Securing the Ladder

The light drizzle picked up just as I loaded the roof rack on the van. I had picked up a lightweight aluminium telescopic ladder from the yard, and it needed tying down before rolling onto the ring road. I planted both boots firmly on the rear bumper, reached up to the roof rail, and wound the heavy webbing ratchet strap over the rungs. Click by click, I cranked the ratchet until the strap bit tight into the metal—zero sway, zero rattle. A loose ladder on an English road is an accident waiting to happen, not on my watch.