Flap Attack.

 Yesterday in between work and dinner me and dad went down to feed Norman's cats. This I was pleased about until he told me to grab my L plates and said I could drive him! I must confess to getting in a bit of a panic at the thought. 

Anyway I needn't have worried as I did okay apart from when a car was coming towards me - it's okay, I didn't pile into it or anything. I just got in a bit of a flap because the lane is only one vehicle wide, so someone always has to give way and make room. This woman drove straight past a passing place and then drove right up to me and then just sat there in the middle of the road. Dad was gesticulating to her to reverse back to the passing place and she was doing the same back to him and I was sitting there wondering if now was a good time to bail out and do  a runner. I couldn't even pull on to the grass verge at this point as there was a hedge on one side and ditch on the other. In the end dad said I would need to reverse as it was obvious the woman was incapable. I guess I should have been pleased that he thought that I was capable but I was to busy fighting off a panic attack to register his confidence on me. I'm not sure why I panicked as I reverse the tractor with no problem, I even got to manage it quite good with the manure trailer on the back the other day. Also of course I reverse round the yard with the bales on the telehandler. So why I got in to such a flap over reversing the pickup truck I don't know, but flap I did. I even stalled it twice letting the clutch out so that generated even more flapping. Dad told me to just calm down and think about what I was doing, just do as you normally do with the tractor. It's no big deal. After that I just like blocked everything and was able to think better. I must have reversed a quarter of a mile until the verge widen out and I was able to pull forward on to it and so let her past. Even then she got so close to me that there was hardly room to pull forward on to the grass. I was all trembling and sweat pouring off me by the time I got done with her. I was really annoyed with myself that I'd failed so badly, and I spent the night in a subdued quiet mode, which is why I didn't make this entry last night as usual.

Dad had a word with me as we were going to bed which made it a little better. He said I did good and that I would meet plenty of people like her on the roads and as the more skilled drive it would be on me to help them out like I did tonight. I argued that I was hardly the  more skilled driver. But then he pointed out that I reverse a quarter of a mile down the road and didn't leave the tarmac once, whereas she was obviously incapable of reversing twenty yards in to a pull in which she didn't even see when driving forwards.

"Your only mistake was to let her panic you. You had more than enough skill to get out of the situation." 

This made me think of grandfathers naughty step book. 'Your biggest failure today'? Got panicked by some obstinate bitch in a car.

'How Do You Plan To Resolve It'?

By always making sure I'm driving something bigger than the other vehicle so that I can push her out of the way in to the ditch!

First thing this morning we called the hospital to be told that Norman was coming home, probably around lunch time. So after lunch me and mum went down to see if there was anything he wanted. We took some milk and bread with us as we thought he may not have any that was fresh.

Mum was very brave, and on dad's suggestion, let me drive her, as my learner plates were still on the truck from last nights episode. This time we met a van and a car coming towards us, the van pulled off the road for me and because there was nowhere to pull off for either person the second time we both put two wheel on the grass verge and drove past without incident. I even got a wave from each driver. So I feel a bit better tonight than I did last night. Mum even said to dad how she felt safe. She must be getting used to living dangerously.

Anyway, back to Norman. He was home when we got there and he was looking much better, he even had a smile on his face. He was still limping and with a walking stick, but said the pain was mostly gone and he was able to get around much better. He was glad of the milk and bread and mum got him to make a list of things he needed and she would get them for him until he could get out himself. While they were doing that I got some firewood from the shed and put him a pile by the fire so he didn't need to go doing a lot of lifting. He said he would be okay to feed the cats and thanked us for all we had done for him. On leaving we told him to call us should he need anything and that we would be back tomorrow at some point. 

I had parked in Norman's yard round by the barns so I turned round in the yard, because you aren't supposed to reverse out on to a road - see I'm learning something! When out on the lane I put the truck in to reverse and started reversing down the road. Mum wondered what I was playing at but was okay when I told her I was practicing ready for the next bitch that crosses my path.

"Oy, language young madam, I don't want any of your road rage when I'm with you - or any other time come to that!"

She makes me laugh sometimes.

I was thinking of grandfather and how I had to keep on doing something until I got it perfect, and then keep on doing it some more to show him it wasn't a fluke. By the time we got home poor mum was exasperated and I was able to reverse in an instance like a pro for as far as you liked and faster than mum was able to stomach.