The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid
The Wizard of Oz
9th July 2023
Dorothy has been sat in my car park since Thursday when Moon brought her over. I attempted to move her position that day which caused me so much stress. Firstly, I was using the wrong key and couldn't even turn the mechanics on! 10 mins later I found reverse and wheeled her back, but kept stalling, concluding she was going to need more throttle tget her moving than I'm used to. With her now blocking our communal car park I striggled to find 1st gear so I got my neighbour to hop in and help me out. He eventually found it and I moved her over, again though stlaling and seemingly needing a lot of throttle. Steering didn't feel so bad though.
It later transpired that the handle up on the dashboard was indeed the handbreak! I had been trying to move her with it on.
Having now reassured myself that she was not going to be so heavy to handle, and having tried a few more times with the gear stick I felt more confident to, at some point, try and drive her. But I still kept putting it off, hard to just step out from the safety of home and sync mind and body to a new machine. My biggest worry was getting that 1st gear in when I came to any junctions.
Sunday I had been driving my modern Automatic Juke on the M4 and also came home carrying a K2 canoe boat on the top which was longer than my car!. Having got a bit of adrenelin pumping in me now I decided this had to be my moment. The car park was fairly empty of cars, I knew the Sunday roads would be the quietest time so went for it.
She needed petrol as Moon had said the dial may have been sticky and was showing empty after he out £20 in. I knew the road on autopilot from my house to the petrol station, it would involve a couple of roundabouts but by then I would have driven the country road for 10 minutes.
Going down our steep drive taught me how hard I would have to force the break pedal,, unlike my Juke where I just tickled it. I thought initially they weren't working and I reverted to my old school driving of using gears to slow down, good practice anyway, and gave me time to find those lower gears before I stopped and had to pull away.
After a bit of coordination between steering and gear changing I got through the village and onto the main road. What for me was feeling fast I realised wasn't when i saw a BMW tailing me. usually I'm the one tailing on that road. I think the most I got to was 40mph.
I came to realise the 1st gear was in a mucn gentler and near position that I imagined and found her most times, 2nd seemed more tricky and ended up forcing her to drive in 3rd prematurely.
I made sure I had plenty of gear changing time but thankfully did not have to stop at any of the roundabouts.
I finally got to the petrol station and, having ensured the key actually worked before leaving, put £50 of fuel in her. Hopping back in and saw one guy just continually watching us...something I fear I will have to get used to. I saw a few heads turning as a drove. I don't like this kind of attention, particularly when I'm just learning the drive the thing. I pulled out from the garage with plenty of space from the next car coming along but managed to struggle to get going, again having left the hand break on! Having stalled on the main road I just had to stick my indicators and take a breathe and gather myself up again, this time panicking and struggling to find that 1st gear. I eventually got going but the car behind had clearly got peaved by me so overtook at their first available opportunity. Something I else I am just going to have to get used to.]
I took the top road back as this was wider and less windy allowing me to push her speed up. I got her up to the 60mph although uncomfortably. I started to to talk nicely to Dorothy and we found the gears together better coming back. My anxiety heightened a little as I new I was heading abck to our steep drive and di not know how I woul ddrive her up there. In my old manual it needed to be in 1st but I was hoping with her 1.6 engine she would make it in 2nd. Its a tight turn and up so there's no run up. We made it up in 2nd, with a bang to the exhaust pipe, which Moon also did, may need to find a way to hitch that up a bit, but otherwise we had made it and she sailed back into her parking space, my neighbour gleefully congratulating me, appreciating how stressed I had been feeling.
The only thing I was conscious of and may look into adapting is the smell of fumes. Old classics are not emmissions tested but, having developed asthma in my 20's from working in Oxford and consuming petrol fumes, I love the clean air envrionment and try to do my part in keeping it clean. This conflicts with all of these values so I either need to get over myself or fund to have it converted somehow.
Things I will have to learnt
People will watch and stare, its not at me but at Dorothy
I will get overtaken, don't stress about it, go at your comfortable pace.
Remember to take the handbreak off!
Go gentle with finding those lower gears
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