Tag: Driving

Driving badly

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Tired and shaking. Had a lovely day rehearsing for Middleport next weekend. I needed some decaff coffee and drove up to tescos. Got my shopping. The sun was low as I pulled out of the garage forecourt. There was a car coming but I had time. I swear it sped up and I had to quickly pull out of it’s way…. It was a police car! Blue lights flashing. I pulled over apologising profusely. I was shaking with shock because Parkinsons gets worse when you are stressed. I have no driving offences and the last time I was stopped was for an indicator not working 20 years ago! I will never do that again. The policewoman drove me home while her colleague followed. Now I’m worried I might lose my licence as they have to report it to the DVLA. I feel like a complete idiot… Don’t put yourself at risk. Make sure you have enough time to pull out and don’t forget to give way! Big lesson learnt.

Parking problems.

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I live on a steep street with limited parking outside terraced houses. The parking spaces are for residents only or their visitors. As long as you have a pass you should be OK.

Today started OK, I went out for a couple of hours then came back. I was able to park outside my house. I don’t have a disabled bay because I think you have to pay extra for it? Anyway, then I went to the doctors and then the pharmacy. Off to get some shopping from the supermarket because my fridge was empty. Fine..

But when I got home all the spare spaces were taken. I had to park 50 yards up the hill and carry the shopping and medication down, but I managed.

I decided to see if a space became available later. Yes! I walked up the hill, it was getting dark and I drove up and round a roundabout then back down. But I was followed down the hill by another car, it’s headlights dazzling me. As I got near to the space I realised it was too small. So I drove back up to the space I had been in all afternoon. But I know they would need their space, so I knocked on my neighbours door and asked them to move their car a yard or two so I could fit?

By then I was tired and grouchy. But I went up and down the hill again only to see someone else had slotted in the space! But there, lower down, was a smaller parking place?

I decided to try and park up, but I was on the wrong side of the road, driving into oncoming traffic, so round the corner, round the other roundabout. As I was coming back to my street I saw a friend. She helped me by seeing me back into the tiny space. Well sort of. I’m about two feet away from the pavement and my wing mirror is likely to be knocked off.

If one of the cars moves I’ll try and get a better position.

What fun!

Flower of passion

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We went out this afternoon for a shopping trip because I need new shoes. I managed to drive myself to the shopping village in Trentham. It’s been a month since I have been allowed in the car because of my eye operation. It’s only a couple of miles but it could have been fifty. I felt so anxious, but so pleased to get the skill back. Luckily I was with my sister so felt more confidence.

While I was at the village I saw this lovely passion flower. A good reminder of the day.

Getting obsessed

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I didn’t think I would be, but I guess it’s the old serotonin rush. I came off X because it was getting nasty. There were too many trolls making it a sad place to be.

Then I decided to try threads. I have to say it’s far more pleasant. But I do worry that I’m on the platform too much. I doom scroll for hours. Then I go off on a mahjong marathon. Sometimes it’s more interesting than the television. What I do want is to be given the OK to drive again..

Cat not well.

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My Cat started breathing fast this evening. I’d taken him to the vets yesterday and he was fine. They gave him some meds but I don’t think this is anything to do with this. I think he might have a fur ball. He sounded a bit wheezy before his breathing changed. After about an hour things have settled down and he is sleeping.

I rang the vets office anyway and they said they would call me back. I dare not drive to the emergency vets because of my Parkinsons and cataracts. They are on the other side of the city and I don’t want to put him or me at risk. So I’ll stay up with him and take him down my local vets in the morning.

It’s frightening when you live on your own and things go wrong. If I can’t rely on myself I’m in trouble. Age and the aging process is a pain.

Driving to Plymouth

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Think back on your most memorable road trip.

Can be wet and windy!

In the 1980’s we went to visit a friend from college for the first time. It was a journey we would make every couple of years until  he moved up to the North of England.

We lived in the Midlands and I’d learnt to drive about 6 months before. I was driving a Morris Marina.

We took the M6 then M5 motorways until it ran out and changed to an A road. We stopped off for breakfast at a service station because the journey was about 240 miles. I hadn’t been on a motorway very often and as we came out of the service station  I ended up on the North bound slip road! I did something illegal. I reversed back down the road and then took the South road!

Luckily the route was very simple, we got to Plymouth, and the house we were visiting was a few hundred yards away from the motorway junction. I remember we took bicycles on the roof of the car so the rest of the week was spent cycling to beaches and visiting various interesting places. The trip back was uneventful!

This was pre satnav and we used maps to navigate. To be honest I still use an A to Z if I want to find somewhere. But my driving is restricted to short journeys these days.

Copper sky

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The clouds shone like copper tonight, not red or gold. This is the closest I can get to the colour like in this photo. I’m still looking out for a view of the comet that’s in the evening sky after sunset  when it’s clear, but I haven’t spotted it yet.

I wish I could have taken a photo of the actual sunset but I was driving and my camera was in the handbag on the back seat and I couldn’t find anywhere to stop. I will try and look again tomorrow

Anecdote on wiper blades

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My windscreen wiper motor broke down on the way back from Birmingham once, so we titd a string to one wiper, put it through the driver and passenger windows and tied it to the other wiper, We got cold and wet but at least I could see what was going on. Hubby pulled the string side to side while I drove! We got some peculiar looks on the way home! Especially when we stopped at traffic lights… People were laughing at us!

I remembered this after reading about the woman from America who invented windscreen wipers in the 1890s after seeing a tram driver struggling to see the road through his window in a snowstorm in New York.

Tonic with Rosemary

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I wasn’t driving last night so I had a small gin and lots of tonic. But when the drink came it had a sprig of rosemary in it along with the ice. It was delicious, tasty, refreshing. I had the glass topped up with more tonic water. It was very delicious.

I liked the look of the crystal cut glass so took a photo of it. I don’t take many photos of food and drink but I just liked the image.  I might play around with it in photodirector.