Testing driving conditions

In the second theme of the past week, driving has featured quite highly.

Last Thursday was my driving test, as you might remember I managed to fail the first time, but apart from that I only had 5 minor faults. This time I was more nervous and aware of the mistakes I had made in the final couple of lessons. We set off, and pulled round a corner to start the corner reverse manouvre, when i noticed that a silver Peugeot 307 had pulled in, but not parked, before the junction, but directly behind me. I watched it for a minute before deciding that he was stopped enough for me to carry out the manouvre. I did the reverse around the corner ok, then started up the hill. The car was then following me again. I got near the top, when the examiner asked me to pull over to the side, let the car past and then start again. I pulled over, and the car pulled in behind me again, about 25 yards behind. It may no effort to pull past, so upon instruction, I pulled out again and carried on my driving.

The examiner had me pull in another couple of times, but each time the car stayed behind me. It was starting to un-nerve me a bit and I made a few stupid mistakes (like a hill start with the car in Neutral!). We came out onto Great Western Road, where there are 3 lanes, and the car still kept following me, until eventually the examiner made eye contact with the driver and gestured to him (I have no idea what the gesture was!). We then carried on with the test and I was sure that my minors whilst the car was 'dogging' me would mean that I had failed, but I carried on and we went on a new route, up through Drumchapel.

When we got back to the test centre, I was amazed to hear the examiner say "You passed", and when he handed me the sheet, I had only scored 7 minor faults.

Then on Saturday morning after the wedding, my sister threw her car keys at me, and when I managed to catch them, told me I was now on her insurance, and I'd be taking her car to Mum & Dad's from Newcastle airport. Her car has always been her pride & joy (well maybe not now she has a husband?), and I was surprised she'd let me drive it, as I had assuemed that dad would be going to pick it up later in the day.

I took Mum with me, because the only route I could remember home from the airport involved going down the A1 and through the middle of Newcastle - not something I wanted to do! Fortunately they had parked the car in a nice open bit of the car park and I managed to get out without clipping the alloys on the curbs. However i then discovered the menace that is parking barriers - park to far away and you end up falling out the window in your attempt to get the ticket into the machine.

The trip home was slower than normal, but without incident, and I even got to break the Highway Code intentionally by parking wheel up' on the curb outside Mum & Dad's.

I then spent the trip back to Glasgow using the NXEC wifi to look for a car..... even though it will be after exams before I get one.