Under The Bonnet With Nick

Sounds like a catchy title to a low-budget tv chat-show featurting z-list celebrities on the sofa with "Nick". However, in this day-time drivel the topic of conversation is to do with brakes, steering, engines, oil and cables; the guests are myself and Duncan, and the host: Nick Sorrie, ably assisted by his wife and part-chef for the evening Hilary.

We were of course out for dinner with the ulterior motive of learning lots about cars and how they work. Nick trained as a mechanic when he left school and is a very able and patient teacher of all he knows (which is a lot!). To start, it was a little intimidating being taught all the cables and names of things that I ashamedly as a male know nothing about. But with Nicks supervision we worked our way round Duncans car and finally under the bonnet looking at filters and plugs, at cables and fluids, and at bulbs and wires. Kitted out with our mini tool-kit kindly donated by Nick, we now know what to quickly look for under the bonnet when we're buying our car in America, and should we break down in the middle of the desert in Utah or Arizona, we are now both confident* that our knowledge of cars has improved 100% thanks to Nick!

Thank you Nick!!

*Duncan was feeling so confident that this morning he fitted a new air filter on his engine and changed his side-light bulbs.