Room for improvement (but not much)

10.00am: A bright, sunny morning and Ullapool is a patriotic palette of red tulips, whitewashed cottages and blue sky, with a variety of blossom-filled trees lining the roads. Only three pupils out on test today, so my chances of a 100% pass rate are better than usual.

Maggie is already out, on her 9.37am test. This is her third attempt and, if she can conquer her nerves, she could pass easily. She just finds the artificial aspect of tests (and even her early lessons) intimidating. A few weeks back I simply asked her to drive around Ullapool, going wherever she wanted to go. I suggested that she drive from her house to work, stop off at a shop and just drive as though I wasn’t there. She drove perfectly and I could not fault a single aspect of the drive. So we know she can do it, she just needs to forget that she has someone sitting next to her.

11.03am: Fantastic! Maggie was still shaking at the start of her test, but she passed with only 1 minor fault. Very pleased for her as she decided, early on, that, having started on her course, she was going to see it through until she passed. It’s surprising, but not every pupil is like that.

 James is currently out on his 10.44am test, his first attempt. He was with me when I was waiting for Maggie to complete her test, so he knew how well she had done. “No pressure James, but you have to beat Maggie’s result.” I suggested.

1.52pm: Alas, James could not better Maggie’s result (who could?), but he came very close, passing with just 2 minor faults. Surprisingly, they were both for just holding back slightly when it was safe to go up towards the speed limit. But that is a big effort on his part because early lessons involved a lot of me trying to slow him down.

I am trying to rush a smoked mackerel and beetroot salad and an espresso at The Ceilidh Place. Shame, because it is too good to rush, but Franci is currently out on her first attempt and will be finishing soon. High hopes that Franci will complete a clean sweep for me because, since she concentrated on her use of mirrors, it has been hard to fault her driving; I could almost nod off and have a crafty sleep during her lessons.

8.40pm: Finally, after three tests and six lessons, I am done for the day. Franci could not beat Maggie’s result either, but she matched it, passing with one single minor fault (not indicating to move off when there was a car ahead approaching). Absolutely fantastic drives from all three pupils and I finally have my clean sweep at an Ullapool test day. Ok, it was only three tests, but still 100%. James’ mum was asking me if I get nervous waiting for my pupils to return from their tests. I do; it doesn’t matter how good I think their driving is, there is always the possibility that they will make a silly mistake and I will have to gee them up and get them thinking about their next attempt. Today, I was as sure as it is possible to be that all three would pass, but Maggie, James and Franci excelled themselves and I am extremely proud of them.

It’s going to be hard to better today’s tests next month, but I will certainly try.

Whistling with a shoe full of slush*

March 1st already. The year has really got a gallop on.
Yesterday, I was in Ullapool with an half hour gap between lessons. It was such a beautiful day I fancied sitting outside The Ceilidh Place and enjoying a coffee while I read a book for twenty minutes. As I pulled up opposite, Robbie and Murdo, who live a couple of doors down, were sat outside their house with coffee and invited me to join them. We sat there, in short-sleeves, chatting and exchanging pleasantries with passers-by while the sun beat down on us, bouncing off the whitewashed houses and turning Loch Broom a pearlescent blue. If I had not been driving, a jug of Margarita or Singapore Sling would have made it perfect, but the coffee was fine. It was hard to believe that it was still only February.
Later that afternoon, I drove home over the Diridh and through Inverness. I had Saint Etienne on the CD player, but The Byrds or Teenage Fanclub would have been just as suitable. Something was different. Everyone seemed to be driving at a constant speed, keeping generous gaps and not overtaking, even on the A9. In Inverness I witnessed the strange phenomenon of cars indicating correctly and being courteous to each other. No-one seemed to be in a rush and it made the drive a real pleasure. What was happening? Either everyone was on happy pills, or they were all listening to Saint Etienne, or the hint of Spring had mellowed everyone.

Heston Blumenthal gives his diners an MP3 player with headphones with certain dishes. For example, while eating a seafood dish, they may hear sounds of the seashore, or the sound of a distant lawnmower with a summer salad. He also has waiting staff who may squirt a complementary (and complimentary, I would hope) scent (freshly-cut grass with the salad, for example) to further enhance the whole sensory experience. Could this multi-sensory experience be applied to driving?
With the warmth of the sun on my face, Foxbase Alpha on the CD and the pure air of the Highlands coming through the open window, I could not help but feel blissed-out as I drove home yesterday. With my first lesson this morning, his driving was making me feel slightly less relaxed. He was putting too much priority on changing down the gears and not enough on using the brakes to bring the speed down. It is a common fault and I explained how coming off the accelerator earlier and braking progessively would give a smoother, more controlled approach to the junctions/hazards. It took a while, but he finally cracked it and we enjoyed a much more relaxed second hour of the lesson.
It crossed my mind to 'do a Blumenthal' and play soothing background music and light some joss-sticks as an experiment to enhance and encourage my pupil's more chilled approach to driving. But I was out of joss-sticks.

(* - "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson)