I'm Running Out of Unconventional Blog Titles

I've had twelve driving lessons, so now I feel it is time to relieve you of the agony of not knowing what happened in driving lesson number nine. I revealed at the end of my last blog (in case you've forgotten, which you probably have) that the lesson nearly ended in terror. That was my first cliff hanger I've done on a blog, and is probably something I won't do again because there was no point to it. Anyway, onwards with the third 'episode' of the ‘Unconventional’ series of blogs.

Driving lesson number nine (which was six weeks ago - seems like ages) started off normally really. I did my usual trip from my house into Canterbury with no major problems. Then I was faced with a Zebra Crossing. As drivers will know (and I now know), you're suppose to stop at a Zebra crossing if there are people waiting to cross. I panicked and instead of braking, ended up accelerating to the horror of the old man with a walking stick who was crossing.
Don't worry reader, the car was brought to an emergency stop by the instructor and the old man crossed safely. This was however, the only time I stalled the car, but technically it was the instructor who stalled it, not me. Anyway, shortly after we stopped to allow me to calm down and get an earful from Yoda's younger, driving instructor brother. After that 5 minute break, I recovered the lesson by doing a successful reverse around the corner.

After a week to recover from that frankly, disastrous lesson, I hit the 10 lesson mark. To mark this occasion, it rained, very hard in fact, but nether-the-less, it was easy to say that had been my best lesson after demonstrating a whole range of skills. I spent 20 minutes on a dual carriageway, which was the longest I'd done in one lesson and was very successful, still having to stop myself from speeding though. Also reversed around a corner, reversed into a parking space in one go and also done a three point turn which my instructor said I hadn't done it properly and wouldn't make it round. Guess what - I did do it! Also done a hill start without hitting any parked cars. I did however stall the car one, but who cares?

Lesson 11 and the sun was out this time. Was another very good lesson I thought, and I didn't even stall the car, which was an achievement in itself. I done a three point turn again very well as well as reversing around a corner. This lesson was more to test my knowledge of the Highway Code and to find out if I had really been reading the books. I got about 90% of the questions he asked me correctly, but then the questions where from two categories; Alertness and about loading cars. He regaled me with tales from years ago when he over loaded his van, and when he once towed a car on a trailer, which began to swerve and how he overcame this problem. These are obviously stories which will help me pass my driving theory test...
I don't want you thinking the lesson went without problems though, because it didn't, but this time it wasn't my fault, it was the fault of the car. I'm not a mechanic, but I think the car had a stroke. All the lights on one side of the car stopped working and every time I used a light on the right side (to indicate or brake) the car kept buzzing at me. Once I got home, I was given a lesson in how to change a car light bulb. This attempt didn't work though and he ended up cancelling his lessons for the rest of the day - and I was only his second student of the day, so I don't think he was best pleased.

Lesson 12 and again the sun was out and the car was fixed. This lesson also went reasonably well and I done a three point turn, reversed around a corner and reversed into a parking space. I still haven't mastered reversing into a parking space; in fact I've not mastered parking the car at all yet, whether it is a parallel park or reversing into a parking space. I did however discover that Canterbury has a very small one-way system, and considering I never knew it existed, I got rather confused. I survived, and so did the car and every member of the public, so it wasn't too bad.

Anyway, in a few more weeks, I shall post another blog about Driving lessons 13 to 16. I'm not really doing this blog to tell you how my lessons are going, and not even to give The City School of Motoring some free advertising, because if that was the case, this blog isn't really doing it successfully. I'm purely only doing this for my benefit. I suppose you could call it a diary of my progress, so that when I finally pass my test and can begin driving around in my Orange Nissan Micra, I can look back at these and think how silly I was getting so excited by going into Top Gear (or Fifth Gear, depending which you prefer).

I am now about to consider putting myself in for my theory test. You would have thought I would have been slightly put off exams for a while after getting my A-level results (which weren't exactly brilliant), but no, I feel like putting myself through more agony of exams. Anyway, so by the time I post another 'Unconventional' blog, I will have a date for my theory exam hopefully.

Toodles m’dearys
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