I can't imagine not being able to drive, the freedom it gives you is unimaginable. I recently drove to Cornwall which is over 3 hours away on the motorway from where I live so that was quite an achievement, despite being exhausted and spending that evening dozing on the sofa.
Learning to drive was probably one of the most expensive things I've done. Despite no longer paying for lessons each week my insurance, petrol, servicing and my recent tyre incident have set me back massively in savings.
(I honestly think it might all be worth it though).
My car was due a service and luckily it was in fab condition so didn't cost me too much.
However this takes me on to the little tale I have for you today.
A week or so ago on a glorious Sunday morning I set off to drive my boyfriend home before I went to work. We left the house at 10am and I had work at 12pm, plenty of time, right?
I had to manoeuvre my way out of our driveway around a Land Rover and between two pretty close fence posts. It was probably about a 50-point-turn before I thought I finally had space to wiggle my way out.
There is a large hedge next to one of the fence posts and I brushed through it on my way past, my back passenger wheel lifting over the bump just before the fence post, thankfully missing the post itself. (Or so I thought)
The speed limit through the village I live in is 30mph so we travelled along steadily at around 28mph (I'm a safe driver you see). It wasn't until we reached the end of the 30mph zone and entered the 50mph zone that I realised something wasn't right. I had my foot flat out on the gas and my speed wasn't moving past 40mph.
I checked I was in the right gear, I was.
I was so confused.
It was then my boyfriend asked what the weird noise was. The car felt a little unstable and wobbly.
We pulled over in the nearest lay-by (after checking my centre and left mirrors and signalling) and soon realised that my tyre was not only flat, but absolutely ripped to shreds.
Not planning for this scenario I was gracefully dressed in my jogging bottoms and a wooly jumper which admittedly isn't the most flattering outfit. We stood in the lay-by staring at the mess I had created whilst I tried to phone my dad for some assistance.
My dad had spoken to me only a few days before about teaching me to change a tyre, I wish we'd had that chat earlier.
A few minutes later my dad turned up, laughing at my situation. He and my boyfriend continued to find the situation humorous as they proceeded to watch me attempt to follow my dad's instructions.
1. Use the screwdriver in the tool set to take off the wheel cover.
2. Use the jack to lift the car up.
3. Use the tyre iron to loosen and remove the bolts.
4. Take the wheel off and replace it with the spare.
5. Put the bolts back on and tighten (tighten them diagonally and repeat to ensure they're tight).
6. Put the wheel cover back on and ensure that is on tightly too.
Really it was quite a simple process, but I wouldn't have known where to start. After getting as much dirt off my hands as I could whilst wearing a layer of dirt on my joggers and favourite jumper (sigh) we carried on our way.
Luckily I managed to get back in time for work after my little ordeal.
The moral here is, make sure you know how to change a tyre before going out on your own. Imagine if that had happened down a country lane, at night, in torrential rain, with no signal. Then you'd be in a pickle!
Anyway, all in all I'm having a fab time! I'm earning bonus miles on my insurance each month for safe driving which means I can't be doing that bad!
It is an expensive process and it will continue to drain my bank account for the rest of my life, but the benefits of being able to drive really are endless.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Let me know if you're learning to drive & how you're getting on!
'til next time. Hannah.
