What do you think? Should I be blogging regularly - say, every 3 or 4 days - or just when the mood takes me? The reason I ask is because I haven't been too prolific of late, but I see from my Statcounter thingy that various people seem to check this site daily.
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that nothing too dramatic has been happening recently. A couple of new pupils since I last wrote, one test and no buses ramming me.
The test was disappointing. It was her second attempt and recent lessons had given her much more confidence compared to her first attempt. It is always a good sign when they can drive around and I almost forget they are a learner. However, a momentary lapse in her control during the manoeuvre cost her her test and, with only a handful of driving faults, the examiner actually apologised for the result, saying what a nice drive it had been. That was good for her to hear and I'm pleased that she is being so positive and has immediately rescheduled another test and a series of lessons. Too often pupils become a bit sporadic in their lessons after a fail.
I have begun using alternative routes to get around my area, especially Nairn and Inverness. A sudden explosion in the number of new traffic lights in Nairn, plus the building of a Sainsburys (their first branch within over 100 miles of here) has led to a series of roadworks. I don't usually mind this, but it gives me a good reason for taking the scenic route through Cawdor and Croy. This weekend was worse on the A96 (Inverness - Aberdeen) due to the Scottish Golf open at the new Castle Stuart course, a few miles east of Inverness. A lovely course and it was a shame that it coincided with the worst weather for months - it is not often that a premier golf tournament is disrupted by landslides.
At this precise moment, I am sat on a bench at Ullapool harbour, overlooking Loch Broom, enjoying the early morning sunshine while the village slowly wakes. Just when I thought it couldn't get much better, a pupil who stopped her lessons last summer to go travelling in Asia has just walked up to me and paid me for her last lesson (almost a year ago), as well as arranging more lessons now she is back in the village.
The village may be very tranquil at the moment, but I am sure that will all change over the next 24 hours. Not only is it the weekend of the Hebridean Celtic Festival (with Ullapool being the ferry terminal to get to the Hebrides), but the village has been chosen as a guest port for the
2011 Cruise in Company Tall Ships race .
Ullapool is only a small village, with a population of approx 1,400, and, during the winter, it is an easy place to drive around. That starts to change through the Summer when tourists swell the numbers and driving becomes a little more challenging. But with the number of people expected in the village this weekend I don't think conditions will be conducive to productive driving lessons. Conditions will be much more suited to me and Jane taking the weekend off and enjoying all that the Tall Ships Festival has to offer.
(Later in the day). The last of the day's lessons ended just in time. By the time my last lesson today started, the village was getting quite busy and people were just parking anywhere. Approaching an uphill T-junction, we could see cars parked right on the junction, making it very difficult to see when it was clear to emerge. My pupil, Mairead, is quite competent, but this was a real challenge. She slowed right down, selected 1st gear, brought the clutch back up to the bite, allowing her to very slowly creep up the incline at a speed that allowed her to determine whether or not it was clear - perfect. Some prat in a grey VW was getting stupidly close behind her, so she could not afford to roll back. But when she saw an approaching car she dipped the clutch slightly too much, felt the car beginning to roll back and, instead of braking and securing the car with the handbrake, she tried to find the bite too quickly and stalled. A common scenario. No panic, she just started the car and prepared to move off again. The prat behind then thought it would be helpful to toot his horn. What made him think this would help, I have no idea. Consequently, passers-by and people sat in the garden of a cafe turned to look at us, which did even less to help. Mairead managed the clutch perfectly to complete the emerge, but she was, understandably, a little flustered after that. For those of you who may be unsure, the red 'L'-plates on my car mean that it is being driven by a LEARNER driver. At the end of the day, my car and my actions promote my business, so the best thing was to calmly help Mairead move on from the situation..... despite the fact that the devil on my shoulder was urging me to put the car in reverse, just to see the look on his face.
The Ullapool Tall Ships festival was great fun. Nice to take a few 'proper' days off and, judging by how busy the village got, driving lessons would not have been too productive. The weather forecast was not good, but, although not exactly 'July' weather, it wasn't too bad. Around Friday lunchtime it was actually quite hot and, even when it did drizzle, it did nothing to dampen the festival atmosphere.
Perhaps it was because Loch Broom is so sheltered, but it was a little disappointing that the Tall Ships did not come into Ullapool under sail. I have to admit, I was expecting a few more ships, but the ones that did dock were very impressive. Jane and I enjoyed the hospitality of Sarah and Sandy Mackenzie, in their B&B overlooking the harbour. The first evening Sandy took us out in his boat to take a closer look at the ships. After that he got his fishing rod out and, in complete contrast to my most recent fishing experiences, caught two pollack and a mackerel within just a few minutes. Now that kind of fishing I can understand.
