(Hours 67 & 68)

It's the last driving lesson of the year! Time has speeded past and half a year has gone already!

There's not much to mention about the drive today though....I'm still lacking concentration so I'm hoping the break will serve me well and put me back on the right tracks for the new year when I have recovered. I think it's been hard to judge my progress in the last few lessons since they have been tightly packed together (originally to train me up until the test date) and the same errors are being made. Usually the lessons are more spaced out which is more suitable for me as I have time to digest the problem and think carefully on how things can be improved... although there are times I repeat habits too!

(Hours 65 & 66)

It's the first lesson after the mock test and I am making the same random mistakes that cropped up in the mock test. I am prone to crossing the give way lines now as I am more aware that this happened in the mock. Throughout the drive today, I am quickly forgetting what has been said and I am losing concentration due to being unwell, so we have decided to defer the test and take more lessons in between to make sure everything is perfect again before going solo.

My Christmas gift from Shobhy! It's very cute! Thank you Shobhy!

I'm not feeling well today and the mock test didn't go quite as planned... a lot of the mistakes that occurred today never usually happens in the lessons so I've let myself down by stepping over the give way lines and driving onto the opposite lane from steering too much. I occasionally noticed the little faults but time and time again I repeated the same error which mounted up to many serious faults.

From this, my weaknesses have been identified and most of the faults are caused by poor awareness and planning. This is the main concern and needs to be improved at junctions for safer driving.

My wonderful gift from Jack! She's really good at designing! Thanks Jack!

(Hours 63 & 64)

So the next lesson is my mock test... the main thing is to keep deciding what to do and to stick with the decision. I had a few times today where I was wanting to change lanes.. I signalled and checked before pulling out, but as I started to move out, I moved back in again, not sure whether to complete the manouvre or not... it was obviously clear otherwise I wouldn't have moved out in the first place. I will have to commit to my decisions once I have made them to avoid mystifying my real intentions to other drivers.

We also passed by the test centre to get a feel of what driving on the favourite test routes would be like.. the test centre lies within the countryside and is small and lonely.

I was flicking through books all weekend for ideas for my photography project. The 'Walking Objects' series by Laurie Simmons instantly struck me and inspired me to pursue some of my own.. The concept arrives from my driving lessons and the fact that I am only able to walk without my full license. I bought a Barbie doll yesterday and began sawing her poor legs away.....

(Hours 61 & 62)

The lesson went quite smooth again today and it's just the odd mistakes I am still making... it was a night drive and we crammed in as much as we could in these 2 hours.

It's been a long time since I last did the 'Show me, tell me' questions, but I had a look over my book last week as I knew I would be asked them in my test and in some of my upcoming lessons. The recap was good and I was amazed at how my brain still managed to memorize the facts after so many hours of sleep!

The mock test is on for next Tuesday at 1pm. I've been told the pass rate for these are not so good as it stops people from being too confident about their own driving skills. As this is the case, I understand the purpose and I will not be too disheartened if it's not what I want to hear at the end of my test.

So I took the driving test in my dream and passed! The examiner was quite laid back as Christmas was just 2 days away. He didn't ask me to perform many things that were required to pass.. the only manoeuvre was the reverse round a corner. After completing it, we seemed to have talked endlessly with the car in stationery... I thought it was an easy test and surely didn't think that was going to be the end, but as he announced that I had passed, I had woke up and noticed it was just a dream!

The examiner was a pudgy guy with grey curly hair and glasses. He was wearing a grey woolen jumper that looked hand-knitted... I wonder what resemblance the real examiner will have on the day..

(Hour 60)

I finally learnt a new skill today which will probably be the last... the emergency stop! I had 3 attempts on a quiet side road and the first had worked out the best.. I began to think more about what I was doing as the stop was repeated, this caused me to brake slowly rather than firmly. However, the stop tested my reaction skills which were acceptable, but if the stop was used intentionally to avoid an accident, I would not have succeeded. I found the practice useful and it has given me an idea of how long it takes a car to stop on a dry road.

The main reason behind my slow braking is my fear for stalling the car. I shouldn't let this bother me as in a real situation stalling the car should not be the priority.

(Hours 58 & 59)


So I've picked up my courage and finally decided to take my test before Christmas. It's going to be busy the next few weeks in order for me to lose all my silly mistakes that are currently my only downfall. I've booked in lessons for alternate days up until the test date to help me achieve this goal and to get into the swing of things just before I take the test.

I made a major error today which would have failed me instantly in the test. I drove past a STOP sign even though I had noticed it. I walk past it everyday and I am totally aware of it's presence... but looking at the sign today just didn't register with me to stop and wait behind the line. The sign was located at the junction of a crossroad where I was wanting to turn left. Distant traffic was approaching this lane from my right, but the fact I pulled out and did not give way was the serious fault. The cost of this error is very high and I would have been devastated if my actual test was today.

Another habit I have recently inherited is changing to first gear when staying in second would have been fine. This jerks the car and slows it down dramatically. Other than my silly mistakes, I am progressing really well and I am feeling quite confident for the commitment I have made.