It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Off Topic Chat

Congratulations and hope you have many years of safe and happy motoring.

Well done @freshpopcorn. Can barely remember mine but it's a great feeling to get your licence.

Thanks everybody. I got it the second time around. I basically started driving properly in September 2021. Some lessons got cancelled, postponed, etc. I did a test on Rudolph Day in the Summer. When I was booking it I picked it because it was Rudolph Day but it didn't go according to plan. Progress essentially caught me out and I felt fine after failing. I booked another test straight away.

I was fine up to a few days practicing and I clipped a curb turning left and then I became over critical of everything I was doing.

Last night was terrible I was just so restless. I was tempted to cancel the booking.

Started off okay. I kept on turning on and off my wipers. I did the hill start in an unusual places. I was always good with them, mirrors, indicators, observations, etc.

I then did the turnabout in a place I never did it before and I went to pieces. My leg went and my clutch control was awful and it took me loads of maneuvers and I was certain I failed. I carried on and did my reverse in my least favorite space but I did yet again with terrible clutch control but I never stalled. I took off and I reacted badly to a hazard and I was certain I got a grade three but it was only a grade two. Did a bit more driving around picked up faults for position turning left and I went back to the test center. (I accidently left my mouth open for most of the test.) When he told me I passed tears welled up.(This doesn't happen to me.) I was honestly speechless. I was certain I failed. It took a few minutes for my speech to return.

If anybody is every doing a test and you think you've failed don't give up doing the little things. I nearly did Today and stuck at it and it worked for me.

Congrats @freshpopcorn! I passed mine 15 years ago (😲😲😲) and was convinced I had failed it too. It was back when they had to bring the private company in to get through the backlog of tests. I had to wait 11 months for mine! It only lasted 20 minutes and I feared she had seen enough to fail me, I too nearly burst into tears when she handed me the cert.

Good man @freshpopcorn! I still remember mine, it was hateful.

Stressful morning here as I was giving Santa a dig out & letting him store some of the larger Christmas presents in the attic & suddenly realised that he was probably sending them in their original packaging 😬 Had to stalk the DPD driver until he got here so that I could redirect him to next door. I doubt he has ever seen someone shoot out the front door so fast at 7.30am on a dark, wet morning. Absolute gent though, he knew exactly why I was coming out to him & no problem at all to bring it next door. Unsung heroes of the world delivery drivers!

To be fair, anytime we had deliveries from Smyths they always arrived in plain cardboard packaging. Was rare we got a the actuals items own packaging on show giving the game away. Must have been lucky.

Couldn't agree more, we had one DPD driver who was almost like a member of the family 😂

Hope everyone is doing well ans everyone feels better! Wife and child being released from hospital hopefully today can't wait to get them home! Nothing major wrong but they were humming and hawing about doing something and that caused the delay. Came over for a coffee before I can go in and visit and seen my first batch of charity Christmas cards! Another thing to mark off my own personal list!

Are you based in Dublin? We had around an hour of it on the Northside.

It was great....though would have been better if it was darker to really see the lightning.

I'm based just off Stephens Green & it was unbelievably loud. Was on a teams meeting & others on it noted the sound and asked what it was, that's how loud it was. Cant remember thunder that loud in a long long time.

Not looking forward to the drive home, the traffic will be awful.

Took just under an hour and a half to drive home, that was leaving the office at 6.30... pain in the proverbials.

Wow more lightning in the dark.... chucking down.

I'd love to head up to howth head now and look over the bay.

Think it moved north or out to sea.

We got a good show though. Eldest elf was able to watch it from bed.... delighted with life 😂😂😂

The weather was horrible today. My teens walked home from school during the lunchtime thunderstorm and hit me up for hot chocolate when they got here. I was only in from work and had a few mins before heading out to the junior school op pen day to make teas and coffees. Think the weather kept many at home though.

My brother showed me a video of a wind turbine off Arklow that was hit by lightning and sort of blew up - it's mad Ted!

One for TRS30

I'm still firmly in the getting ready for Halloween phase. Scary films,pumpkins,decorations and we're having a bit of a party on the Sunday!

However, I am behind on my usual Christmas present buying schedule, bills got more expensive, and we had a run of roundy birthdays. I'm a civil servant so we're getting some back pay due to a pay agreement and hopefully it'll be here soon. Once I know when that's being paid, I'll use it to buy my presents and throw whatever's left off future bills....and if I'm doing ok budget wise maybe a light up reindeer.Dunnes have one that I'm tempted to get now. Dunnes Stores | Brightwhite Outdoor Battery Reindeer .I'll have to pin down his little feet with tent pegs in case of weather like yesterday if I'm not at home to bring him in.

Yeah have a few bits left for the rest of the year

Biffy Clyro 3Arena 8th Nov

Ireland vs Haaland sorry Norway- 17th Nov

The Cure 3Arena 1st Dec

Alter Bridge 3Arena 8th Dec (little Christmas in the big wig will be fun ha)

Seen them years ago in a tiny venue. Good watch. Whelans is a great spot.

Oh ffs my credit card is in pain, tempted too head somewhere in the UK or Europe but financially Dublin will have to do. Saw Leppard 3 times and Crue once on there ' ' '2015 Farwell Tour' (yep that aged well)

I got Blink 182 tickets. Steep enough for them at €80. I didn't manage to get Arctic Monkey tickets, but someone will be selling closer to the time, so I'll nab them then.

First kind of sleepless night with the kid. She was crying on and off and wanted to be fed etc all through the night. Wife was up all night with her feeding etc. I got bits here and there. At about half six this morning I came down with the child and left her sleep on my chest before putting her into the Moses basket. She never stirred after. I put the heating on and it was so quiet except looking out the window at the rain and wind. I really did get strong Christmas vibes. The only time I would have the heating on that early and be off work this long around this time of year would be Christmas week so it made it really feel Christmassy for me. So peaceful as well.