Sunday 24 April 2016

If I Bit My Nails..


...I'd have been biting my nails. But I don't, so I had to find something else to do. 

What to do while she was doing the test?

- Marvel at a driving instructor who had been willing to haul himself out of bed so that he was here in time for a pre-test final lesson, at 7.30am.

- Worry about rush hour traffic at 8.50 in the morning.

- Tell myself I can't do anything about it.

- Make a card for a friend (and change it a little after the picture)


- Pick up my sock knitting and promptly drop a stitch, which goes down three rows before I can catch it. Realise I can't take knitting with a hole in it to my my first meeting of  Knitting Club tonight, so manage to fill several minutes picking up the stitch.

- Put a load of washing in the machine, close the door, turn it on, walk out of the utility room, and find a t shirt lying on the floor instead of going round in the machine.

- Muse on my own driving test, and the differences between my test in a country town (to overtake the tractor? or not?) and this test in the city (keep out of the way of double decker buses).

- Unscrew the lid on my jar of Easter chocolate mini eggs, dip my hand in..

....and then, the door. I ran down the stairs, there she was, waving a pass in her hand. She's mobile! She's independent! Does that mean I never have to be in the right place at the right time ever again? Maybe. I think I'll have those chocolate mini eggs after all.


28 comments:

Susanne said...

Oh I remember those days around here as well. It is a new era, whether we like it or not. Congrats to her!!

Julie Kirk said...

Good for her! (I failed my first attempt. I blame the sunshine.) I could feel your nerves there. I hope knitting club goes well. (You know I've had my own creating-with-strangers experience this month.)

debs14 said...

Congratulations to her! You must all be thrilled - everyone mobile now! It snowed, hard, the night before my driving test and it was touch and go as to whether or not it would go ahead. The examiner and I walked towards the car, I walked around the back of it to get in the driver's side and he slipped on the icy pavement and off the kerb as he opened the passenger door. You know how there is something involuntary about wanting to laugh when you see someone slip over on snow? I think that concentrating on that thought 'don't laugh, whatever you do, don't laugh or he'll fail you immediately' relaxed me enough to do well!

Eileen T said...

Congratulations to your daughter. I vividly remember my driving test - there was notorious examiner who was known to be grumpy and, supposedly failed a high percentage. So sitting in the waiting room, when the examiner walked in and my instructor groaned at soon as he saw him - yes, guess who I had. I passed though!

helena said...

congratulations - and on passing first time - I failed my first and thinking back now I can't remember details of the time I passed, just the one I failed !!

enjoy your knitting club

Barbara Eads said...

That moment when teens got their license to drive was one of my favorites and saddest at the same time!! I loved the independence for them and the freedom for me. But I knew I'd miss those one on one conversations while driving hither and yon! Luckily for me there was tea! Congrats to your new driver!

Ali said...

Yay!! Congratulations to your daughter :-) Great card make as well considering you must have been chewed to bits inside xx You'll have to think of places to go to be chauffered around, before the novelty wears off :-) xx

Maggie said...

Oh well done to her ! I completely know how that waiting feels. It is agonising but if you have thrown your chauffeurs cap over the hedge I would go any fetch it. There will still be taxi runs to do sometimes I can assure you. I do wonder what exactly I am doing with all,that extra time I supposedly have now. Then there is the worry when they drive somewhere different although it's not so bad second time round.

Ladkyis said...

Nooooooooooo! The last time I looked she wasn't even old enough to take her coat off on her own. Where does the time go...
Congratulations to her for passing.I failed my first test way back when I was 17

Susan said...

Oh the worries of parenthood! Congrats to your daughter on this milestone. (And I would have eaten the mini-eggs - chocolate always works for me...)

Karen said...

What a perfect description of a parent's anxiety! Congratulations to the young lady who must be thrilled!

Jennifer Shaw said...

Very exciting. I remember how happy my girlies were when they passed their tests. Love your card too! :)

Ruth said...

Fantastic! Such happy news for her, you and us by association.

Patio Postcards said...

Delightful story & I like the ending for two reasons (1) chocolate mini eggs were eaten (2) your daughter passed her driving test. Hope you had fun at your first Knitting Club meeting.

Alison said...

Congratulation to your girl......and yes, it's a grand thing not to have to be a taxi service!...it does bring another set of worries though! Xx

Jo said...

Woohoo, congratulations to her xx

Lou said...

Fantastic news Sian x well done TSO.

No1 son had his first driving lesson yesterday ... times are a changing!

Sandra said...

Oh that's just amazing, huge huge congratulations to her.

Do you wonder what your parents were doing when you took your test lol. My mum was at work and dad had come off night shift, so was asleep. I saw was as he woke when I came screaming into the house saying I'd passed.

The worlds her oyster now xx

alexa said...

Yay! Please give her my warmest congratulations :). What a great achievement - I didn't learn till I was in my early thirties and remember feeling that it gave me far more freedom than getting my degree ever did! And the agony of waiting and wondering, as a Mum ... I do hope you enjoy your knitting club and looking forward to hearing all about it.

Mitralee said...

Happy happy new driver! So cool! I hope you still had the chocolate eggs...seemed a fitting time for those!

Melissa said...

Yippee - another milestone checked off! So glad it all went well - what a lovely way to record the memory of your waiting! :)

Becky said...

Oh so pleased to hear that she has passed her test! Well done! Love this post :)

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

Oh, well done that girl! My girl had her first driving experience a week ago. Off road (she's not 17 yet) with The Mechanic.

smcl said...

Hooray! End of an era for you. Enjoy your new found freedom I know your DD will be enjoying hers.

Cheri said...

Congrats to both of you on your new state of independence!

scrappyjacky said...

Congrats to her....and love the card.

Missus Wookie said...

Oh congratulations. I recognise and love the card - the stitching is a nice touch :)

Miriam said...

Congratulations! I well remember my boys driving tests yes plural! boys, they think that can do it and then...Anyway we did hang up our taxi sign after he passed. We then bought a calendar to make notes of which day one of our cars was available to us! You write so beautifully Sian. x

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