Richard and Hyacinth ride out

It was "Keeping Up Appearances" by the seaside today, only with an unusual casting. The Captain was Hyacinth, and I was Richard. We were taking my geranium coloured car out so I could get the hang of it before my drive to the meeting tomorrow.  "Mind that pedestrian, Richard!"  "You should be in first gear!"  "You should have signalled by now!"  "Mind that field of cows!".

Though it was heroic of Captain B to come. He doesn't much like being driven by anyone, let alone me. And he has now taken me through all the technical things I needed to know. Where are the windscreen wipers?  How do I make the seat go down? Which is the steering wheel?  You know the sort of thing.

As in the model I tremblingly test drove, the seat is that little bit higher which helps so much. And the door a tiny bit wider. When your knees don't bend so well that does make quite a difference.

We also test drove my new Blue Badge - and I drove carefully into the disabled parking space at Waitrose and carefully out again. ("Mind that pedestrian Richard!").  They too have a little bit more space, so it is easier to get both me and the car in and out.  I am grateful to that lovely young physio who interviewed me after they had initially turned me down. He saw that i really do need it.  And I wish I did not.

I am very pleased with the colour of my car. In fact I love it.  I would never have dared choose it - would have stuck to something sensible - but now I can pretend that it was the only option (which actually it was, apart from white, unless I waited till next year).