It’s that time again. Test tomorrow. I went for another four hours training today; I spent two hours practising my reverse, still only about 60/40, maybe 70/30. I got it in a quite a few times without him having to stop me, but I also had to have him stop me twice or three times, and had to take three shunts on one go. If you consider all the times he had to stop and correct me, the once I had to stop and start from scratch, and the three shunt fail, it’s probably more like 50/50. I have an hour tomorrow to try again before driving to the test centre.
The other two hours were spent with me driving around without any real need for instruction. I brushed one kerb (not a fail) then pulling into the last street (the one which my training placed is based on!) mounted the pavement (fail).
Bugger.
Still, unless they actually take me to that street I think I should be alright on the road. The first few minutes were a bit hairy; it’s a massively tight turn onto the street from the yard and some clown had parked a van just where you have to drive the cab to make the turn, which was focusing. Then I fumbled a gear change but after that I was chatting away whilst doing the business.
I was a lot nervous again. I was all buoyed up after my fail, knowing that I had it in me to pass on the road, but three weeks off and it had grown into a big scary monster again. Two minutes in the cab and I was a happy bunny again. Well, two minutes on the road anyway, pissed off with myself in the yard trying to suss that reverse out.
It’s a bigger course tomorrow, if I keep my head and make tiny corrections I think I could do it. Not will, but could. That is another issue I have with my reversing, I want to swing the trailer around, so I put loads of turn on the unit, get it in the right position and straighten up to come straight back, but because I had so much turn on by the time I’ve got the cab back behind the trailer, the trailer has carried on turning and gone too far. I really have not got my head around it. It will be the luck of the draw tomorrow. I could do it, but I only get one go at it (well, you could consider it three goes as I get two shunts, but it’s been taking me those and more in practise). If I understood what I was doing and how to do it I would be laughing. As it is I just keep steering one way and then another, then give up and take a shunt, and hope for the best.
Still, I feel reassured about my driving ability on the road part of the test. Take it steady, don’t do anything daft, and I reckon I can do that. I feel so much better in that than the rigid.
More on that story later…
The other news is my starring role on Gardeners World. I’ve already bemoaned my fate, being cast as the villain of the piece, but in case anyone missed it here is the link Luke helpfully sent me:
Here’s the episode in question: Is this the episode:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jgzfj/Gardeners_World_Specials_2009_For_Peats_Sake/
Go to 25 mins 51 seconds 😉
.. Infamy, notoriety and calumny. ..
..Here’s to destroying the planet with a big truck after tomorrow! Which reminds me, apparently that lad who was saying he had a license but our works wouldn’t entertain him, not only was he banned, but now he has his license back he still has nine points on it! A speeding ticket away from another ban. That will probably be why they’ve not given him a job!..
……Anywho, to bed, hopefully to get a restful sleep. I don’t feel terrified this time, I either nail the reverse or fail, I’m not scared about taking it out on the road…
..Fingers crossed,..
..Buck…