46 1/4 Hours.
We had lots more parallel parks today because that's my least favourite of all the manoeuvres, though I did actually do quite well each time!
Now forgive me for not running through the full lesson minute by minute but it was nearly 8 hours ago and basically, I can't remember it now!
I surprised myself quite early on in the lesson though as I managed to turn onto Wastwater Avenue without stalling like I remember doing on my last attempt quite a while ago! I think I've got my clutch control down to a tee now, so that helped immensely.
We did a parallel park halfway up the hill, which was very bad of my instructor to suggest, though not as bad as the turn in the road on the hill a few weeks back, which I told him earlier he still hasn't been forgiven for!! Anyway, I got halfway in and a bus came along, as well as many cars behind me, so I got myself halfway in so that the bus could get passed and stopped while all this movement was going on. Once they'd all gone, I carried on. Well, tried to anyway! Even though we were on a hill, the car just sat there! I'd expected it to roll back so didn't use my clutch, but it didn't budge AT ALL! I was quite stunned actually, but after thinking about it since I've come home, I reckon it was most probably the angle I was sitting at and the way the front wheels were facing. Of course I could be talking complete and utter twaddle, but it sounded good to me!
I got in there quite well and was almost straight, so we headed up the hill and did another one at the top. Not a problem there, I'd even go as far as saying it was perfect!
We headed up through Salterbeck and onto the road that is setback from Moorclose Road to do a reverse round a corner. Now as I was setting off, we spotted a dog behind us, so decided to sit and wait to see what it would do. I thought kids on bikes were annoying, but this dog was twice as bad and twice as nosy!! Each time I went to move, it ran behind me and came and sat on the road beside me, looking up to see what I was doing! Most people will probably think I was mad, but I was actually talking to it, asking what it was doing and telling it to shift so we could get away! Off it trotted again, back onto the pavement, so off we went again and it ran behind me to come and sit down again!! This must've happened about 3 or 4 times, before it eventually wandered off round the corner behind me and we could get away! Let's hope I don't get taken that way for my test, or at least that the dog is safely tucked away indoors at the time!
We had another go at parallel parking up there while the opportunity was there to be had and that one was fine too, so it was off up into Harrington and along my favourite road, Scaw Road. It really is awful that road and I can't understand why it's a national speed limit! It scares me to death!! Coming out of there we turned right like on my test, and my instructor said I was going through my gears too fast so that was my problem on my test, that and the 3rd gear incident...
Anyway, we carried on up that road and turned right at Dobies garage, (that was an experience and a half!!) then came back down into Harrington to go along the same stretch of road. This time when we headed along Scaw Road, there was a car parked just around the last bend, which decided to pull off just as I reached it! Eejit! Bad enough it was parked just after the corner!! This time, I got up to 3rd gear and he said to sit in that till I almost reached 50, then jump to 5th! Now as I said, if I did that in our Vectra, hubby would slap my wrist, but it worked much better than trying to go through 4th! Must remember that then!
This time we turned right then left onto the industrial estate, and then right up to the roundabout, right again and headed back down to Dobies garage where we turned right again to get back down to Scaw Road. Back down there (have to say, I prefer going the other way on there!) and right at the mini roundabout to head back to Workington.
We got to the bottom of the hill and LOADS of cars were coming the other way so we were sat for quite a while, waiting for a gap to get through, then halfway up the hill we encountered a truck/wagon type thing (I think!) coming the other way! At this point, I should've stopped, (yep, on the hill!!) but I slowed down and squeezed through, just! Must not do that on the test...
So we headed back down to Mossbay and did another parallel park down a side road, then did a hill start on St Mary's hill, this time minus the roll and clutch burning and everything, thank god!! We did end up behind a learner driver though which I was dreading at junctions, just in case they stalled and I got stuck on the hill!! Listen me, not even passed my test yet and I'm having a go at learners!!
Anyway, we got out without any problems, headed back down Wastwater Avenue and into town, via the crossroads at the library, which I got through no problem because there were no cars coming towards me! Hehehehe! As we turned right though, the other traffic lights were on red, so I sat back from the junction so I wasn't blocking it, and waited for them to turn to green again. Now as we were waiting, a woman on a motorised chair crossed over and got stuck halfway across! The lights changed to green but I couldn't go anywhere because she was still stuck there, no thanks to the people who'd crossed at the same time who looked back and started laughing!
She eventually got away and we headed down to the mini roundabout at the multi storey at which we turned right onto John Street. No problems here because there were no buses, but I still edged along carefully because there was a car. At the stop junction we turned left and then turned left at Kwik Fit to get back to the roundabout. This time we wanted to go straight ahead, up the hill, so I checked there was nothing coming and a car emerged from my left. Now it was indicating right, so I assumed it was going to come passed me and carried on, to which my instructor said I should've waited and he came right round it!! Now to me, I had right of way there, so he should've waited anyway, but I suppose once he was on the roundabout, I had to give way to him, even though I thought he was turning off in my direction. Oh well, just hope I don't get anyone like that on my test!
I think this was round about the end of the lesson so we headed home and did another parallel park on my road, once again, it was fine! Woohoo! I'm actually getting to like doing them now, it'll be a different story once I get into the Vectra doing them though, if the last attempts are anything to go by!!
Now forgive me for not running through the full lesson minute by minute but it was nearly 8 hours ago and basically, I can't remember it now!
I surprised myself quite early on in the lesson though as I managed to turn onto Wastwater Avenue without stalling like I remember doing on my last attempt quite a while ago! I think I've got my clutch control down to a tee now, so that helped immensely.
We did a parallel park halfway up the hill, which was very bad of my instructor to suggest, though not as bad as the turn in the road on the hill a few weeks back, which I told him earlier he still hasn't been forgiven for!! Anyway, I got halfway in and a bus came along, as well as many cars behind me, so I got myself halfway in so that the bus could get passed and stopped while all this movement was going on. Once they'd all gone, I carried on. Well, tried to anyway! Even though we were on a hill, the car just sat there! I'd expected it to roll back so didn't use my clutch, but it didn't budge AT ALL! I was quite stunned actually, but after thinking about it since I've come home, I reckon it was most probably the angle I was sitting at and the way the front wheels were facing. Of course I could be talking complete and utter twaddle, but it sounded good to me!
I got in there quite well and was almost straight, so we headed up the hill and did another one at the top. Not a problem there, I'd even go as far as saying it was perfect!
We headed up through Salterbeck and onto the road that is setback from Moorclose Road to do a reverse round a corner. Now as I was setting off, we spotted a dog behind us, so decided to sit and wait to see what it would do. I thought kids on bikes were annoying, but this dog was twice as bad and twice as nosy!! Each time I went to move, it ran behind me and came and sat on the road beside me, looking up to see what I was doing! Most people will probably think I was mad, but I was actually talking to it, asking what it was doing and telling it to shift so we could get away! Off it trotted again, back onto the pavement, so off we went again and it ran behind me to come and sit down again!! This must've happened about 3 or 4 times, before it eventually wandered off round the corner behind me and we could get away! Let's hope I don't get taken that way for my test, or at least that the dog is safely tucked away indoors at the time!
We had another go at parallel parking up there while the opportunity was there to be had and that one was fine too, so it was off up into Harrington and along my favourite road, Scaw Road. It really is awful that road and I can't understand why it's a national speed limit! It scares me to death!! Coming out of there we turned right like on my test, and my instructor said I was going through my gears too fast so that was my problem on my test, that and the 3rd gear incident...
Anyway, we carried on up that road and turned right at Dobies garage, (that was an experience and a half!!) then came back down into Harrington to go along the same stretch of road. This time when we headed along Scaw Road, there was a car parked just around the last bend, which decided to pull off just as I reached it! Eejit! Bad enough it was parked just after the corner!! This time, I got up to 3rd gear and he said to sit in that till I almost reached 50, then jump to 5th! Now as I said, if I did that in our Vectra, hubby would slap my wrist, but it worked much better than trying to go through 4th! Must remember that then!
This time we turned right then left onto the industrial estate, and then right up to the roundabout, right again and headed back down to Dobies garage where we turned right again to get back down to Scaw Road. Back down there (have to say, I prefer going the other way on there!) and right at the mini roundabout to head back to Workington.
We got to the bottom of the hill and LOADS of cars were coming the other way so we were sat for quite a while, waiting for a gap to get through, then halfway up the hill we encountered a truck/wagon type thing (I think!) coming the other way! At this point, I should've stopped, (yep, on the hill!!) but I slowed down and squeezed through, just! Must not do that on the test...
So we headed back down to Mossbay and did another parallel park down a side road, then did a hill start on St Mary's hill, this time minus the roll and clutch burning and everything, thank god!! We did end up behind a learner driver though which I was dreading at junctions, just in case they stalled and I got stuck on the hill!! Listen me, not even passed my test yet and I'm having a go at learners!!
Anyway, we got out without any problems, headed back down Wastwater Avenue and into town, via the crossroads at the library, which I got through no problem because there were no cars coming towards me! Hehehehe! As we turned right though, the other traffic lights were on red, so I sat back from the junction so I wasn't blocking it, and waited for them to turn to green again. Now as we were waiting, a woman on a motorised chair crossed over and got stuck halfway across! The lights changed to green but I couldn't go anywhere because she was still stuck there, no thanks to the people who'd crossed at the same time who looked back and started laughing!
She eventually got away and we headed down to the mini roundabout at the multi storey at which we turned right onto John Street. No problems here because there were no buses, but I still edged along carefully because there was a car. At the stop junction we turned left and then turned left at Kwik Fit to get back to the roundabout. This time we wanted to go straight ahead, up the hill, so I checked there was nothing coming and a car emerged from my left. Now it was indicating right, so I assumed it was going to come passed me and carried on, to which my instructor said I should've waited and he came right round it!! Now to me, I had right of way there, so he should've waited anyway, but I suppose once he was on the roundabout, I had to give way to him, even though I thought he was turning off in my direction. Oh well, just hope I don't get anyone like that on my test!
I think this was round about the end of the lesson so we headed home and did another parallel park on my road, once again, it was fine! Woohoo! I'm actually getting to like doing them now, it'll be a different story once I get into the Vectra doing them though, if the last attempts are anything to go by!!
posted by Ailsa @ 9:09 pm
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