Frustratingly my car is once again in the garage

One of the pitfalls of living in rural Kent

Is that the roads are full of pot holes

Where we live there are so many holes in the roads

The roads have uneven edges too

And because I drive predominantly on narrow lanes

I am always having to pull right over to or off the edge of the road

To let other vehicles pass

My poor car!

We go through lots of tyres

Especially in the winter

When pot holes are disguised as puddles

Or cannot be seen in the dark!

This time though the tyres are intact

But one of the suspension strings have snapped off

I will not be driving anywhere for a while

Thankfully we do not have too much planned this weekend

Though we were hoping to get our Christmas tree

Attend a carol service at Granny’s church

And on Monday morning Bea is Mary in her preschool nativity

So we have to find a way of getting her there!

Yesterday I wrote about getting our garden winter ready

Today my focus is on our car

Here are 8 top tips for getting your car ready for Christmas Travel

Ready for winter roads and weather

Check your liquid levels

This includes screen wash

Antifreeze

Oil

Coolant

And fuel

David is very good at keeping my car filled up with diesel

But I need to get into the habit of checking each journey

That I have enough resources to get where I am going

And back again

Check your car battery

Clean your windows inside and out

I really need to do this

I have streaks on the inside of my windscreen

That make it very hard to see when the winter sun

Shines bright and low

Clean your lights

Another perk of country life

Is that my car is always caked in mud

I get anxious driving after dark

To help combat this

I must make sure my lights can shine bright

Especially at the back where they are muddiest

Before I start out

Check your tyres

With tyres you need to check the air pressure

And the tread

To ensure that they will have good grip on the road

Wet roads can be slippy

Muddy roads slidy

And icy roads dangerous

All with the best of tyres

With small children in the car there is just no excuse

For not making these safety maintenance checks

Consider fitting winter tyres

If you do not feel winter tyres are necessary

Do consider getting current tyres professionally checked

And any new tyres professionally fitted

By a garage that you trust

A garage like Ossett Tyre House

Check your wiper blades

Carry a winter car survival kit

I am going to make up one of these

Warm blankets

Bottled water

Snacks

A spade

Ice scraper

Books / activities for children

Torches with spare batteries

Phone charger

High vis jackets

Spare clothes

Nappies and wipes

Baby carrier

Road atlas

Jump leads

As winter sets in

My main priority

At home

On the move

In the car

Is keeping my little people safe

Just look at them!

Will you be travelling far this Christmas?

What will you be doing to get your car ready for winter?

This is a collaborative post