So today I went to buy an antenna, because quite frankly the antenna on my Yaesu VX-7R sucks. The only problem was that the closest place to get one was Weston-Super-Mare, near Bristol. I got there fine, got the aerial and fitted it. Then I drove into Bristol for a bit of a rest, went to IKEA, etc.
On the way back I stopped at Bridgewater Services in Somerset. I tested my antenna and I could hear some folks talking on a Repeater in Wales, GB3BC to be precise! I was amazed! I waited for a break in the conversation before I could talk to them. With only 5W from a small handheld connected to the new antenna I could open the repeater and the folks in Wales could hear me loud and clear! I felt great!
Only it didn’t last…
Realising all the water had dropped out of the washer bottle in my car again, I went to the petrol station at the services to top it up. Someone else was there using the air, so I pulled up, but I was too far for the hose. I tried to move the car a bit closer and that was when disaster struck… my foot slipped on the pedal and I hit a sign. Fortunately the car was not seriously damaged, it was drivable and there was no damage the radiator that I could see. Only the bonet, bumper (fender) and perhaps some of the frame at the front.
I admit I have spent the last couple of months being perticularly stupid in driving a car with only a provision license (learners permit) and no-one supervising me. Most of the time I do fine, but today I didn’t. I’m not going to drive it again, for a start I shall be away for a week from Saturday anyway. The problem is that I was going to sell the car to pay for my bankruptcy which I am due to do within the next few weeks in order to tackle the £15,000 of debt that I have. Now I have to get the car fixed before I can sell it or not get the £345.00 that I need.
I feel like a piece of crap, the road should have opened up and swalled me whole. For quite a while now I have been thinking, why am I here, why did I not get taken out years ago. Because all I keep doing is fecking up over and over again. Surely the world is tired of me by now….?
If the Police are reading, come pick me up…. you know where I am.
please tell me you were not driving on the motorway as an unsupervised learner.
You are driving without insurance, on the wrong licence; if you were court you would be looking at a driving ban + fine just on normal roads (you would have to go to court, if caught on the motorway I believe it would be a ban + fine. or worse)
(for those American readers) The Motorway is a bit like your interstate; its a high speed three/four main road (+Hard shoulder/refuges for broken down cars), with grade separated junctions. the speed limit is 60mph for lorries; and 70 for cars. learners are not to drive on it EVER.
Seth, I just emailed you, so you know my thoughts.
Skippy, I’m fairly confident Seth knows these things. Also, from what I’ve heard, Seth’s American friends are all plenty intelligent enough to know what a Motorway is…
Driving with only a provisional licence and no supervision is such a foolish thing to do, surely you can see that. I don’t understand why you would do it, I thought you were smarter than that. What on Earth makes you think you have the right to do this? You could really mess things up for yourself and getting into trouble with the police in any way is going to affect your future; it’s not something you should treat so lightly.
You could also mess things up for other people; what if you crashed into someone without having valid insurance? And what about the people who have happily sat in the car with you without knowing that you’re not properly qualified to drive? It’s kind of you to offer lifts, but if they are trusting you with their safety it is only fair that you tell them in advance that you don’t possess a full licence, not doing so is deceitful and will lose you the respect and trust of your friends.