Driving is not something that comes easily to me.
I spent 5 years being deathly afraid to pick up the phone to even book some lessons.
I spent a further year learning to drive automatic as it was just about cope-able for me and then i amazed myself by passing both my Theory and Driving tests both times with very good scores.
Its already been a journey for me, so when i finally made the purchase of my very first car - a 2008 Peugeot 207 1.6 in metallic grey i was over the moon!
Finally i was free and mobile, not having to rely on anyone else and being able to take off as i wished!
Only, it hasnt been as simple as that.
I now have a new found fear, and that is of driving by myself. More so than that, having to park the car. Particularly in a space with cars either side of it.
So i havent. The only trips i have made in my nice shiny new car that calls out to me to drive it are to the school and back, which i can just about cope with because i know i can park at the side of the street easily.
My stomach is still in knots though every time i get in the car and start it up. I feel very strange and entirely uncomfortable.
I am still learning how the controls work. This morning i managed to switch the heaters on which decided to billow out blasts of cold air at me and the kids. I had no idea how to turn this feature off so off we went to school as though we were on a rollercoaster ride with the wind blowing in our faces and hair.
I did however, manage to work out how to wipe the back windscreen. This was essential as i had to reverse back a bit before i could go forward and i had briefly considered getting out and wiping it myself.
Once i was back from the school looking like id been dragged through a hedge backwards, i called the other half who gave me a lecture about not listening to him whilst he was explaining all of this to me the other day and then told me how to turn it off. I did it! Phew.
The next challenge was to go to the vets for dog food. I completed the journey there successfully, only going up the kerb a little bit when parking, and got back into my car happy that i was making some progress.
I put the key in and went to turn it but nothing would happen! It was locked in place and just wouldnt budge.
Having thought id done something wrong when unlocking the car, i then got out, locked it, unlocked it, and got back in to try again.
It didnt work. I was about to give up and walk home, leaving the sodding car where it was parked when i decided to painstakingly call the other half again.
'What have you done now?' he bellowed at me from the middle of the workshop at work. I explained my predicament and he breathed a sigh of relief. The steering lock was on.
After talking me through how to unlock it and get going i was then on my way home and happy once again.
So thats me, and the adventures ive been having in my new car. It isnt the first time ive messed up either. On Monday i decided to drive us all to the girls Parents evening at school. I pulled up along the kerb and was immediately told to get out by the other half who then jumped in and parked it himself, doing a far better job than i had done 2 minutes earlier. I was a little way from the kerb but it wasnt too bad! He clearly thought otherwise though.
The other half is also a very bad passenger to have.
He has resumed the role of my driving instructor and insists on telling me everything i am doing wrong, and also what traffic is coming my way.
I wasnt aware that i was blind, nor that i still needed to take lessons once passing my test with no minor faults on it but hey! He is a man andthinks he knows best.
I spent 5 years being deathly afraid to pick up the phone to even book some lessons.
I spent a further year learning to drive automatic as it was just about cope-able for me and then i amazed myself by passing both my Theory and Driving tests both times with very good scores.
Its already been a journey for me, so when i finally made the purchase of my very first car - a 2008 Peugeot 207 1.6 in metallic grey i was over the moon!
Finally i was free and mobile, not having to rely on anyone else and being able to take off as i wished!
Only, it hasnt been as simple as that.
I now have a new found fear, and that is of driving by myself. More so than that, having to park the car. Particularly in a space with cars either side of it.
So i havent. The only trips i have made in my nice shiny new car that calls out to me to drive it are to the school and back, which i can just about cope with because i know i can park at the side of the street easily.
My stomach is still in knots though every time i get in the car and start it up. I feel very strange and entirely uncomfortable.
I am still learning how the controls work. This morning i managed to switch the heaters on which decided to billow out blasts of cold air at me and the kids. I had no idea how to turn this feature off so off we went to school as though we were on a rollercoaster ride with the wind blowing in our faces and hair.
I did however, manage to work out how to wipe the back windscreen. This was essential as i had to reverse back a bit before i could go forward and i had briefly considered getting out and wiping it myself.
Once i was back from the school looking like id been dragged through a hedge backwards, i called the other half who gave me a lecture about not listening to him whilst he was explaining all of this to me the other day and then told me how to turn it off. I did it! Phew.
The next challenge was to go to the vets for dog food. I completed the journey there successfully, only going up the kerb a little bit when parking, and got back into my car happy that i was making some progress.
I put the key in and went to turn it but nothing would happen! It was locked in place and just wouldnt budge.
Having thought id done something wrong when unlocking the car, i then got out, locked it, unlocked it, and got back in to try again.
It didnt work. I was about to give up and walk home, leaving the sodding car where it was parked when i decided to painstakingly call the other half again.
'What have you done now?' he bellowed at me from the middle of the workshop at work. I explained my predicament and he breathed a sigh of relief. The steering lock was on.
After talking me through how to unlock it and get going i was then on my way home and happy once again.
So thats me, and the adventures ive been having in my new car. It isnt the first time ive messed up either. On Monday i decided to drive us all to the girls Parents evening at school. I pulled up along the kerb and was immediately told to get out by the other half who then jumped in and parked it himself, doing a far better job than i had done 2 minutes earlier. I was a little way from the kerb but it wasnt too bad! He clearly thought otherwise though.
The other half is also a very bad passenger to have.
He has resumed the role of my driving instructor and insists on telling me everything i am doing wrong, and also what traffic is coming my way.
I wasnt aware that i was blind, nor that i still needed to take lessons once passing my test with no minor faults on it but hey! He is a man and
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