Hail To The Bus Driver!

So, after 3 weeks of intensive training I finally have it. "What's that?" I hear you ask. A full driving licence for PCV is what. To the uninitiated that's Passenger Carrying Vehicle. I drove to Carlisle in the training bus this morning and the test commenced at 11am at Stagecoach's depot in the city. The test itself began with a reversing manouver inside the garage. This was followed by an emergency braking excercise in the yard. The test drive proper then began. It consisted of a 50 minute drive through Carlisle and the surrounding areas and then a return to the depot where I received the good news. Hopefully the fact that I have learned to drive in the fleet's largest vehicle will equip me well for the future. However, for the next 12 months I will be driving only minibuses. All I need to do now is learn all the routes, the types of tickets, the ticket machine and the accents of the locals!

A Strong End To A Weekend

Well, it's Sunday lunchtime and I've just got time to squeeze in a quick update. Mrs. B. is at work today, she set off from here in her Micra at 6.40 this morning, while I was dead to the world, and finishes at 3pm. At that time our day will begin proper. I will be meeting her from work in my car and we will be taking the Nissan for its M.O.T. One of the disadvantages of having moved 400 miles is not knowing which local tradesmen are the ones to use. Fortunately both my Brother in law and my Stepdaughter use the services of a chap in the nearby village of Little Broughton to keep their cars in tip-top condition. Consequently we are dropping the Micra off at his house on our way to my Father-in-law, Henry's B&B (pictured below) this afternoon. The reason for this trip, apart from the social aspect, is to try and sort out a couple of small problems with his computer. Henry lives at Rosthwaite in the scenic Borrowdale Valley, I never visit without my camera. On our return this evening I will be settling down in front of the box to watch the mighty Torquay United take on York City live on Setanta Sports. Tomorrow it's back to work. I've got a week driving the test routes around Carlisle in order to hone my skills for my upcoming PCV test.

First Step Taken

Well, apologies for the lack of updates this week but I've been busy cramming for my PCV Theory and Hazard Perception Tests. The Stagecoach Training Unit has interactive DVDs to enable the trainee to get a feel of what is expected during a test. The theory test for large vehicles has recently been modified, the number of questions has been increased from a mere 35 to 60. The pass mark is 51. For the uninitiated the hazard perception test is a series of 14 video clips. The road ahead is seen from the viewpoint of a driver and the testee must click the mouse when they first see what is called a "developing hazard". One of the clips has 2 seperate hazards but that particular clip can be anywhere in the sequence so one has to be on ones toes throughout. This means that there are 15 hazards in total at a maximum of 5 points each. The maximum therefore is 75 with the pass mark set at 50. I had to pop into Carlisle this morning to take my test. Thankfully the gods were smiling and I achieved a theory mark of 60 and a hazard perception mark of 66. Now I can concentrate on the driving!

Countdown

So; the waiting is almost over. The two months of enforced "resting" between jobs ends tomorrow at 8am. As of then I will once again be engaged in gainful employment, this time as a trainee PCV driver. It'll be interesting to see how it goes and exactly what the job will entail. As well as actually learning to drive a bus there will be other knowledge that it will be necessary to acquire. I understand that I'll be studying for an NVQ Level 2 in aspects of bus and coach driving. Whether this includes learning how near the seat the elderly ladies are before pulling away sharply is yet to be seen! Anyway, keep tuned for updates!

Bl**dy Tourists!

Well, well, Mrs. B and myself became tourists for the day yesterday and drove down to Lake Windermere with my step-daughter. The reason for this jaunt being that my Wife's lifelong friend Bertie is renting a cottage adjacent to the Lake to enjoy a weeks break from the trials and tribulations of running her own buisness. The cottage, at High Strawberry Gardens, is seen above. It belongs to the National Trust, is 2 miles up a secluded shoreline path, and is the perfect place for those wishing to get away from it all. Out the front door and across a narrow track and you reach......
..this jetty. If you then take your chair to the end, a la Bertie, you have views of the lake such as this... ...looking north, and this one...
...across to Windermere itself. It's a very secluded place off the beaten track but within a half hours walk to the village of Far Sawrey for provisions. Just occasionally something will happen to remind you that you're in the 21st century (such as this)... .., but in the main it's like being in another world. Fantastic!