Driving Lesson Number 18.

Well, another week missed due to a family holiday but it was back to it today.

After the last, disastrous attempt at reversing round a corner, we decided to give it another go today. This weeks lesson took place at Seaton and Flimby. Now, at Seaton I encountered small children crossing the road behind me and Flimby, older children on bikes that really should have known better and were simply trying to be annoying!

Anyway, once the children were out of the way it was time for some serious concentrating. We decided to concentrate on the side mirror instead of lining the kerb up with the window because I found it easier. Admittedly, I did make a mess of the first couple of attempts, but by the latter stages of the lesson I was starting to get the hang of it.

A couple of parallel parks on the same road and it was time to head for home. We headed for my favourite roundabout at Northside, over the Tesco one which I'm much happier on these days, and to my road. Now it's an awful road at the best of times trying to get parked, but it's even more terrifying when you can't drive properly yet! Luckily, there was a free parking place on the left just around the bend, so it should've been a simple drive into, but of course, me being me, I scuffed the wheels against the kerb! D'oh!!

Still, at least I got us home in one piece and didn't stall once! Plus I managed some good clutch control at junctions instead of slamming on the brakes!

Next week it's back to parking in a bay to see if that's stuck!

Driving Lesson Number 17.

This week was reversing round a corner... Hhmmm...

I kinda managed the one at Westfield that they use on the test route, but could I hell do the one just off the roundabout on Newlands Lane OR the one at Mossbay!!

I think it's because I felt like I didn't have full control of the car with both of them being on slopes, plus the Newlands Lane one curves before the bend which didn't help! I was all over the place, snaking about like something not right! That's certainly one manouvre that I'm not going to enjoy perfecting and it may take some time to get it there!

I'm much, much better going forwards than backwards, that's for sure!

Just to round off the hour, my lovely instructor very kindly took me to my most favourite place in the whole of Workington... (Spot the sarcasm!) Yep, Matalan roundabout!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Twice round that thing and it was back off home again, and I managed a proper park for a change! Although I had to be extremely careful because it was our car in front of me! Hehehehe!

I've decided that my instructor is a sadist and enjoys watching me squirm...

Better Get Some Revision Done Eh?!

Well tonight is the first time I've actually done some revision after promising myself that I'd do it every night!

All in all I did quite well achieving 34/35 in the theory test and 58/75 in the hazard perception. A new record for me!

I have to say, the revision is really helping in my driving, but I wish I'd done my test 10 years ago when I actually got my provisional licence! It would've been so much simpler and easier to pass!

Saying that, I love a challenge...

So much has happened in the past 10 years that I'm on my 3rd provisional licence. No, nothing untoward, I moved, then got married and am now the proud owner of a photo licence, but I swear my next one will be a fully fledged proper licence! I'm not the most photogenic of people though so it may take a few photos before I get a decent one for it!

Driving Lesson Number 16.

Roundabouts!! I still hate em, even though I can drive round them better now.

That is literally what I did for an hour today. Very sorry to the person I cut up by heading straight over instead of turning right from the right hand lane, but I forgot I was turning right as we'd been discussing the traffic and which direction they were going, etc... Oops! Actually, the problem was that my instructor has told me to head for the lampost when turning left or going straight ahead when going on the Matalan roundabout and me being a bit dippy, forgot that I wasn't meant to and did it!!

We also managed to get stuck in the build up from temporary traffic lights at Tesco, so that wasted a good 5 minutes, but I'm feeling much better about them now. Just hope it sticks this time!

No lesson next week because my instructor is taking a well earned break (no, nothing to do with my driving!!) so I'll be concentrating on the theory and hazard perception side again, if I ever get around to it...