Car wash

Whatever became of the weekly chore of washing the car on a Sunday morning? Along with buffing the chrome, checking the oil level and eyeballing the tyres for tread wear and nicks in the rubber? Lost in the mists of time, along with brand new Austins, Morrises and E-Types in car showrooms.

Today we're all so busy chasing the clock and checking our emails on our smartphones that these weekly automotive chores are largely consigned to history. For a fiver, the local hand car wash manned by cheery East Europeans will spruce the metal, long-life oil renders such frequent level checks unnecessary and tyres last so much longer than they once did. Well, when did you last have a puncture?

So this was my view this afternoon at the car wash ahead of a photoshoot. I had an enjoyable few quiet moments to contemplate these pretty patterns on the windscreen. I'm easily pleased ...