Let’s do this together

I’ve had my first complaint from The Dark Lord’s legal department since I got rid of the car, which states I am in breach of the teenager’s terms and conditions.

Apparently I have broken Rule 18. a (ii) which clearly states: “My client shall not be forced to walk more than the 1km distance to and from her place of education. Failure to limit her exercise to the total of 2km a day by requesting she divert to the corner shop for milk, a pint thereof, on the way home will be in clear violation of her lawful rights.”

“Oh go on,” I texted her back after she refused to grab a pint for my cuppa on the way home after school. “It’ll save me going out on my bike later, especially as my bum is sore.”

“I’m too tired,” she replied. “And if you insist on not having a car, then you’ll have to walk down to the shop yourself.”

Despite the lazy old trout’s lack of enthusiasm for being car-free, I’m feeling fitter – if a little saddle sore – and also richer.

The car industry is facing a revolution, with figures from car rental giant Sixt UK revealing that over half (54%) of us find owning a car a financial burden.

However, two in five (38%) motorists admit to owning a car just because they always have – without considering the alternatives.

And there are lots of options these days. I’ve signed up for my local Enterprise Car Club, so

I can always rent one of their battered Vauxhall Corsas for £8-£10 an hour if The Dark Lord desperately needs to go and sit in a traffic jam for an hour or so.

The only other use for a car is when we go to visit someone where a bus sighting is rarer than a UFO.

I did discover this to my cost at the weekend, when I got the number 16 to my friend Ali’s village, which is three miles outside town, then realised the next one back home was two days later – on Monday!

■ Email me at siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk or write to Community Corner, PO Box 791, Winchester SO23 3RP.

Please note, if you send us photos of your grandchildren, we’ll also need permission of one of their parents to print them... Thanks!

Yours, Siobhan