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October 03 out and aboutWhere did the past month go ! I never seem to get around to doing anything online these days and when I do msn will not let me post the comments I write on some spaces .whilst I have been absent on here I have had more time for driving though :-) I can now manage to drive in the dark without being scared witless .After several drives to Beverley and Bridlington in the evenings and back in the dark I am much more confident and can mostly keep up with the traffic speeds expected . Also .I went to Kingswood retail park on my own, on Saturday, for the first time and enjoyed looking around the shops I wanted to view and without interruption ,well apart from 'himself' ringing to ask where I was ,was I alright ..meaning was the car ok ....this happens most times I take the car .It should be me doing the checking, as all the scratches & bumps have been his doing so far !
For anyone thinking of learning to drive ,especially around my age ,I say 'go for it' as I love every minute I spend driving ..even in the dark :-D
I have also visited Hull,by train,to view the new St Stephens shopping centre and the changes to th rail and bus/coach travel system.There are a few of the stores open and the bulders are still around finising the project ,even so it is a better entrance to Hull for travellers than previously ...a shame that most of the shops were already in Hull and have vacated their high street positions leaving more empty shops :-( I did take photos ,though it was not easy as the traffic through Hull is always heavy during the daytime .
Jude 1 vv 1 & 2
"To all who are chosen and loved by God the Father and are kept safe by Jesus Christ. I pray that God will greatly bless you with kindness, peace, and love! "
sandra
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 blogged details on the project for anyone interested in knowing :-
St Stephen's
St Stephen's is the biggest, most ambitious city centre redevelopment in Hull. The project will generate over 2,500 permanent jobs and transform Hull city centre. The 40-acre St Stephen’s development comprises:
The most striking feature of St Stephen's shopping and leisure complex will be its dramatic, glazed canopy roof structure. It will span the length and breadth of the curved 'street', which will be as wide as London's Oxford Street. The roof extends through the development, providing natural daylight and, at night, an impressive illuminated landmark. The 'street' will remain open to the public 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Facts and figures
More information *
Jude 1 vv 1 & 2
"To all who are chosen and loved by God the Father and are kept safe by Jesus Christ. I pray that God will greatly bless you with kindness, peace, and love! "
sandra February 11 Driving around East yorkshireI thought it was time to let you all know that I do actually get to drive the car now I have my licence !
Though with the dark evenings and the cold weather we are having I do not want to go far from home .I got'himself' to bring the car home on Tuesday morning and I took him back to work (only a few minutes drive )so I could take the car and shop around Beverley http://www.chromavision.co.uk/yt/bev.htm which is about 12 miles away ...I know it isn't far but I hadn't driven there on my own before so i wanted to do it ! ...I managed to get parked in a free car park & had a good few hours looking around the town , then I intended going to the 'out of town'Morrison's store to do some shopping ...I say intended as I, somehow,missed the turning and ended up on the dual carriageway to Hull ,the next town (about 25 miles from Driffield ) You are probably now wondering if I should be out alone and how I can get ' lost 'so close to home ..lol..
As I hadn't 'done' the dual (ok Gavin ! )carriageway alone either that was another first :-) As I was pulling into a layby and wondering what to do my phone rang & it was Gavin and he gave me directions ...next time I will make sure there is a road atlas in the car before I set out .
If I hadn't had to meet Jeff from work I would have carried on & enjoyed the faster road :-) and shopped in 'Kingswood reatail park ' near Hull . This year Hull and East Riding are remembering William Wilberforce & celebrating 200 years of the abolition of slavery http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=221,91395&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
'Churches together in Driffield 'are studying 'slavery 'as a part of our usual course of Lent meetings .
As there is still slavery in parts of the world ,including young children working ,this should concern us all .
I hope you find the links interesting ,we do live in an area with lots of History ...but I suppose we take it for granted when we have always lived here .I have yet to visit some of the museums in Hull , maybe this year I will get around to it !
UPDATE .....Tuesday 13th february
I managed to 'find' the Morrison's store today !!!!
December 07 back home & driving soloI am back home now and,praise God,in good health ! I went out last night for the first drive without Gavin by my side .I was rather nervous when first setting out ,but soon relaxed and enjoyed the short drive to Gavin & Sonia's house at the other side of town.I had to go and tell Gavin that I had got around to driving alone after all the hard work he had put in teaching and encouraging me ! When I got home Jeff was looking worried ,so I asked him had Fergus woken ...he said "no ,you were a long time ".....yes well ,all of 40 minutes I would estimate :-) Still not sure if it was me or the car he was mostly concerned about ,it seemed wiser not to ask ...lol ..Considering Jeff didn't want to change to an automatic, and wouldn't have chosen that particular car, he sure has become attached to it .
computer still playing up :-( November 23 Driving test :-)I PASSED ...yes ...PASSED !
Those of you who have 'been with me 'through the 4 practical driving tests I have taken are no doubt sighing with relief :-)
so thanks for staying with me on it everyone ...you sure liked to suffer with me ..lol
we're going out for a meal to celebrate ...I will post more later .
blessings
sandra
here I am again ,the test day got off to a bad start with me waking early and feeling sick and ill .
Then while cleaning my varifocals a lens fell out ....what else could go wrong ...well... ,we had to go and buy aspirin as my head was throbbing by late morning and then there was no parking space near the test centre so I had to drive around the block to find one and by then felt so sick I had to go into a cafe at the last minute and ask to use the toilet ,promising I would return later for a coffee !.We got into the centre with only a couple of minutes to test time ...phew .On the way to the car I took out my clip on sun shades and they fell apart ...grrr was my first reaction then I sent up another prayer ,and remembered the ones I had given Jeff so Gavin went ahead of me and the 'test man 'and found them in the glove compartment :-) So the test started ,my head was banging and my stomach felt hollow ,because I hqd felt too sick to eat , got off okay no foot slipping this time !
All was going well and then I took a wrong turn :-( The man calmly said something like "take the next right turn please and we will go back onto the test route " so I did and then carried on wondering what on earth I was doing thinking I could ever pass the test. Well I had the worst drive ever ,made a mess of backing around a corner but eventually did it , hesitated several times etc ...then we got back to the centre and he asked me to park in a bay ...not one of my best manouvres ,but he actually only wanted me to go forwards into it not back in ...my God is so good !
that I can do ..lol Then he told me I had passed I must have looked stunned as he said OK I will de-brief you and sort out how you would like to get your full licence ..so I thought 'he did say I had passed ' sending up a prayer of thanks I tried to listen to what he was saying to me and signed for the certificate ...it was all over ! I REALLY HAD PASSED !
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saturday 25th
We did go out and celebrate but I felt so ill that I couldn't really enjoy the food ,I had missed the early symptoms of a UTI and now have an infection in my left kidney .Thanks for all the lovely comments and congratulations ,you have all been so good to see me through this 'testing 'time ..lol
thanks for the pic Moni
August 07 only one week to go !Well all of you who have encouraged and prayed me through the driving lessons and theory test ...just one week to my road test ! Gavin is coming for me soon to go around Bridlington (where I will take the test )at lunchtime .As the actual test is on Monday 14th August at 13.03 ,exact time given :-) we decided to check out the traffic at that time of day several days this week .I can now do the required manoeuvres....parallel park ..turn in the road ....back around a corner etc and of course an emergency stop,During the week I will be adding bits to this post as and when I have the time .
Monday.....driving around the Bridlington estates ,,just going past a parked bus when I notice the driver signal & start to move off ...panic ! hope that doesn't happen next Monday. Tuesday .....practiced 'manoeuvres' around Driffield streets ,lots of people looking out of windows and watching me parallel park ...wonder if they are worried about their cars :-) Wednesday ....todays lesson didn't go too well ,probably because I was too tired to concentrate ! Thursday ...much better today ,back on track ..praising The Lord & thanking Him for a good sleep last night !We had a different audience today ..two dogs stood behind a house gate and watched me do a turn in the road ,they looked so cute ....as I turned and was level with 'their gate' they both lay down as if satisfied with the performance :-) One thing we did notice was that several people on the street where I practice 'turns in the road ' have 'for sale'signs in their gardens ...mmm...did I cause a mass move ....lol Thankyou Gavin for being so patient and giving up all your spare time :-) even after you said "you had better pass on Monday 'cos I am getting sick of spending so much time with you " lovely son of mine !
Friday ....well, this morning I had a lesson with Steve a driving instructor who is a fellow church member .I drove to Bridlington and went around a test route with him and spent about 2 hours being 'examined'to find any faults Gavin may have missed ...Pleased to report that Steve was very satisfied with the standard of my driving and said he 'felt safe and that Gavin should consider being a driving instructor as he had taught me to drive safely and well to a pass standard'.....I knew the teaching had been good ,what I was bothered about was me being nervous and making some silly mistake ....but I did okay...even on the dreaded roundabout :-) .....praise God ! and with the time we have over the weekend the roundabout nightmares will be in the past ....lol Saturday....spent nearly 2 hours in and around Bridlington again this afternoon,we must have covered most of the test routes by now .There were lots of badly parked vehicles all over town which makes driving more of a challenge ,with the holiday season at it's height I suppose this is to be expected really.Only one more practice lesson left now :-0 Sunday afternoon....just got back from driving ,it rained nearly all the time we were out ! Of course we had the usual brave idiot walk into the road in front of me ...thing is he looked first, must have seen the L plate, and still walked ! Then on the way home someone cut across the lane on a roundabout,(not the dreaded one ) ...I thought it was me in the wrong lane ...but Gavin assured me I was right :-) see I can 'do' some roundabouts ! Gavin has asked me some vehicle safety checks ,as the examiner asks two of these questions before the driving part of the test.Mostly they were covered by the theory test revision and are common sense ....so I hope this part is going to be straight forward ! Everything went to plan today and with God on my side and everyones encouragement I am feeling okay about the test tomorrow....Gavin just said he wants me to pass with no mistakes ,so no pressure there ....lol ...I had better do as he says. Tomorrow we are setting off at 11 am to go to the test centre ,so there will be time for last minute panics from me when we get there ..only joking Gavin. so everyone 'that is it for now' You are all invited to our back garden for afternoon tea , you may need umbrellas and raincoats with you though :-) Bad news folks ... I failed within 5 mins of starting for turning left instead of right .which would have been okay if I had just carried on and done that....but I tried to change to right & made a mess of the corner!.... I asked if I had failed & the lady examiner said yes...because of the 'messy steering' which was classed as a dangerous fault ...but I could still carry on...so I did & got 9 minor faults(you can have 16 of those faults and still pass)I have re-booked for september 29th and will try to get a 'cancellation' date before that if possible.
I am annoyed with myself,but will get over it :-) s .
.....by the way ,I do not regret telling everyone the date for the test as I really value your prayers & support,
only thing is I need it all over again next time ...lol
*blessings*
sandra
July 27 Learning is fun !See this roundabout ,it is the content of my dreams ..or nearly nightmares!
I know there is nothing scary about it ,but my mind will not follow Gavin's instructions to get off at the required exit :-(
My plan is to take a photo from each side of it so I can master it and stop dreaming about it ...sad or what ..lol
Gavin is sitting laughing at me
taking the photo !
tuesday evening ...
I drove up the coast to Flamborough,yes I managed to find the correct exit ,I've realised it helps if I look at the sign :-)
(it would be even easier if the road markings hadn't worn off in some places ! )
The plan was to meet Tom and Joan (from 'spaces' )I parked in the Viking pub car park and went to find them ,wondering if we would recognise one another ...no need to worry as there they were sitting by the window.Tom looked as if he was in a little world of his own (did I say he was from space or spaces ...lol) and didn't see me until I spoke to him ! After getting over the amazement that we were actually meeting people from 'spaces ',and Gavin eventually joining us, we all enjoyed a drink and had a good talk about some of you on here ....so if your ears were burning you now know why :-) For some reason Tom was looking for a Nun ! best not to go into detail as he is already worried about what I am going to write on here ....wonder why ...ha ha...he really is just the person he is online ..a perfect gentleman :-)
We decided it would be great if more of us could meet up together ..maybe a 'spaces convention ' at Flamborough ....lol.
I am posting some of the photos.that Gavin took and keeping some back for when Tom is famous so that I can sell them to the tabloids !!!
first 2 pics are Tom & me taken by Gavin
and I took the other of Tom & Joan July 13 The test routesI am still learning to drive ...
we are working towards my driving test on 14th August by going around the test routes in Bridlington .I have not had the 'best week 'for driving....wherever we go there is always someone willing to step out in front of the car ..tonight some kids stepped out ..then stopped ..then walked in front of the car ...do they want to die or just test my driving skills !
It really scares me but at least I am getting to practice real emergency stops ,I will be dissappointed if I do not get one in my test.
The left/right problem is solved as long as I concentrate ,it is getting the correct exits at roundabouts...and reading road markings ,sorry Gavin for not paying attention :-)
I am enjoying driving ,which surprises me as I didn't expect to ...I just wanted to drive .When I pass the test I will have to make sure I drive to somewhere new regularly as I know so many people of my age who limit their driving for fear of driving new routes ...says she now !
If I do not pass it will be my own fault as Gavin is working hard teaching me & giving up his time so I can get enough practice .
June 22 just driving !I think passing the theory part of my driving test first time has given me more hope of passing the practical test,however I haven't booked a date yet and am not sure if I will be posting it on here when I do ...cowardly I know ,maybe I will change my mind after more practice.
Tonight I drove to Bridlington & then on to Flamborough ,which is further up the coast I must say that the roads around there are not the sort I like to drive on ...lots of narrow roads with tight bends ...
Give me the open roads every time ..lol
Gavin insists I keep to the given speeds when safe to do so, sometimes I think he has more confidence in my abilities than I have, he is so good at giving instructions and I am getting better at following them... erm..well most of the time anyway !
Going around some bends I am amazed the car keeps to the road ,I know that to pass the driving test I will have to drive safely and confidently at all the required speeds so I will have to get on with it and trust Gavin,
as well as God, to keep me safe.
The photo.was taken tonight near Tom's favourite Flamborough public house,
and yes it is me in the drivers seat !
June 17 theory testI PASSED... I PASSED...
Today I sat the driving theory test and passed !
I scored 34 out of 35 for the multiple choice ...
(30 is pass mark)
and 61 out of 75 for the hazard perception...
(44 is pass mark)
For those who do not live in England ...this is a 2 part exam that has to be passed before taking the road test,
part 1 is 35 multiple choice questions on the highway code & part 2 is 14 video clips containing road hazards to test perception & judgement .
I am so pleased with myself ,just the practical to face next...lol
thanks to all of you who have prayed for me & encouraged me
I really appreciate it .
June 13 parking !The weather here yesterday was awful ..well almost awesome .
We had thunder & lightening and torrential rain during the afternoon and evening.
Usually our weather is just cold & wet, yesterday was something else .The road outside our house was resurfaced during all this ,I took some photos. of the empty road & wished I could have had a go at parking whist there was a space lol.
Speaking of parking ,I did parallel park last evening ...with a lot of help from Gavin, I managed to park right outside our house.As the weather had been so bad and we were later setting out we stayed around Driffield .The heavens really opened when I was doing 60mph on the bypass,now that was scary..and I used to think lorries coming towards me on the other side of the road was bad ..but torrential rain at that speed was the real thing !
Leaving the bypass at the next roundabout we went around the estates and I practiced going through water at the sides of the roads ..there was lots of water everywhere.Now I know I can handle the car in wet weather..(.nervous lol )After another heavy rain shower we had a coffee and went to the local swimming pool/school car park & I had a go at backing into a marked parking bay... 'had a go' being the right description of what I managed ,but it was fun trying & after several attempts the car was in a bay
Good news too,the left/right thing is resolving itself....
thanks again for all the encouragement and tips ..keep 'em coming .
May 27 Quick ReactionsOn Thursday evening it was actually sunny,so we set off with me driving to Bridlington again.The roads were quite busy ,but mainly coming from the coast ,so I was enjoying a reasonably clear drive ....until we saw something holding up the traffic on our side of the road ,a tractor !Well as I have not "overtaken "yet it was a bit nerve wracking,just seeing it was enough for me to send up a quick prayer .God was good to me & the tractor turned left,much to my & probably Gavin's relief .The relief was brief as I noticed a huge lorry in front of us in the distance,as we know there are gas pipes being laid I slowed down hoping it would be going there .It was ,it turned off the road where the work men had part of the road blocked .All was well & Gavin was giving me instructions to accelerate as our side was clear & traffic was being stopped from the opposite direction ....THEN a man stepped into the road with his arm up to stop me ..well all I will say is ... we know I can stop in an emergency !!! then he must have seen the Learner plate & let me drive through,my reactions were well tested though ..phew .. but I didn't panic,and it wasn't my fault.
The rest of the evening went well ...er.. mostly anyway .
apart from a bad corner manouvre,which Gavin had me repeat by going around the block until I did it perfectly
May 23 Driving in the rain !Driving in the rain !
As our weather was so wet at the weekend ,it was a driving lesson in the rain or no practice !
I really need all the practice I can get ,so off we went at around 3 pm.
For the first time ever ,I started from our road ,(Gavin usually gets the car out of our road as it is crowded with badly parked cars! )From there it was onto the bypass & to Bridlington (15-20 minutes away on main road) & Sewerby,I had thought the rain would make me nervous but I was ok.Whilst on the straight part of the bypass it is easy for me to keep to 60 mph...
but when we get to roads with hills & corners I am not so keen & want to slow down too much .
Maybe I should to be a racing driver ..lol
As I had never driven around the Sewerby area I did make a nervous left /right mistake.I was looking for "the next suitable road on the left" when Gavin calmly said "seeing as you missed that LEFT turn we will take the next LEFT "
Yes I was looking to the right !
I really enjoyed the 2 hours driving, but I did chicken out of trying to park outside our house so Gavin did it ...
maybe next time !
Thanks again for all the tips & encouragement you give me
May 08 Learner !I am still having driving lessons...
Things are going quite well ,most of the time.
Sometimes I get left & right mixed up,which is not good when you are at a roundabout!
I have always had this "left /right thing" and as long as I really concentrate when driving it is ok...
Tonight (for the first time in ages )I got it wrong & signalled right instead of left but I did keep left !!!
Corners !
There are a couple of corners that I never seem to get quite right so I usually have to drive around the block until they are perfect...well that is not too bad unless there is someone I know standing on the corner watching me go round & round, this happened on Friday,on the 3rd go I HAD to get it right ,thankfully I did !
Lorries!
I am not scared of lorries coming towards us on the bypass now so manage to keep the right position on the road ....
most of the time.
Parking!
I can manage to get the car in & out of a parking bay ..
we haven't tried in a busy car park yet though .
Turning in the road
I can usually turn round in the road ok.... backed onto a grass verge with one wheel tonight though!
Poor Gavin ,is very patient & just keeps repeating the instructions .
Tonight after I signalled wrong he said "if we are still alive at the next roundabout take the first exit on the right"...or maybe it was left !
, April 11 All good practice! I have had a few more driving lessons since I was "let out on the roads".Everything has been going ok ,no accidents or anything worth a mention really.
Last evening however is worth a "bit of space"so to speak!
Well we set off ok and did some driving around the estates near Gavin's house and then went for a short trip on the bypass & back into Driffield with the intention of doing some more practice & then for me to drive to Morrisons supermarket to do some shopping .As I made a second attempt at backing round a corner steam started coming out from under the car bonnet, lots of steam...
As we evacuated the car we noticed two large wet patches on the road ,and wondered what had happened.
On opening the bonnet we saw that the coolant container was empty and looked as if it had blown,there was pink watery fluid all over everything ,which was causing the steam.
So we decided it was "green flag "time!
Gavin rang the rescue number and we were taken home in a huge truck.....from the other side of town (just over a mile) with the car loaded onto the back.
So I've even had practice in calling out the "rescue"!
I am pleased to say it was the cap on the container,it was not on tight(mystery)& pressure had built up causing it to spurt out,leaving the cap in place.The cap looked ok to us but that was the mechanic's explanation.
The best thing is ....it was NOT my fault!! and we have green flag membership ,so there was no charge !
April 04 Driving lessonsWell ,Gavin let me out on the "real"roads at the weekend!
Then last evening I went driving on the bypass and actually went at 60 mph.and I enjoyed every minute of it !!!!!
Driving is something I never thought I would enjoy ....
but I really like it.
To get to my age and have no idea how you start a car ,never mind drive it ,and then actually to drive on the open roads is just such an achievement for me.
For people who have been drivers for years this probably sounds stupid...I don't care how daft I sound ,I am so pleased I am doing it at last. March 23 Automatic....In 2003 I got a provisional driving licence and had a few lessons,I found it hard work changing gears and what with that and other "obstacles"like major surgery later that year and having eye trouble last year I didn't really get"far" ha ha
Since changing our car last month to an automatic I have had several lessons.It is so much easier to drive and I really like it....surprised everyone with that !
My aim is to be ready to take my test by February next year,as that is when the extended warranty on my electric scooter runs out.As I said before Gavin (my youngest son) is teaching me,and very patient,and brave,he is too! He taught his cousin to drive and he passed ok ..
so heres hoping .
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