Rosie Scribble

Moving forward

With a house move on the cards in the not too distant future, I've been considering our options. Without doubt, the fact that I don't drive does limit where we can live. By now I'd expected to be looking at cars and taking the time to compare car insurance, but as yet it is not to be.

A slight crisis of confidence coupled with the uncertainty that comes with moving house and relying on freelance work, has meant it has been several months since I last had a driving lesson.

And I haven’t found learning to drive, as a mother, particularly easy. I can’t help but see children and potential danger everywhere, and at the back of my mind is the fact that when I do pass my test I’ll have a child in the car with me. That feels like an overwhelming responsibility. 

On learning to drive

One lesson I have learnt in life is that if there is something you really want to do, don’t let age, or a lack of experience or anything else hold you back. Just go ahead and do it. If it doesn’t work out, at least you’ve tried. If you never give it a go then all you are left with are regrets.

Which is how I find myself learning to drive at the age of 38. Because I want to, which is reason enough. But also because I want to be independent and if it doesn’t work out, although I’m confident it will, then at least I can say I’ve tired.

I’ve written before about making up for lost time, and learning to drive is part of that. On the road to independence the significance of me choosing my own course in life is not lost on me.

A funny thing has happened during the course of my lessons with the ever-patient Tracie. While I’ve been attempting to learn how to reverse around a corner, manoeuvre into a parking bay and successfully negotiate a roundabout without accidently changing into first gear, Tracie has been listening to me harp on about social media and marketing.

The result is that Tracie now has her own Facebook page. While it might not be of relevance to people who live outside of Nottinghamshire, it does contain some useful clips on independent driving and the ‘show me tell me’ part of the driving test.

As of today Tracie is now working for herself and isn’t affiliated to any local driving school, so if there is anything I can do to help build her business I’ll do it.

So if you can, do go over and ‘like’ Tracie, because sometimes life doesn’t take the path you think it will but even if you veer off course and take up things a little later than you thought, you can meet some really lovely people along the way.

And if you live in Nottinghamshire, do recommend Tracie to your friends.

Photo credit.

Respect on the road

I am not a driver but a learner driver and at the rate I am going, my daughter will have passed her driving test before me. But I persevere. My learner driver status makes me very unpopular at times with other drivers, especially on a Monday morning when I am driving at 20 mph in a 40 mph and practising my emergency stops. Even I lose patience with myself at times.

The power of negative thought

I am exceptionally good at being negative, especially in my current rather downbeat mood.

Being negative is probably the one thing I excel at more than anything else. In fact I am capable of putting a negative slant on almost anything.

You have won £7.5 million on the lottery? Oh dear, there are lot of negatives associated with winning such a large amount of money. Let me tell you some of them...

You are going on a all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean? Not good, let me take you to one side and present you with a few crime figures...

You have inherited a fabulous grade II listed building? Now, there are a few things you ought to know about town planners and alterations ...

You see, I am a kill-joy, no fun to be around, which is all very... er... negative.

Thankfully, I am not normally like this. I am normally upbeat, positive and driven, which leads me on to the point of all this.

Today I nearly gave up and decided to quit.

I'm talking about my driving lessons.

I got into the car and told me my very patient instructor that I could  not drive and thought it best to abandon all hope of ever being able to do so.

She took  a deep breath (again) and told me to start the car.

Then I drove perfectly for a hour and managed to reverse round a corner so well she said I would have passed me test with that. In fact, I have never driven better and I ended the lesson with a renewed air of confidence, not just about driving but life in general.

My instructor pointed out that I can drive and I drive very well. She wanted to know what on earth made me think I couldn't.

I had no answer of course except to say I was just being negative, so negative in fact that I had convinced myself I was completely incapable.

So now I'm not giving up an I will have my next therapy session driving lesson next week.

My new motto: Think positive!

Out of this world

This morning, while I was enduring another hair-raising driving lesson (Note to self: do not attempt to take a sharp left turn whilst speeding), IJ stayed with Granny.

When I returned Granny looked as if she was the one who had just driven a car totally out of control, frightening her driving instructor half to death while  casually remarking "I feel like Jenson Button!". Yes, Granny looked as if her nerves were slightly frazzled.

The reason for this? Well, she had just discovered that her delightful grand-daughter is no longer into fairies and princesses and all things pink.

Now she likes The Sarah Jane Adventures which Granny has never heard of. As she explained to me, one of their conversations had taken her by surprise. It went along the lines of:

Granny: Shall we play a game with your Little Mermaid doll?

IJ: (Raised voice, finger pointing in a threatening manner) No! You are an alien. I must exterminate you!

Granny: Well that's not really very nice.

IJ: You are here from another planet, you must be exterminated.

You get the gist.

 
As Granny leaves the house with a look of sheer relief on her face, I can hear the words "Exterminate, evil one," emanating from the sitting room.

Thankfully my next attempt to scare the living daylights out of my driving instructor falls on a day when IJ is at school.

So Granny is safe.

As long as she stays off the roads.