Mum's the word.

After the temporary (I hope) blip with those two tests on the previous Tuesday, normal service was resumed the following day (and not even a hint of sandstorms).

Kerry was taking her test - her first attempt - and Inverness was enjoying beautiful blue sky and very pleasant temperatures. Although you can never be absolutely certain, I am always confident that my pupils should pass, I wouldn't be letting them take their test otherwise. With Kerry I just knew. The hour lesson before was so comfortable, perfect weather, windows open and a relaxing drive - I even had the radio on quietly, something I do very rarely in lessons.
Kerry obviously kept the standard up during her test, passing with just a couple of driver errors. Very proud of you Kerry.
Kerry had held firm against pressure from her friends who had been badgering her to reveal the date of her test. I would always recommend this course of action, it takes some of the pressure off. However, as soon as she passed, she couldn't wait to tell her friends and family by phone and Facebook.

Tuesday brought another test. When one of my pupil passes I usually add to their congratulation messages on Facebook and I often mention it on this blog. They passed easily but, afterwards, they asked me if I could not mention it on Facebook.
"Of course." I replied, and I assume they don't want me to mention their name here either. I didn't ask why, but I would never ignore such a request.
I was curious though. Had they been offered a job as Getaway driver for a gang of Bank robbers? Or maybe they were worried that all their friends were going to pester them for lifts? Possibly they just wanted to keep it secret for a few days before surprising someone. Over the years I have had several customers who have taken their lessons in secret, so that they could surprise their husband/girlfriend/parents etc when they passed.
A couple of years ago another driving instructor, Daniel, who also has a blog, asked how my customers/ pupils felt about being named. I have to confess, I had mentioned pupils by name many times, even when it was not always congratulatory, and had perhaps not given it as much thought as I should have. After Daniel's query I reconsidered mentioning people unless it is complimentary or I know they are happy about it (or even request it).

No such thing as Facebook, or even texting, when I passed my driving test. And, although I don't remember going around telling loads of people, I was keen to tell my family and friends.
The very next day I had more tests, this time in Ullapool. Congratulations to Oonagh White and Sandy Urquhart - two excellent passes, with just five driver errors between them. Within the hour they had posted on Facebook, saying how pleased and excited they were to have passed
I have never forgotten my reaction to passing my test, and I see that same reaction (sometimes even more excited) on almost every pupil when they pass their test. If I was 17 and having to go through it all again I am sure I would be straight onto Facebook after passing (or maybe after a cheeky solo drive first), but I'll always respect anyone's request for privacy.

The devils of advertising and the existence of God.

Are we being lulled into a false sense of springtime? Up here in the Highlands the temperature has recently had maximum temperatures of 8-10C (and I mean PLUS 8-10) the last few days, with an extra bonus of some generous sunshine. It feels odd not having the car heater on and walking without a jacket. I've probably jinxed it now..... the third week in january is far too early to start getting optimistic about the weather.

I seem to have been bombarded by telesales of late. barely a day goes by without some company offering me 'exclusive' advertising, or priority listings, on Google, Yell or Facebook. Usually when they call it is at an inconvenient time, so I interrupt them before they launch into their interminable spiel and I end the call. Today, they timed it perfectly, just as I had finished the lesson and had an hour's gap before the next; so I decided to listen to what they had to say. After fifteen minutes they finally got around to asking me to commit. I politely said that it was an interesting idea (bad move), but I wasn't interested at this time. Strangely, as he became more desperate, offering better deals and dropping the price, I began to get a perverse please from his desperation. After nearly nearly forty minutes I had to put him out of his misery by telling him that I was going to end the call so that I could get to my next lesson.

It is rare to have the luxury of having time to take these calls. It reminded me of when I was a student at the University of Birmingham, living in the Selly Park area. Jehovah's Witnesses were regular callers and, like most people, I would answer the door, say "No thank you", and shut the door. One day - I must have been in a Christian mood - I listened while they went on about The Creation and, being a geology student, I began to question them about the age of the Earth. The more they struggled to answer my questions about the consistency of isotope dating, the time required for light to reach us from distant galaxies, helioseismic dating and the fossil record proving that the Earth (and the universe) is likely to be in excess of four billion years old (the universe considerably more), the more I enjoyed their visit. I would later enjoy further visits from Jehovah's Witnesses when I grilled them about the morality of refusing blood transfusions and the existence of God in a world of genocide and natural disasters. They probably walked away from my door muttering "bloody students".

Like most people, I find my time increasingly precious. So, if you want to sell me something, whether it is advertising, religion, or something else I don't want, I hope you have plenty of time........ because I might be in the mood to waste it.