WIRED

A word to the wise. Two, in fact: coat hanger.

Or at least always carry some sort of long flexible wiry tool that can retrieve objects from awkward nooks and resting places.

I was in town in a hurry and I went round to get something out of the boot/trunk, tripped and watched the keys describe a perfect arc into the tines of the grate. Didn't even clip the sides.

Most grates have been there 100 years sans being disturbed and I could not budge it. However, like the dude in 'Strangers on a Train' whose lighter went into the drain, I could see my keys ...

Then I remembered I had dry cleaning in the back seat *and* I had not yet locked the car itself - can you imagine if i'd been walking *away*, having locked everything??

Out with the coat hanger, deft refashioning with the hook at the end, and voilà, hooked my keys out. Phew.

So, heed my plight and add some wiry gizmo to the toolkit in the back of the Rolls.

Speaking of which, and it's worth repeating, I read somewhere that the early handbook manuals for the Rolls- Royce - changing tyre, checking oil and pressure and so forth - started each section with:

"Instruct your driver to ... "