Done and dusted (kind of)

Well, my first ever driving lesson is now done and dusted.

It actually felt incredibly strange to be sitting in the driving seat after nearly 40 years of car avoidance. Weeeeeiiiird!!

Fortunately my instructor seems like a nice, ordinary, down-to-earth chap (not like the psycho in Happy Go Lucky, thank the lord) and that made it easier. He started off taking me through all the functions of the car, gas pedal, brakes, clutch, hand brake etc. Actually seemed like rather a lot to remember.

And then after all the requisite explanations...

I MADE MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT DRIVING.

O.M.G. I felt SO nervous. How would I handle controlling this great hunk of metal that surrounded me? How would I manage to manoeuvre my way down the road without smashing into something or someone? I suddenly felt so responsible and the weight of it all was upon me...

Gawd. I am sounding like a bona fide drama queen aren't I (something I've NEVER done before...)

Anyway, I put my foot down on the clutch, changed into first gear, foot off the clutch, down on the gas pedal, turned the steering wheel to the right to pull away from the kerb (yes I forgot to indicate but there was nothing behind me, and it was my first time, right...?) then started to accelerate down the road. The steering wheel felt very strange and my instinct was to hold it straight, but this of course doesn't mean that the wheels were straight and I started to veer off to the other side of the road! Yikes! My instructor quickly grabbed the wheel and put me right. I drove a few hundred yards, pulled over to the left and parked...phew.

How strange it all was.

And my next lesson is next week!

I've been driving in my car (it's not quite a jaguar)

O. M. G. Tonight, for the first time ever, I start driving lessons. (And that's O. M. G. as in Oh My God, not Oh M. G. , appropriate though that would be ...)

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Cheeser Confession time:

I have never driven a car in my LIFE.

But I figured (as someone approaching 40) it was high time I learnt. One of the deciding factors for me has been my new job, which geographically is not too far away from where I am living now - well, it's a good number of miles really, but the route by car is actually more direct than that taken by train or bus. Having said that, whilst I'm learning to drive I'll still have to get the train to work... I tried the bus on the day of my interview and it was a nightmare.

Of course I've already been privy to endless stories from various people all bemoaning the high costs of running a car - road tax, insurance, MOTs, parking permits, not to mention the high price of fuel - and how, consequently, it ain't worth it. Mmmm... Still, even if it does all prove rather too costly, I still reckon it's worth getting my licence - a skill they can't take away from you eh??

I do feel a bit nervous about driving on the road though, having never ever tried it. The prospect of being a motorist in London fills me with even more dread, given the often crazy, aggressive nature of some of the drivers and frequent disregard for the Highway code that goes on here. Having said that, I was a cyclist in the Big Smoke for a few years (until I got my bike nicked) something I thought I would never do, and which people often regarded as a brave thing indeed - and I survived that (only one nasty accident once near Kings Cross...) I guess that stood me in good stead. So, fingers, thumbs and all extremities are firmly crossed!

And I have some money sensibly stashed away should I choose to purchase my first car. So... Will it look like this:

Will I be driving a Mini Cooper and feeling super-duper?

Or will it be like this:

Meaning I will have to re-name myself Lady Penelope? (Then again, as attractive as the prospect of being chauffeur-driven is, it kind of defeats the object i.e. it won't be ME doing the driving...)

Or will it look like Sarah Jane's rather funky/retro two-seater that she uses to zip around, solving intergalactic invasions and mysteries? Oooooh, that would be very nice.

Nah. With my budget, my first car is far more likely to look like this:

Quite.

Meanwhile, what have been YOUR driving experiences? When did you first learn to drive? What was it like? Or maybe you can't drive atall and don't give a monkey's??

Wish me luck in my first driving experiences, my lovelies!