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When you make a conscious choice to be happy, no one can take it away from you because no one gave it to you: you gave it to yourself.

A quote from April Green's - Bloom For Yourself Journal

Friday 9 October 2015

Learning to Drive!

So how many years ago was it that you learned to drive?

It's been 22 years for me. I passed my test just after my 18th birthday. It was my second attempt. I failed the first as I messed up my reverse parking (parallel parking). 

The lady who taught me has since passed, but our longstanding joke was that I couldn't reach the pedals properly. She had to put a Yellow pages book (remember them?) opened to the lawnmowers section in order to get the right depth underneath the mat. This obviously raised the floor so that I could reach the pedals properly!

Back then it was totally different to now. I didn't do the theory test. It didn't exist.

Keagan has just started to learn. Our friends own Belt up school of motoring so were able to give us good advice. Keagan had his first lesson with Jo on Wednesday. He's taking the automatic test. Mainly due to cost. You don't need as many lessons so our plan is that Keagan will do automatic, but when he's earning if he wants to go back and do the manuel test he can pay for it himself!

Back in 2012 Keagan went on Belt Up's young drivers experience. Here he is behind the wheel!


Before I go let me do my daily journal prompt. Today's is

You want a new.................?

How very apt. Of course, the obvious answer is a car for Keagan! 

I'm joining in with Annie's Friday smiles today!

Take care Zo xx  


12 comments:

Annie said...

Good morning Zo. I'm really smiling at your post today so why not link it up over at mine for your Friday smiles? Oh how well I remember the mad panic of trying to remember everything when I started to learn to drive [yes my memory does just about go back that far lol]. How quickly it all falls into place and becomes automatic [note the pun :-) ]. Good luck to your new learner.
Hugs,
Annie x

Barb said...

Hi Zo, I enjoyed reading your post and yes it did take me back.

I was 28 when I did mine. One instructor used to get down in the well of the car and hold my ankles to make sure I had proper clutch control on hill starts. I didn't like it at all but wasn't confident enough at that time to say anything. I told a friend and asked if it seemed right and she said would he do that if you were a young man. I changed my instructor and got on much better. Glad to say I learned to stand up for myself .....

Good luck to Keagan. Thanks for your earlier visit. Have a lovely week with lots of smiles. Barbxx

505whimsygirl said...

Hi Zo. Wow, it's been close to 40 years for me (maybe longer but I don't want to admit that). We had a class in school called "Drivers Education" and it was free! We also had simulators which I mistakenly always called Stimulators. I had no idea why the class would laugh at me. It only took me reaching adulthood that I understood!

Keagan looks so proud in the car, learning to drive. Automatics are much easier to drive than standards anyway. Good luck Keagan, you'll do great!

Hugs,
Kay

Sue Jones said...

I didn't learn to drive until I really had to ( 37 yrs) when my eldest started at a special school and there were no buses there. So about 18 yrs. Good luck with getting the new car for your son and hope he does well. Soojay xx

JoZart Designs said...

Good luck to Keagan and if I win the Lotto I'll buy him a car!
Jo x

Lynn Holland said...

I've been driving since I was 17 and I'm 60 now. I drive a 12 year old cyber green VW Beetle which I've had from new. I've never been without a car and wouldn't know one end of a bus from the other haha.
Have a great weekend.
Lynn x

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

Fairly recent for me. I only passed about 8 years ago so had to take the theory test. My boy doesn't have any interest in learning at the moment which is just as well while he is costing us an arm and a leg at uni! Good luck to Keagan :-)

Hettie said...

Geeee - now you have set me thinking...27 years since I did mine. I was lucky enough to pass first time due to an incident with a kiddie and a ball...I saw the ball and thought there would be kid following...the driving instructor didn't! I slammed the brakes on when he stepped out before I was told. Apparently the examiner hated women drivers and NEVER passed them....til me!! Thanks to that kid!!
Tell you what I would hate to have to do a theory!!! Yikes!!
Hugs
xx

mamapez5 said...

I passed my test when I was living in Cyprus back in the early seventies, but I only had three months to up my license to full a British one when we moved back and I never had the money for it, so it was ten years later that I had a full British license. Where would we be without it now? I remember when our boys (all five of them) started their lessons. Two were natural drivers, two got there after a good course of lessons, and one never did, but now his son is trying. All good fun! Good Luck Keagan! Kate x

Twiglet said...

Good luck to Keagan - youngsters find it relativley easy. I passed my test first time when I was 18 but that is a long, long time ago!! x Jo

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Good luck Kegan. Hope he realises how much the insurance is, these days it can cost as much as the car for young drivers. My instructor threatened to right on the back of my hand... left and right as I always wanted to go the other way when ever he said go right I went left Lol!x

pearshapedcrafting said...

Good Luck to Keegan! I learned to drive in a Land Rover - far too long ago!!! Hugs, Chrisx