(no subject)

The instructions for entering our mid-year reviews were still in the booths this morning. All I had to do was ask Rosemary, on supe duty, when I could take time out to do mine; she said the earlier the better so I got it out of the way at the top of the shift.

The e-mail confirming that I hadn't got the job in Data Capture had arrived - no surprise really - inviting me to e-mail Val when she returns from holiday on November 3 if I want feedback.

Meanwhile Jamie Slabber has left Hawks by mutual consent. With Luke and Boothy clearly staying as the first-choice front two I'm hoping young Alex Baldacchino, who's scored a hatful for the Academy, will get to establish himself as understudy. We've signed a winger, Robbie Martin, from Braintree but it's expected to be a few weeks before he's match-fit. Get ready soon, Robbie - we need an injection of something fresh...

(no subject)

Another driving lesson. This one had the makings of a grueller from the very beginning when, going along Park Road, a woman didn't wait for us and moved forward, forcing me to pull over into a space - and make precision manoeuvres within that space when she couldn't quite get by. Peter took over the clutch to help me get through that road before Christmas, but just before the right turn I put too much brake on and came to a dead stop again. So then there's Peter impatiently egging me on to get moving again... My reversing round a corner wasn't too bad, thanks partly to Peter telling me a different steering technique. A few minutes later we had to negotiate our way round a bunch of kids coming round the corner on bikes on the wrong side (ie straight towards us). My turn in the road was much better than last time; shame I ruined it right at the end by putting too much steering on when moving forwards and away, meaning I had to frantically steer left to stop us veering off into the right-hand side of the road. The open-road driving for the rest of the time went OK apart from my continuing to take corners too wide and sometimes not slow down enough to comfortably drop to second gear and turn at the right angle. My main problem, though, is still over-steering.

Right at the very end Peter sprung a reverse round the corner on me, into the tarmac area between the two rows of garages for our street. Again I think my brain was already in 'lesson's finished' mode; that's probably why I didn't put enough steering on and mounted the pavement. I mentioned as much to Peter when we stopped; he said "We're never finished till we switch the engine off at the end."