I went into it with no preconceptions whatsoever. I’d been nervous for like a week before, but on the morning of the test I woke up feeling strangely excited! I kept telling myself I already knew everything I needed and my instructor wouldn’t have put me forward if he didn’t think I was ready. I started to get nervous as it approached the time for my lesson, but he texted me a bit earlier than I anticipated, I was still eating my lunch, so I didn’t have time to start the nervous peeing and pacing I usually do before a lesson.
And on my lesson I was making STUPID mistakes. I cocked up my parallel park completely, almost drove over a junction without stopping and kept forgetting to use my mirrors when going into junctions. It was just nerves, I’m sure. I’d kept forgetting to use the mirrors on my last driving lesson as well, so it was quite ironic when I realised the piece of classical music I had been listening to to help me relax the night before my test was called Spiegel um Spiegel, which means Mirror in Mirror! I texted my instructor and he thought it was funny too.
The actual test was fine, the examiner was nice, we had a bit of a crack on the way to the car, I sailed through my show me, tell me questions. I was stuck at the junction coming out of the test centre for about five minutes, felt like a lifetime. At one point, I was approaching traffic lights at a crossroads and as my lights turned green, I pulled out into the middle of the box and opposite me a car turned right, followed by a car turning left. The examiner said “Careful there, Sonja! Did you not see the car turning left?” I had, but I was certain I’d done something serious and I had probably failed. But I didn’t let my guard down, I just carried on as normal. I don’t know why he drew it to my attention! Then I stalled at a roundabout. I’d stopped, I was in first gear, I still don’t know why I’d stalled! But again I didn’t panic, I just put the handbrake on, put it into neutral and then moved off as normal. I didn’t have to do a hill start or an emergency stop and my manoeuvre was a turn in the road, the easiest one of the bunch! (Examiners will choose a turn in the road, reverse left around a corner, a parallel park or a bay park, but I didn’t learn a bay park because there is nowhere to execute it on the test route round here.) When we got back to the centre, my instructor got into the car to hear my results, and I honestly think he was just as pleased as I was! He high fived me, FFS! It looks good on him though, because he’s had five first time passes this week. FIVE! Not bad for an independent instructor!
I’m going to miss him. He’s already texted this evening (on his day off!) to ask if I’ve driven yet and how did it go? I haven’t yet though, dad needs to sort out the insurance on his car for me first. I’m going over tomorrow to talk about that and getting breakdown cover for when we take the car away on our road trip. Hopefully that will be sorted by Monday, so I’m going to take the car for a wee drive by myself on the route I took for lessons, maybe go to Asda or something to have a go at bay parking. Dad has said he’d take me on the motorway and show me how to fill the car with fuel. Then I need to practice taking my family in the car for a few drives.
The road trip planning can start in earnest now I know I can really drive us there, lol! The plan is still going to be the same, I think, taking a few days to drive to Claonaig via the Isle of Seil and sailing over to Lochranza on the Friday or Saturday. Preferably the Friday because we’re keen to stay in the Really Remote campsite on Arran for one night, because it’s truly beautiful. Last time we were there, we had to walk it from the bus stop, maybe about a mile/mile and a half, and it’s a long way when you’re eight and carrying a rucksack! Just look:
It’s very basic, there are no showers, just a toilet block. But the appeal is it’s in spectacular surroundings and you’re allowed fires. It’s all very dependent on the weather though, I don’t really fancy camping a lot if the weather is going to be awful.
Randomly, I’ve just had a journalist from the local paper turn up on my doorstep! I kind of know him, he interviewed me for the local paper when we’d first moved back to Cumbria, because the shop I was working in at the time was just opening, and he recognised my name from Facebook. It turned out we were at school together and he added me on Facebook. I see him around a bit, we have similar music tastes. He messaged me earlier to ask if the flat next door was still up for rent (it is) and he asked very nicely if he could come round to ours one day, just so he could see how it’s laid out and decorated (it’s owned by the same landlady). He then said he was sat outside over the river, so I waved at him, lol! I told him to come round now if he wanted, so he’s had a nosey round. It would be smart if he moved in next door, we don’t really know a lot of our neighbours, only really to say hello to.
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