Sunshiny days

Non-stop rain seems to have been temporarily replaced by non-stop sunshine. The sky is the bluest of blues, the sun dazzles from above and from the trillion reflections on the water. Everyone is happy, so far, but I'm sure it won't be too long before I hear people complaining that it is 'roastin' and that we need some rain.
My mum is currently on holiday in Portugal. She sent me a text telling me what a lovely time she is having and made a point of telling me how it is hot at 8am. I resisted from replying that it is the same here, in the north of Scotland.
I recently bought a cast-iron grill thing. Over the last few days this has seen continuous use on the barbecue. Char-grilled Sea Bream, Squid with chilli, asparagus, grilled polenta... whatever it is, it all tastes fantastic cooked outside, and with TMS on the radio, the garden in full bloom and not a cloud in the sky, it couldn't possibly be more Summery.
Last week, the change in weather seemed to have disrupted everyone's immune system because I have never known so many of my customers to have colds. I caught one too. My daughter sent me a text recommending various pills I should take. I replied, saying that I had bought 17 satsumas for vitamin C and 4 cans of Guinness for iron. The good thing about Guinness, I added, was that I could put it in a paper cup and my customers would assume it was cappuccino. She was quicker than usual to realise that I was joking.

Seven tests this week. Five passed; so congratulations to Ashleigh, Tom, Jean, Beth and Lewis. The other two surprised me, as I had no doubt about their ability to drive. A bit too much rush rush cost them this time, but I'm sure they'll be fine next time.

It's been very busy of late. The other regular instructor in one of the areas I cover has moved away, so I have inherited lots of new pupils. If I get a pupil who has had lessons with another instructor I never try to 'undo' what they have previously learned, I just try to build on it. However, sometimes I do find certain aspects baffling: One of these new pupils was having a lesson the other day and I asked him to pull over. He checked his mirrors, indicated, then, as he moved towards the curb, messed up his position because he was too busy cancelling his indicator.
"Why did you want to cancel your signal?" I asked.
"Because my (previous) instructor told me not to indicate if there was no-one around."
To be fair to the other instructor, it could have been a misinterpretation of what he had said, but there was clearly a lack of understanding about the use of signals.

There was one sour note to the week: I had a pupil with a test booked last Tuesday. She had been very hard-working and dedicated in her lessons. A couple of weeks ago she cancelled, saying that she couldn't get back from the hospital in time. The next week I had no replies to the two texts I sent. Then, last Friday night, she sent me a text apologising for not replying and explaining that, only a couple of weeks ago, her sister had been diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, her sister died last week. No wonder that driving lessons had been the last thing on her mind. Understandably, she wanted to cancel her test.
It was too late to move the test to a different date without having to pay the fee again. However, I had another pupil, Jean, who had a test booked in June, but who really wanted a test as soon as possible. So I thought I might be able to swap the two tests. That way, the DSA wouldn't have a vacant test slot and it would suit the needs of both my pupils. I called the DSA. They could cancel the Tuesday test and move Jean to that slot, but my other pupil would have to pay her fee again because it was too short notice.
I emailed the DSA. I understand the reasoning behind no refunds for late notice cancellations, but I was hoping for some discretion. After all, I have known pupils who have been not been able to get to the test centre due to snow at their house (although the test centre was clear of snow and still conducting tests), or a bridge being closed (preventing her from getting into Inverness). Those pupils had their tests re-arranged without being charged. But if an immediate family member dies, well, as far as the DSA is concerned, that is just tough.

Texting and driving

Don't do it. It's bad.

I have found a useful little app to handle incoming texts. Called, simply, 'Driving text answering machine'. It uses the GPS on a phone to detect your speed. You can then select a speed - say 10mph - then, if anyone texts you when you are traveling above that speed, e.g. when driving, it will send an automatic text reply explaining that you are driving and cannot immediately reply. You can tailor the reply message to say whatever you want. Very simple, but it takes away the temptation to read the text while driving.
I use a slidey wipey keyboard thing (SlideIT) on my phone. Once you get used to it, it is very fast. But you have to be careful because it doesn't always predict what I am trying to say with 100% accuracy (as you may have noticed in previous posts). I was emailing a pupil about his test. I typed "Contact the DSA to book your test for a date in July." Or at least that is what I thought I had typed.... What was on my screen was "Contact the DSA to book your test for a dare in July."
Not really a message to inspire confidence.

It could be worse though... On my old Nokia, whenever I typed 'Inverness' it would try to correct it to 'Governess'. So I had to be really careful if ever I thought about sending the following text to my wife... "Will be late home. Currently in a very wet Inverness."

Silly season (part 2)

In my temporary absence from here, I have had more pupils passing their test. A bit irrelevant to go into all the details now, but congratulations to Emma, Nicola, Kelly, Jasmine, Jim and Sarah on passing their driving tests during the last few weeks.

In my last post I referred to the 'silly season'. But lack of braincells doesn't just apply to people enjoying themselves on holiday. The other day I was teaching a pupil who needed a bit of improvement on their clutch control. Usually, I start off with full, step-by-step instruction on how to do something. Then, as they improve, we move on to prompted instruction - "At the end of the road, turn right..... What's the first thing you need to do? What speed and gear will you want?, etc." If that goes well, we can progress to independent driving, where I shut up and just watch to make sure they are doing everything they need to be doing.

I have a few pupils whose English isn't perfect. That's ok, because my Dutch, Polish, Slovakian and Bangladeshi isn't great either. So, sometimes in these cases, I skip the prompted instruction. I give them lots of fully-guided instruction then, when I think they are beginning to do things before I ask them, I back off and leave them to it (hopefully).

Anyway, my pupil was struggling with clutch control, so I had planned a route which included some hills leading up to give-way junctions. He found it difficult. There is one particular give-way which is at the top of a steep slope and is a blind junction - you cannot see what is coming until you have already started creeping out into the new road - your clutch control has to be very precise. Quite scary for any driver, let alone a learner. Gradually, with lots of repeated attempts, with full instruction, he was beginning to 'get it'. We were nearing the end of the lesson and I wanted a couple of attempts with no instruction. I wanted him to do it by himself.

As we approached the junction, we overtook a parked driving school car (with just the instructor in the car). I was watching my pupil check his mirrors, indicate, brake progressively........ so far so good..... when I noticed in my mirror the other instructor move off and accelerate towards the back of our car (and the junction). 

I have to say, most other drivers had been very good throughout the lesson and, appreciating the difficulty of the junction, had kept back from us when we were negotiating the manoeuvre. You expect the odd car to approach too quickly, or too closely, but not a driving instructor. I had my feet poised over the dual controls. If my pupil brought the clutch up too much, or too quickly, we risked shooting forward into a road we could see (or stalling). If he didn't bring the clutch up enough, or too slowly, the car would come to a stop and possibly roll back into the car behind us. 

So it was a combination of pride, relief and annoyance that I experienced when my pupil judged the speed and clutch control perfectly and safely emerged from the junction.

I know that the other instructor reads this blog, so I have a question for you: What were you thinking?

Silly season

I know. I'm sorry. I've been busy. What can I say?
Almost a month since my last post. Must try harder.
Often, I'll be driving along, and I'll think of something that I want to write about. Then I'll get busy with lessons or something and I'll forget what it was that was. Other times, I will start typing, save it, then, when I return to finish the post, I'll think 'No, I don't think I'll bother with that.'
So, my May resolution is to get here a bit more regularly. "Little and often" as one of my (pub) customers used to be fond of saying.

As we approach the end of April, I hope I am safe in saying that we were lucky with the weather this winter. We had some snow, but nothing like the previous two years. In fact, there has been fresh snow this week, but, a month ago, we had temperatures up to 23 - 24C. There has been many a day when, in one lesson, we'll have the car windows down and shades on, but in the next, the heater will be on with the windscreen wipers pinging backwards and forwards.
But, whatever the weather, silly season is approaching... sorry, I meant 'tourist season'.

We have these things by the side of the road called 'pavements' (or 'sidewalks' if you prefer). They are usually quite flat and ideal for walking on (unless you live in Xi'an in Northern China  - see video). Then we have these other things, called 'roads', which lie inbetween the pavements, and are useful for driving or cycling on. Sometimes people get confused. Sometimes people cycle on the pavements, sometimes I have the occasional pupil who seems to want to drive on the pavement, and often, pedestrians walk on the roads.

The 2012 tourist season has only just started, but I have already lost count of the number of times we have had to slow down, or stop, because pedestrians are walking in the road (despite there being a perfectly good pavement just a few inches away). Not only that, but it seems that many people are now using cameras without a zoom. Let's take the Fowler Memorial Clock in Ullapool as an example. It is situated on the (nice, safe) pavement, at the Argyle Street/Quay Street crossroads. It is a very nice clock. So nice, that people like take photographs of it. But rather than stand anywhere on the pavement (or even on the other side of the road and use the zoom on their camera), people do seem to like standing in THE MIDDLE OF THE CROSSROADS to take the picture.
Last summer, during a lesson, my pupil was driving along Shore Street, towards the ferry. Ahead, we could see a group of 5-6 people, standing in the middle of a crossroads having a chat. We checked our rear mirror and gradually slowed, waiting for them to step a couple of metres to the side. Nothing. We had now slowed to 2 or 3mph, but trying to keep moving to make our intentions clear. Eventually we had to stop. They had looked at us and resumed their conversation. "What planet are you from?!"  I wanted to yell at them. But we politely smiled and waved as we slowly passed them, once they had finally stepped aside. Ok, Ullapool does not have the same traffic density as say London, Bangkok or even Little Piddleton-in-the-sticks, but motorists (and cyclists) do like to use the roads to get from A to B, and they prefer not to be delayed by photographers or chinwaggers.
Last week, one of my pupils (who hasn't got the best grasp of the English language) was having a lesson. We were approaching a group of three men who, for some reason know only to them, were walking in the middle of the road, when there was an empty pavement next to them. Again, I instructed my pupil to slow down, hold back, and give them time to realise that we were there and step out of the road. They didn't seem to be in any rush to move, so I was just about to suggest that he looked for a safe opportunity to drive around them when BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!! He had given them a long blast on the horn before I could stop him! I have just had my logo put on my car (see photos), so there was absolutely no mistaking who we were. The three men gave us very dirty looks as we drove past and I gave them a very embarrassed wave of apology. I asked my pupil to pull over and tried to explain that, yes, the horn can be used to warn others of our presence, but sometimes we just need to be a little more patient.

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.

Opinions expressed here are not necessarily to everyone's liking.

Why do I write this blog? I'm not really sure. I enjoy it (usually), it gets me thinking about various things, it is an informal way of passing on information and advice (particularly on driving matters), and it is a harmless way for me to let off a little steam occasionally. But it is a personal thing. It is not the definitive word on driving or anything else. It is just my personal slant on odd things that grab my attention. It is not to be taken too seriously.
Consequently, I found it laughable  when a couple of other driving instructors threw their toys out the pram, a couple of years ago, because I bemoaned the over-reliance on reference points. I then found it ridiculous when one of them took it so personally that they paid solicitors to threaten me with legal action unless I removed that particular post, even though it was a general rant rather than a specific (or personal) one.
A similar thing happened this week. Whilst at a test centre, waiting for my pupil, another instructor knocked on my car window.
"Why did you slag off my car in your blog?" he asked (he has a Peugeot 207).
I was quite taken aback by this and denied any such action. A few weeks ago, in a post on this blog about swapping my Clio for the Fiesta, I had briefly discussed various cars I have given instruction in. I only had the Peugeot for a few weeks while my Clio was being repaired after being hit by a bus. I actually liked it, and said so at the time. But, as I wrote in the blog post, and as I repeated to this instructor, my pupils and I were happy to get the Clio back. This is not necessarily a reflection on the Peugeot, we were obviously accustomed to the Clio. In fact one pupil, who had been happy with me for months, had her test approaching and preferred the Clio so much that she swapped to another instructor, who had a Clio. This was her PERSONAL choice. No doubt there are plenty of people who prefer 207s to Clios, and plenty of people who prefer the 207 to the Ford Fiesta. They are perfectly entitled to their own opinion and I wouldn't even think of disagreeing with them.
He asked me to remove the remarks about the 207. My initial thoughts were something along the lines of WTF? But I aim to please and, as he has no doubt ascertained, the 'offending' comments have been removed.
Perhaps that's not enough? Perhaps I should redress the balance with more positive comments about the 207 (not that they were negative in the first place):
It is quite a nice looking car. I like the way the wheels are symmetrically positioned on either side. The fuel cap is conveniently positioned on the side of the car to allow easy filling. The steering wheel is an attractive round shape. The seats support from both below and behind. There is a convenient little slot to the right of the steering wheel to hang your car keys. And it comes in some lovely colours.
Strangely, I am far more positive about Peugeots than I am about Manchester Utd, the Conservative party or the pondscum who tailgate my pupils, but I have never had anyone asking me to remove my comments about those.
I guess he felt that prospective customers might read my blog and be so influenced that they would be swayed away from him. (Scratches head), Silly me, I thought potential pupils would be more interested in the quality of instruction, rather than the car, but what do I know?

Simple pleasures and sandstorms

Ulysse Speedo app

SpeedView app

It's the little things that please me. I finally have a car with DAB radio. This morning, after Beth's lesson, I started fiddling with it to ensure that I could get BBC 6 Music and I was rewarded with the station playing 'Run run run' by The Velvet Underground. As I said, it's little things like that which make me happy.
Slowly, but surely, I am tinkering with my car to get it set up exactly how I want it. No, I'm not talking about suspension or anything technical like that, I'm talking about linking my phone to the entertainment system via bluetooth and having it secured in a convenient position. Now I can switch from BBC 6 Music to my MP3 library to answering phone calls by voice command to listening to audiobooks stored on my phone. Another little thing that pleases me is how Google Maps displays a photo of the building as I near my destination - very useful when going to my first lesson with a new pupil. All clever stuff.
One thing about the Fiesta is that it is impossible to see the left side of the speedo from the passenger side. It reminds me of when my dad had a Cortina MkIII, which had dashboard dials so deeply recessed that they must have been almost in the engine. I can usually sense how fast my pupil is driving, but it is nice to know exactly. After all, too slow is almost as much a problem as too fast. You can spend money on independent HUD (Head up display) units, which project the car's speed on the windscreen, and most SatNavs will tell you the speed, but in small digits. So I speculatively searched for 'speedo' (nothing to do with swimming trunks) in the Android app store and found a couple of really good GPS speedo apps.
The first one I tried was Ulysse speedometer. This looks great and has lots of options.
The second one I tried was Speedview. It looks quite boring in comparison, but is easy to read and, although I can't quite put my finger on the reason why, I prefer it to Ulysse. The displays on both are clear and easy to read, but both have HUD options.
Sadly, it's not all fun and games. Last year was a bumper year as far as driving test results were concerned: I had a 75% pass rate in Ullapool and a 77% pass rate in Inverness; not quite as good in Elgin, but very happy on the whole (I almost forgot, 100% in Alness - but that was just one test). I would have been on big bonuses if I had still been with BSM (do BSM still have pass rate bonuses?). Anyway, this year's pass rate took a knock yesterday. Two tests, two fails...
The first one was just careless: He was on a 60mph road with a T-junction ahead and the examiner faulted him for his approach speed. "But the examiner didn't say which way we were going," he protested to me afterwards.
"All the more reason for bringing your speed down in plenty of time?" I suggested.
The second test was bizarre. While parts of England suffer drought conditions and hosepipe bans, it is an understatement to say that we have not had the same conditions up here. In fact, while we have been thankfully spared the snow that recent winters have brought, it has been rather wet. So much so, that Loch Glascarnoch has been so full that the dam at Aultguish has sometimes overflowed. However, yesterday, my pupil and I would have killed for a few more spots of rain....
A combination of dry weather and strong winds meant that the topsoil was becoming quite dusty. During her test, on the same 60mph road that my earlier pupil had failed on, the wind whipped the sand and dust into clouds that swirled across the fields and roads. Unfortunately she just got a but ahead of herself and, instead of braking first, she wasted valuable time considering whether or not to put the fog lights on and the examiner judged that she had been going too fast for the conditions.
Later, when I got home, Jane asked about my day and I told her about my pupil's tests.
"Did you not teach her about driving in sandstorms?" she asked.
Silly me, it must have slipped my mind.