It’s the mid ‘80s and I’m wearing a pair of pink corduroy dungarees. In front of me, my mum is beaming from ear to ear, dangling a pair of car keys. She has just passed her driving test, after numerous attempts. She is ecstatic.

Fast-forward 14 years and it’s my turn. I hated every second of learning to drive, but my mum was convinced it was something I needed to do, refusing to let me wait until my mid 30s before getting behind a wheel.

I can still remember the day I passed my driving test. I hadn’t slept a wink the night before, tossing and turning as I envisaged the awful scene to come. I imagined a scary driving tester with a clipboard, a total mind-blank and a frightening loss of brake function. I was terrified. Continue reading »