Monday 8 February 2016

Memorandum Monday

Hey Monday! I think I'm ready for you, after a car based weekend which found us getting up at 7am on Saturday to take our elderly Land Rover to be MOT'd. It passed, which is an Excellent Thing. We need it next week, for a trip. Meanwhile, the little white car, the Learner's car, our Fiat 500, was out and about on an intensive training programme. Go on, ask me what I did for the first time this weekend. ..


I took our girl out for a driving lesson. 

It's been an interesting one, this learning to drive. When her brother was starting, I took him out right at the beginning. We had one rule: what happens in the car stays in the car: and it worked. We didn't fall out, although it does mean that - sorry - there's an embargo on the double decker bus incident; and I'm going to have to redact the bit about the roundabout drive round it, not over it!

Once, when we were out on a lesson, we bumped into (no, no: you are letting your imagination run away with you. We were parked up, just running into Boots for some toothpaste) one of his school friends, and her Mum, who expressed her interest in the fact that I'd been allowed anywhere near the role of driving instructor. My girls were having none of it, she said, for everyone's safety.

And, see, there's the thing: she has girls. Girl power is all well and good; but when that power translates into a heavy foot on the accelerator, and a mother with her hand hovering above the handbrake...it turns into some kind of inverted  battle of the sexes played out over a pair of "L" plates. 

So that's probably why it is now, several months after The (Not So) Small One first got behind the wheel, that I am finally able to report that I have given her a driving lesson. 


And I'd like to have it on record that no person - either inside or outside the vehicle - was harmed in the making of this blog post.

So, that's me. How about you? What did you do for the first time this weekend? Or maybe you learned something new? We'd love to hear!


Last week  Deb, Ruth, Fiona, Mardi, Stephanie, Helena, Barbara, Jane, Miriam, Mary-Lou, Maggie, Louise H, Sandie, Krafty Karen, Julia, Karen, Ladkyis, Susanne wowed us with their curiosity. You can click on the links to find out more. Or maybe get an idea for a post of your own? Have a good week!

30 comments:

Mel said...

Haha this is brave of you. My dad taught my mum is South Africa and in the busy city of Cape Town she got out the car and walked home! She passed in the end and they remained married!

Susanne said...

Moments like that are exactly why I'm so glad that around here they have driving schools. So that mom doesn't have to be the first one in the car when her daughter sits behind the wheel for the first time. Of course, it's still nerve-wrecking!

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

You're a braver woman than I! I dislike driving and only do it on a needs must basis. I don't want to pass that on to my two so will be staying out of the passenger seat, for sure. Have a great week Sian.

PS This post just popped up in my Feedly.

Ali said...

My dad didnt have many rules but one was never to teach any of his children to drive!! So there wasn't any fall outs/arguments or lets not mention what happened when... lol

helena said...

love the look of concentration on her face - have a great week

Julie Kirk said...

I didn't learn until I was in my 20s ... by then I was James's problem! He taught me the basics then I went to lessons. I can tell you're already having fun with being able to take photos seeing as you're not the one driving!

As for me, I learned ... to check online before heading off to a cafe up a hill [fortunately we drove] and arriving at 11.15am ... only to find out they stop serving breakfast at 11am and do't start serving lunch until 12pm.
Fortunately bacon/sausage sandwiches were served all day otherwise ... it would have been a long drive home on an empty stomach!

debs14 said...

I was not a good driving instructor, too nervous which rubs off on the learner! I'm much happier in the driver's seat even when someone experienced is driving!

Melissa said...

My Mama & Daddy took turns teaching me to drive, first in parking lots, then out of the way roads, then the big roads, and finally over the really steep two-lane bridge near our home. I loved learning to drive and couldn't wait to get my license (which I did first thing on my 16th birthday). Sounds like you have some stories to tell about driving lessons - it's a shame their supposed to "stay in the car." LOL

alexandra s.m. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
alexandra s.m. said...

You are brave indeed Sian!
I remember teaching DD#1 how to parallel park and that was epic!
This week-end I made my own pasta from scratch.
It was not the first time, I used to do it regularly for years before having child #3 and as a pasta lover, she was over the moon with the result!
xx
PS: Lovely pictures of your DD

Maggie said...

I suppose it's not that unusual that there is often the same theme in more than one of the blogs. You will see from mine that we have just come through the other side. Phew! You only have to ask younger daughter about my exclamations and heavy attempts at breaking as a passenger! My two both had a combination of lessons and going out with us. They also had the benefit of learning the basics (and bad habits) on various farm vehicles. Good luck to your daughter. The real worry is when you are left at home and they are out and about. She is going to do her Pass plus next. More expense I know but older daughter said she learnt more on that especially lane work, motorways etc.

Abi said...

This is fab Sian! I did a double take when I saw the not so small one learning to drive! goodness me how time flies! I started to blog when I was her age!
My mum and me got on fine in a car but my dad was a different story. He was far too nervous and I was far too stressed.
We have just had a driving success over here and the boy has passed his test. Hooray! I would definitely advocate learning to drive as soon as you can. He didn't start till his early twenties and has found it much more pressured learning to drive in order to get to work.

Jane said...

you are very brave!!

Becky said...

I took Ben out a few times - the first time was nerve wracking but we never fell out. As for Penny, well she still has t wanted to learn so I'm still waiting for the mother/daughter experience! Well done on your new experience this weekend! Waving back to you over in my blog this week :)

alexa said...

You have more courage than I do, Sian! I am afraid I left it all to the driving instructor :). That's a lovely photo - she looks very relaxed and smiling which is a testament to your calm presence.

Patio Postcards said...

Your post made me chuckle out loud. Learning to drive is so stressful but such a feeling of freedom & independence. Glad all participants are safe.

Eileen T said...

You're brave! I don't know if I'd have the confidence to sit next to a learner driver.

Lizzy Hill said...

Good on you both! Glad your relationship hasn't been irreversibly damaged....in all the different ways it could have been!!! I have boys. They seem to take to it rather naturally.... just gotten home from holidays & I'm shot..... does that count as something new?!! LOL....not, really, eh?!

KraftyKaren said...

I was lucky enough to have a very patient friend who came out with me - Dad did a couple of times but we always ended up shouting at each other. Mind you I remember his attempts at teaching Mum to drive and many a time she would end up just getting out of the car and walking home LOL!!

Have a great week - I have given you a little wave on my blog

Jo said...

You are so brave, I could never get in a car with Sam behind the wheel....she can't even walk a few feet without bumping in to something! :)

Karen said...

This brings back lots of memories. I taught both our kids how to drive which was totally unexpected. Everyone thought Dad would be the calm one, but it turned out not to be true.

Anonymous said...

How brave for both of you! Dad thought better of the 2 of us getting in a car together and enrolled me in driving lessons. Out practicing with him was bad enough. :)

HappinessSavouredHot (Julie Saint-Mleux) said...

Four more years and I will be teaching my oldest daughter to drive. I hope it's more peaceful than when my father taught me, haha.

The one new thing I did last weekend was to meditate for an hour and a half (with a few minutes of walking meditation halfway through). It goes by faster than I would have imagined.

Missus Wookie said...

Good luck to the Not so Small One.

I've not learned to drive yet, keep putting it on my 'maybe this year' list and it doesn't make it to the top. Living in London with all this lovely public transport does make it easy to put off.

Cheri said...

I have so "been there, done that" and even scrapped about it! Well done for keeping your cool through the process. I spent one day of our weekend parked on the sofa and the next day out almost all day between an indoor flea market and re-merchandising our booth. I learned that my "high sensitivity" does not fare well in places that are a combination of noisy, crowded, and over-heated!

Sandra said...

It must be the strangest feeling teaching your youngest how to drive. Goodness it doesn't seem possible I'm sure. I passed my driving test on Valentine's Day .... Many years ago lol

scrappyjacky said...

You're much braver than me.

Lou said...

We're reaching this stage in a couple of months! i'm thinking i'm leaving the lessons to the man of the house!! x

Beverly said...

Our public schools offer all students free driver's ed, classroom and actual driving instruction. The state legislature tried to do away with it this past year but it didn't take long for them to see the public's outcry and crank the funding back up.

Louise H said...

This will definitely have to be my husbands job. I am a terrible back seat driver so I know I would drive them mad - and be constantly trying to brake etc!

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