M is for Motorist... A-Z Challenge 2017

My theme for the 2017 challenge is waffling on about random words!

That might not seem like a theme but if you read on you’ll discover it’s not quite as random as it sounds.  The words were generated using a word generator (https://randomwordgenerator.com/) and I opted for 4 words each day.  I might focus on one or try and incorporate them all into the post.

Choosing the words this way has given me a challenge and a common thread to my posts but it has also allowed me to be myself and just waffle!  It’s what I’m good at.  (Don’t worry, I’m aiming for around 500 words per post so hopefully you won’t get stuck here for too long 😉)

And the words for today are….

Motorist
Mist
Mild
Mark 

I have been a qualified motorist since February 1977 so I have been driving for 40 years!  I like driving.  I guess that having learnt to drive in a busy city I have the confidence to drive in most places.  I've driven abroad, mainly Europe but I did do some driving when we visited America.  I've also driven a minibus.

Staying at my daughter's I'm getting used to the roads around her home.  They are very hilly.  I'm not keen on doing hill starts but we have an automatic car so it's not too bad.  I also don't like driving in mist or fog too much.  

I was down in Devon many years ago, staying with my cousin.  I went to visit a friend and when I left to return to my cousin's house the fog descended very suddenly.  The drive was along narrow country lanes and it was really quite scary.  Obviously I made it back safely but it took a lot longer than usual.

I have quite a good track record for driving.  No speeding offences or penalty points on my licence, and although I've been in a few minor bumps none of them were my fault.  

I did get a fine once for driving in a bus lane.  Except I didn't.  The notification came by post and I was really puzzled.  I was sure I hadn't driven in the bus lane mentioned so I took up the opportunity to view the video footage of the offence.

Watching the footage it was clear that it was my car caught on camera driving in a bus lane.  It was also clear from the footage that the drive was.....my husband!  He'd had to travel to a different office that day and had used the car.

It was annoying to realise the fine was justified but a relief to me that I wasn't the offender! 

It was the same when we got the first mark on our last car which we bought new.  Of course ideally you don't want to get any marks on a new car but it was definitely a relief that hubby caused the first scratch.  He likes to claim he's a better driver than me but having had two spells where he wasn't allowed to drive (one following a head injury and then when he was diagnosed with sleep apnoea) mostly the driving is left to me now so he knows better than to criticise me, especially if he doesn't want to have to walk home!
  
Are you a motorist or a back seat driver?