My boys are now drivers

[Diane CBPFC]

I thought it was a version of Old Blue Eye’s “I left my heart in San Francisco”; Bill, “I left my liver in the beer tent”.

[The Peepmaster]

When I was a kid, we sang, "I left my heart in San Francisco, I left my legs on Ramsgate pier".

[Malc]

 Failed twice the first time in Scotland, and once on my Australian licence after emigrating.

In Irvine I had the worst driving instructor in the world, Mr Stirratt, an ex headmaster who wore a collar, tie and jacket with leather elbow patches. Yes he wore other clothes too, Peeps.

He kept saying "now watch Mr Stirratt..." when demonstrating, and shouted when you turned the steering wheel too sharply, as he felt it gave the wheels an uneven tread. He was basically a Sunday driver who had been let out on weekdays with a licence to tell people off, he was a tit.
My best instructor was a young fellow, not much older than me, whose teaching technique was to hunker down in the passenger seat, put his feet up on the dashboard and say "go for it".

[Malc]

My older son here in Oz only passed his test a few weeks ago, he is 17. He then got himself sorted out with an electrical/mechanical apprenticeship by phoning every bugger and emailing hundreds of employers, and within days was driving the company truck hundreds of miles, fully loaded with thousands of dollars of supplies and equipment on the busiest, fastest roads in Queensland.

Considering my dear wife had been lambasting him for months about his alleged indolence after leaving school, saying (to me, not him) that he needed to get his lazy arse in gear and stop wasting his life, I am exceedingly proud of him. He remains a grumpy git, far too curmudgeonly for a teenager, but the way he has comported himself over the last few weeks shows he will do alright.

[Vulture]

Good on him, Malc! He got up when he was good and ready!

[Joan]

What Vulch said, Malc! You're right to be so proud of him. Our kids are doing all right. I should have been trumpeting about our boy, who has graduated with a degree in Engineering, is working as a Senior Analyst with Origin Energy, a major energy company, and has started studying for a Masters in Applied Finance, part time. Very proud of him, we are too. 

[Joan]

The trouble in Canada is that kids can get their learners at 14 and drivers at 16. I think it is a bit young what with the the icy roads 5 months of the year.

That is very young, Diane. Here in NSW they can get their learner's licence at 16 and take their test at 17, which I think is still young.

[Diane CBPFC]

What Vulch said, Malc! You're right to be so proud of him. Our kids are doing all right. I should have been trumpeting about our boy, who has graduated with a degree in Engineering, is working as a Senior Analyst with Origin Energy, a major energy company, and has started studying for a Masters in Applied Finance, part time. Very proud of him, we are too. 

Well if he couldn't build a picnic table, I guess that is the next best thing.

 

[Diane CBPFC]

My older son here in Oz only passed his test a few weeks ago, he is 17. He then got himself sorted out with an electrical/mechanical apprenticeship by phoning every bugger and emailing hundreds of employers, and within days was driving the company truck hundreds of miles, fully loaded with thousands of dollars of supplies and equipment on the busiest, fastest roads in Queensland.

Considering my dear wife had been lambasting him for months about his alleged indolence after leaving school, saying (to me, not him) that he needed to get his lazy arse in gear and stop wasting his life, I am exceedingly proud of him. He remains a grumpy git, far too curmudgeonly for a teenager, but the way he has comported himself over the last few weeks shows he will do alright.

There is hope for son #1 then who has been home from Uni for two weeks working up the energy to get a hair cut and clean his nails. 

[Joan]

What Vulch said, Malc! You're right to be so proud of him. Our kids are doing all right. I should have been trumpeting about our boy, who has graduated with a degree in Engineering, is working as a Senior Analyst with Origin Energy, a major energy company, and has started studying for a Masters in Applied Finance, part time. Very proud of him, we are too. 

Well if he couldn't build a picnic table, I guess that is the next best thing.

 

 

When I said "our" kids I meant those of us Beau Peepers who have kids. 

[Malc]

Happy Birthday!   Oops wrong thread

[Jerry Attrick]

But... drivers!!! Especially foreign ones...

Today is 'work' day for me (volunteering at a workshop for a certain Scottish Trust of the National variety!).
Less than a mile into the journey a foreign (SWISS) motor caravan home chugs it's way out of a side turning from a local campsite ahead of me followed by another UK MCH onto the Edinburgh 'B' rated ring road. Most traffic uses the 'A' bypass these days but it is easier for me to use the aforementioned B road to reach the bypass. We crawl along at 25mph (speed limit is 40!) thanks to Swiss MCH and then get to the roundabout that takes us to the bypass. Having previously and legally passed the UK MCH I am now correctly in the righthand lane, indicating right, SMCH is in the lefthand lane - no indicators so assume he is going to take the first exit? No way, a sudden a right indicator on the roundabout followed by an immediate swerve into my lane missing me by inches. Hopefully the blast on the horn accompanied by the universal double digit salute got the message across?

Maybe not!

He then forced his way into a busy traffic stream on the by-pass causing an artic-lorry to have to swerve into the fast lane to avoid him (who also used horn!). Finally as I was at the point to get off the bypass who was a couple of vehicles behind me? Yes SMCH. A last minute decision to use the same slip road, as in drive across the entire chevron area and across four lanes of traffic (without indicating of course!) causing another driver to have to take avoiding action to prevent another crash.

So three potential life threating actions in the space of 5 miles,  God knows what he did futher on as he was on a Motorway!

[Diane CBPFC]

The Swiss are nothing but trouble-makers – I learned this from Colonel Escargot.

[Joan]

Happy Birthday!   Oops wrong thread

Thanks, Malc! I'm honoured!

[Joan]

Jerry, I assume he was heading north and was driving something like a Winnebago. Never mind the motorway, at least there's some chance of getting out of his way on one of those. I'm thinking of meeting him on one of those narrow roads in the Highlands, with dykes on either side. Where do you go? They shouldn't allow things like that on those roads, I say!

Glad that his arrogance didn't result in any catastrophes, as far as you know!