I have been seventeen for two weeks and I have just completed my third driving lesson, which I must say are very frightening and how I've not hit anything yet is somewhat of a miracle. I had my first lesson on my birthday, but not under the best of conditions. The night before did include some drinking of alcohol in excessive amounts, not a great deal of sleep... And Mamma Mia three times (not my choice, that's for sure). So with my driving lesson I wasn't exactly the most alert I've ever been. It didn't really help that my driving instructor is unconventional.
Driving lesson one - Very simple really. It included a hill start, two roundabout, dual carriageways, and fourth gear hitting just over 50MPH. Just to break me into the act of driving softly. He claims it was a good way of building confidence, and it was really. However at the time I was totally and utterly nervous and a heart attack was only one more roundabout away. I got out of the car drenched in sweat and took me a few hours for my heart to return to what is considered to be a normal and healthy pace. I won't get bored though, and it is considerably better than just driving around a car park for an hour to practice using the clutch and break.
Driving lesson two - Again, very simple really. It included a hill start, dual carriageways and fourth gear hitting 50MPH. However it also included 5 roundabouts, a lot of country roads and I later worked out it was a 20 mile trip around East Kent. Not quite as terrifying as the first though. For a start, I got an early night sleep, hadn't touched a drop of alcohol for a few days and it had been a week since I last watched Mamma Mia. However, I did stall the car at the very start and at the very end, but the distance in between was rather successful. To be honest, this lesson was rather fun, even if I did get out of the car, drenched in sweat again and a heart that only took a matter of minutes to return to its normal state this time.
Driving lesson three – It was much simpler than the first two. It included the normal dual carriageways and fourth gear, not far away from 60 MPH and only 2 roundabouts. Also, I did a three point turn, something which is generally done after a few more lessons. Obviously I couldn't just attempt it and hope for the best, we had to have a chat first. But about the history of the introduction of the first driving test and World War II? You wouldn't think so, but yes, it is true and it did work. I knocked over no lamp posts and squashed no passing dogs; in fact it was rather successful. Well, the result was that the car was pointing in the opposite direction anyway. I got picked up from school and an hour later I was at home, so you could call it a £21 taxi ride, in which I chauffeured myself, ended up drenched in sweat again, but for the first time, got out with a smile on my face.
To be honest, the amount of times he keeps pushing me to go faster and faster makes me wonder if he is training me to drive fast so we can make a quick escape after he has robbed a bank; although I'm not saying he is. I am beginning to quite enjoy these lessons now with my confidence increasing as well as my skill. I have now nearly mastered the pedals and gear changing and the steering and general stuff that involves the car moving and not crashing.
He could be a heck of a lot worse though, because at no point does he shout when I make a stupid mistake, and he even adds a few laughs in between the serious business of teaching me drive. After walking 3/4 miles in the pouring rain the other day, I am even more focused on passing my driving test and driving my Orange Nissan Micra to school, or maybe even work by then. The day I have dreamt about.
I do feel guilty though because in my three lessons behind the wheel of a car, I seemed to have progressed the same as friends who have been learning to drive for months, and in one case, learning for over a year now. Am I just brilliant? I doubt it. Is it because the instructor is forever pushing me and thus growing my confidence? More than likely. Am I just delusional? Possibly.
Anyway, if you fancy going with this guy contact me because there is a free driving lesson in it for me!! And now the reason for the blog is apparent, I'm trying to persuade people living in the local area to me to drive with him so I can save £21. They never thought of that on Dragons Den did they!
Toodles m’dearys.
xXXx
Driving lesson two - Again, very simple really. It included a hill start, dual carriageways and fourth gear hitting 50MPH. However it also included 5 roundabouts, a lot of country roads and I later worked out it was a 20 mile trip around East Kent. Not quite as terrifying as the first though. For a start, I got an early night sleep, hadn't touched a drop of alcohol for a few days and it had been a week since I last watched Mamma Mia. However, I did stall the car at the very start and at the very end, but the distance in between was rather successful. To be honest, this lesson was rather fun, even if I did get out of the car, drenched in sweat again and a heart that only took a matter of minutes to return to its normal state this time.
Driving lesson three – It was much simpler than the first two. It included the normal dual carriageways and fourth gear, not far away from 60 MPH and only 2 roundabouts. Also, I did a three point turn, something which is generally done after a few more lessons. Obviously I couldn't just attempt it and hope for the best, we had to have a chat first. But about the history of the introduction of the first driving test and World War II? You wouldn't think so, but yes, it is true and it did work. I knocked over no lamp posts and squashed no passing dogs; in fact it was rather successful. Well, the result was that the car was pointing in the opposite direction anyway. I got picked up from school and an hour later I was at home, so you could call it a £21 taxi ride, in which I chauffeured myself, ended up drenched in sweat again, but for the first time, got out with a smile on my face.
To be honest, the amount of times he keeps pushing me to go faster and faster makes me wonder if he is training me to drive fast so we can make a quick escape after he has robbed a bank; although I'm not saying he is. I am beginning to quite enjoy these lessons now with my confidence increasing as well as my skill. I have now nearly mastered the pedals and gear changing and the steering and general stuff that involves the car moving and not crashing.
He could be a heck of a lot worse though, because at no point does he shout when I make a stupid mistake, and he even adds a few laughs in between the serious business of teaching me drive. After walking 3/4 miles in the pouring rain the other day, I am even more focused on passing my driving test and driving my Orange Nissan Micra to school, or maybe even work by then. The day I have dreamt about.
I do feel guilty though because in my three lessons behind the wheel of a car, I seemed to have progressed the same as friends who have been learning to drive for months, and in one case, learning for over a year now. Am I just brilliant? I doubt it. Is it because the instructor is forever pushing me and thus growing my confidence? More than likely. Am I just delusional? Possibly.
Anyway, if you fancy going with this guy contact me because there is a free driving lesson in it for me!! And now the reason for the blog is apparent, I'm trying to persuade people living in the local area to me to drive with him so I can save £21. They never thought of that on Dragons Den did they!
Toodles m’dearys.
xXXx
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