New Mano...Bay parking

I had a phone call an hour and a quarter before my last driving lesson...my spirits fell when I heard my instructor's voice, not because he isn't lovely but because I was sure he was phoning to cancel...Thankfully this was not the case...but he asked if I had remembered that he had brought that day's lesson forward by an hour, YIKES!!! No I had not remembered...that meant I had 15 mins to get myself presentable. From planning on spending the next hour doing hypnosis followed by gentle reading so I could start my lesson in a chilled and calm manner, I had to change to full on panic nutter mode! Impressively I was ready in time...He teased me about only just getting up which was SO not the case... I had already done my housework and a step aerobic workout...I was just not ready for my lesson when he telephoned. I had the pleasure of pointing out that HE was the one sat there with toothpaste on his face!!!!!

Mmmm, I'm not sure what to think of this reversing into a bay lark...I totally get why it is wrong to go in nose first, but boy oh boy is this going to take some practice. Doing it with spaces in the bays next to me was okay but I so didn't like doing it with a car next to me. When asked "What must you change when there are cars parked on both sides of your chosen bay?" I was told that the answer

"My pants!"

was not the answer he was looking for... oh well it might not have been correct but at least I made him laugh!

For anyone who hasn't learned this mano yet, the answer is "nothing".

I really wanted to abandon it when he made me reverse in with a car on my left but he kept bringing up that "trust" word again, so even though I was freaking out at how close we were to the other vehicle I went ahead and lo and behold, it all worked like magic...I just wish you could buy pocket sized Mr Patiences to keep in the glove box for times of emergency and tight squeezes.

I tried private practice with the Doxie-mobile the same night but somehow it didn't go quite so well...I kept ending up about a third of a bay to one side....still at least I was straight which is half the battle I guess. I don't know if I am turning too late or too early, ho hum I guess that is what practice is for...it probably didn't help that it was at night in a pitch black car park in the countryside and I couldn't see the bay markings that well anyway, so maybe I am being a bit hard on myself.

I had someone walk backwards into the road in front of me in this latest lesson...now that is an odd one to anticipate LOL. It was a workman...I can only assume he had ear plugs in or something...blooming daft thing to do without looking! Anyway you will be pleased to hear that he is still upright and the only thing that happened was... I stopped, Mr Patience blew the horn and told him what a twit he was, or words to that effect!

Until next time,
Doxie :o)

Doxiemobile I love you!

I LOVE, love, love my Doxiemobile! I've been out in it locally with the L plates and it is all I hoped it would be and more. Sharp End fits in the boot and is quite happy. You'd think he'd been in it a thousand times already. Even though he doesn't have the space he is used to in Mr Doxie's car he doesn't seem to mind at all. His dog guard arrived today so he can go out with us which ever car we use...and there will be room for new puppy too!

She is a delight to sit in,very comfy and still smells new, although I am sure Sharp End will soon take care of that!...She came with very low mileage which I know is genuine as I know her history. :o) With room for friends,dogs,shopping and smart enough for work what more could I want? The future is bright! I am going to have so much fun whizzing about here and there.


Doxie...nearly mobile :o)

Goodbye drug of choice

Before my driving lesson I usually pump myself full of caffeine to ensure alertness ...well this week with Mr Doxie working from home my routine was a bit different and I realised about 10 mins before Mr Patience was due to pick me up that I had not had my usual double if not triple cappuccino...there was no time to throw it down my neck at the last minute so I just had to go out without a boost of my drug of choice.

What a difference...I pulled away quicker at junctions, I did my manoeuvres with absolutely no agitation of self critism at all and was generally waaay calmer throughout the lesson. The only slightly wobbly bit was practising the "hanging off the top of the cliff" bit aka proper clutch control on a hill. Even that went a hundred times better than last week, I froze at the thought of the first attempt but with a bit of gentle talking around I did as I was told, when I was told, and it went fine from then on...it was probably helped by the fact that Mr Patience was determined not to let me off the hook and if the truth be known we spent much of the lesson driving around looking for steeper and steeper hills!

We ended the lesson with a little trip to the river(where we considered stopping at the pub and having a sit in the sunshine, it was so tempting!)...and then back via the local roundabout of doom, but in reality it wasn't really as bad as people make it out to be.

All in all it was one of the least eventful and calm lessons I've had and was told a definite " No more caffeine for you in future Missy!" If next week is just the same I will have to admit that coffee is not the friend I thought it was. Hey ho, you live and learn.

Doxie :o)

Not that sure what all the fuss is about...

Well I have now finished the Agatha Christie too. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Wodehouse. I sussed out "whodunnit" pretty early on so I just kept reading in the hope I was wrong and was going to be shocked and surprised...which I wasn't. Never mind, maybe it was a one off. I will try another one sometime but if the character building is as drawn out and tedious as in Sparkling Cyanide I won't be filling my bookshelf with any more ACs.

On my bedside table I now have "Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. It is hard not trying to imagine the film as you are reading it, but I expect I will get over that as I get deeper into it.

It is years since I have read novels for pleasure. My bookshelves have been full of nothing but educational stuff really ever since I became a Mother and definitely a home educator. It is thoroughly pleasant going to bed reading for no reason at all, rather than reading as a precursor to lesson planning.

Doxie who will have gone through every book in the local library in a year if she carries on at this rate! ;o)

Edited to say...Minority Report turned out to be a 'short story' rather than a novel...didn't realise when I picked up the book...they did well to make a film out of such little writing...

I am a new fan...

of PG Wodehouse...well that is not exactly true, I have always enjoyed the televised series of "Jeeves and Wooster" and I've appreciated the few plays I have seen but I had never read one of his books until now. Over the last week I have been going to bed with "Leave it to Psmith" which is part of the Blandings series and can't wait to get my hands on another one. It is not often I read fiction these days and I certainly don't usually finish a book in less than a week of bedtimes so I guess I am hooked. the man is a genius...there was not one page that failed to hold my interest...he was obviously a great people/relationship watcher and translates his observations to the page with perfection. His use of language is a delight and oddly does not seem old fashioned...you just feel you are taking a glimpse into another world.

The same day I bought Wodehouse I got an Agatha Christie too, I have only read one AC and that was years ago so I am going to discipline myself to read that before I rush into my next visit to Blandings castle.

My first real driving manoeuvre

Today he had me doing 3 point turns ( although apparently that isn't the correct name for that manoeuvre???? )The roads were quieter being a bank holiday weekend and everything went really well. Every body's garden walls are still intact and so are my nerves. My instructor did a lot of humming of Beatles tunes today...I am assuming that means he is fairly relaxed with my driving style at the mo. We also did a little mystery tour of some new roads which ended up in a drive by of a famous person's house about whom we both had a story to tell...thus leading to some hilarity and jokes which nearly finished me off. It is good to wear waterproof mascara when learning to drive, if I had been sporting the Alice Cooper look when I got out of the car I am sure people would think I had been crying for every other reason than laughing LOL.

I LOVE driving. It gives me a real high. Thankfully I don't have to wait long until my next lesson.

Doxie

modifying skirts

I thought I was done with the sewing lark for a while but when I was going through my wardrobe to get rid of even more clothes I found 3 skirts which I won't be wearing as they are, but I just love the colours and prints...So.. hey ho, it seems I am doomed to sew.

One is a skirt I made a year or so ago that started life as a pair of jeans but it was really an experiment and is a little too Boho for my liking so I will probably shorten it and make it into a fiesta style skirt.

The other two are skirts I bought for my holiday but wouldn't wear here so they have served their purpose and need attacking and made into something more suitable for our up and coming Autumn. They are identical in colour but different weight fabrics so I am not sure how exactly I will morph them into one but I enjoy a challenge.

Will take photos of the before and after. :o)

Doxie