it, something which I am exceptionally proud of. I worked hard to pay for it and it annoys me to think that someone out there thinks that they are entitled to take something on the sole basis that they want it. How disgustingly arrogant!

It has also caused me extra work and worry. I double check the car every morning now, walking around testing all the wheel nuts to make sure they are in place and when driving I listen carefully for tell tale noises. I don’t need the hassle, the worry and the extra time spent in the morning or before every journey, doing extra things in addition to the normal safety checks, but I can’t help it – human instinct is to protect you and yours.

Although there is one small upside - at least it keeps my mind off the chilling alternative………

That someone out there did it for a laugh.