Obtaining your UK driving licence

Essential Reading

One of the more frequent topics on the American expat facebook groups is about driving and obtaining a UK driving licence.  The GOV.UK site does a great job of explaining the process here but it always helps to have a first-hand explanation of how to do it.

A good thing to do before you move over here from the states is obtain a copy of your no-claims history from your current insurance company, the further back the better because motor insurance here can be astronomical! Having a copy of mine saved quite a bit of money--this can also be obtained by contacting their customer service but usually the sooner you obtain it the better that way any mistakes can be corrected.  For example I didn't realise that Geico had shown that I'd filed a claim when we had called in to find out what the insurance would cover when someone had gone on a brick-throwing vandalism spree in our neighbourhood a few years back and knocked out the back glass of my pickup.  We ended up not using the insurance and paying out of pocket but unfortunately someone had clicked the wrong button and I was only able to claim 3 years of no claims versus 7 years which would have saved an additional £200.

You CAN drive in the UK on your US driving licence for up to a year but making plans to get it earlier can save an immense amount of stress. I waited until the very last moment and really wish I hadn't, I was in a near-panic with trying to get everything done in the last two months left.

No matter how good of a driver you are, take lessons! It's not about learning how to drive for most of us but it's about unlearning habits that will fail us on the exam and learning what the examiners are looking for.  Also most of the instructors will be giving lessons on the actual routes used which will help minimise mistakes.

The first step is to obtain your provisional licence by starting here, I obtained the D1 application form from our local post office, filled it out, enclosed the money and appropriate sized picture, and sent it off to Swansea with my passport. It all came back well within the 3 weeks quoted on the site.  As a bit of a segue, if you haven't obtained your NINO (National Insurance Number) do so!

After you have received your provisional you can still drive on your US licence (providing you are still with your year) but it's time to start studying for the theory portion of the test. Don't expect to give it a quick read through a few minutes before the test and pass.  While some of it is common-sense the wording here is different enough that it will trip you up, there are also a fair bit of non-driving related questions from the Highway Code that will be on the exam.  I highly recommend getting a current copy of the DVSA theory test book or software.  There are also lots of practice tests available online, take as many as possible to review/revise.

Book your theory test! Don't forget to take along your shiny new provisional licence. Take and pass your theory test! Keep your copy of this safe because you will need to take it along with you for your practical

Now book your practical, depending on where you live it can be several months before the first opening but you are not limited to taking it at your nearest test centre. Do a search of the surrounding areas to find out if you can take the test sooner at a different place. I ended up travelling to one 30 minutes away in order to get it booked within 2 weeks rather than over a month.  Also you can check the website daily to find out if there are any cancellations to get it done quicker--you can change your appointment up to 6 times without having to cancel and rebook.

L aka Learner Plates

Remember when I mentioned taking lessons earlier? That bears repeating, TAKE DRIVING LESSONS! If you don't gel with the instructor, find a different one.  This driving test is stressful enough without having to deal with someone who you don't get along with, their job is to make you a safer driver for the UK and to do their best to get you through the test, not belittle or demean you.

 If you choose to take the practical in your own car (like I did) there are a few things to be aware of, like having the appropriate insurance, L plates, and a mirror for the examiner are only three.  Again check the gov site for further details.

In the worst case scenario if you fail your practical the first time (like I did), take an hour or three to wallow in it then look at what you need to practise to pass the next and immediately book the next available time after your mandatory 10 day wait (that's to take the test btw, not re-booking).  Again like before you can check daily to change to an earlier time--I ended up changing mine several times to get it booked for 2 weeks after not passing the first one.

Practising!

My tips:  Study!!!!! Practise!!!! Practise your reversing, emergency stops, mirror checks, hill starts, and your show me/tell me items.  Next, relax (yeah, I know easier said than done). Exaggerate your mirror checks, talk through what you are doing as you drive, if you make a mistake, just keep on, you are allowed a few minors and if it's just a one time thing rather than a repeated mistake it probably won't count against you.

Hopefully this helps for those going through the process, please feel free to ask any questions. I wrote about my test experience here with all the gory details of why I didn't pass the first time. One thing I didn't expect was that when my motor insurance came up for renewal after obtaining my UK driving licence was that I was considered a 'new' driver again and had to shop around for a cheaper policy so be aware of that.


Good luck!

May. May I stay please?

Can't believe it's been so long since I've posted an update but not much has changed and it does look like my time in merry olde England will be coming to an end soon.  It's been quite a learning experience and I've come to feel as much at home here as I ever did back in the states.  I've made friends and I do feel that in some ways I've contributed to the community but alas the home office has rules and they rarely break them unless heaps of publicity is garnered and I'm not quite sure I'm comfortable with that level of invasion into my life.  We're still hoping for a miracle before the first week of June but unless a wealthy relative kicks off and leaves me a fortune it's not likely especially since I don't have much in the way of family left.

There is so much I'm going to miss...the people both good and bad, the constant bird song, having four seasons in the space of an hour, the abundance of green spaces, canal path rambles and runs, driving that is akin to a slow speed video game, picking blackberries into October, saying hiya and grumbling about the weather while out walking the dogs and so very much more.

I will be updating the blog on a more regular basis with how I was able to assimilate and integrate while keeping true to my American self without (hopefully) being obnoxious about it :-)

And with one single step my training for the White Rose Ultra came to an abrupt end.

Sunday was to be first of our running club's cross country races for the winter BDL, my plan was to run there at an easy pace, do the 5 mile xc, then run home again but alas plans are subject to the whims of fate...that day all it took was tripping over the last step at the bottom of our stairs, something I do far too often (damn narrow British steps).  Sunday was different though, I rolled my right foot outward and ended up sitting on the entryway rug clutching my legs and letting loose a very loud and imaginative string of curse words which had my partner awake and rushing down those very same steps to find out what happened.  

For once it wasn't an ankle sprain, it was towards the upper part of my foot and it HURT.  Hurt in the way that you know something is very broken and you are not just going to hop up and dust off and continue on.

After a few minutes I was able to hobble around, send my apologies for not being able to make the race--fortunately the club now has quite a few women running cross country so my presence wasn't needed to make sure we had a team--and to figure out which A&E was the best to head for.  Never have I been so relieved that I had actually taken a shower that morning instead of my usual modus operandi of getting up and throwing on my running kit! The thought of having to spend the day amongst other hurt and sick people while desperately wishing I wasn't a hot mess should not have been first in my mind but it was--very much the 'Wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident' scenario.

To shorten the story up, our local A&E no longer has x-ray services on the weekends so after some poking and prodding the nurse taped up my toes and made an appointment for me to return in the morning to be scanned (wasn't too impressed with that part of the process although everything else went smoothly).  Rather than wait that long we ended up going to Nottingham's Queen Medical Centre A&E where there seemed to be an unusually large number of people with foot and ankle injuries!

Putting a happy face on things

So yes, my foot is broken. Specifically, the 5th metatarsal on my right foot is fractured and I am now wearing an oh so attractive black moon boot and restricted to doing absolutely nothing for 2 weeks, then slowly moving about.  The bone specialist said that if I was very, very, very, very good about not rushing back into activity (can't even do any spinning) then I should be able to return to running in 6 weeks. After the 2 weeks though I can do upper body work (Hello knee pressups!)

The evidence

Of course the ultra is on the 1st of November so obviously that is out and I am unable to earn any money during this time because leading Nordic Walking sessions and dog walking requires me to be able to walk...oh and there's the tiny matter of needing to be able to drive to do those things which is out of the question with the boot.

My thoughts on being immobile

I thought I would include a short synopsis of my NHS/A&E (Accident and Emergency) experience for family and friends in the states as well.  One of the first things we did after I moved over was to register at a local surgery (GP/Doctor's office) and to get my NHS number.  Once this is done you rarely have to fill out the mountain of paperwork and seemingly signing away your life whenever going to the doctor that is required at every single visit like in the states.  All I did Sunday was walk up to reception hand over my NHS card and driver's licence, confirm my DOB, phone number, address, and next of kin verbally.  I did the same thing when arriving for the appointment the next morning at the fracture clinic.  The waiting time is also much shorter! The nurse we spoke to at QMC said they would have over 500 people per day go through A&E there so that's very impressive.

Expat Adventures: 2nd Stop in the Great British Tree Road Trip

The bridges at Saltash

Part II of the insane road trip on the 10th of June had us travelling south-east from Exeter to just north of the village of Upton-Cross in Cornwall in search of the Darley Oak Tree.  This one was quite difficult to find and the sat-nav took us on some amazingly tiny roads to get there...tiny as in there was barely enough room for our Mondeo to squeeze through without brushing the mirrors against the hedgerows and there were times when the mirrors had to be brought in to avoid this.  Miles and miles of this! I am just glad I wasn't driving especially for the section where we had to reverse for a quarter of a mile to find a place wide enough to move over so an oncoming tractor could get by us.  We really should have had the windscreen mount set up for the camera to film but alas there is no photographic evidence for y'all to enjoy.  The below pic is one of the wider sections of road we travelled and where we stopped to ask a woman on horseback if we were indeed going in the correct direction.

One of the wider sections of road

The tree is located in the front garden of a group of farmhouses and from the description on various sites we were wondering if it would be easily accessible.  There was no need to worry though because it is situated right next to the drive and my partner even struck up a conversation with one of the farmers about the tree.  It was quite interesting listening to him speak because he sounded like a pirate! I'm not sure either of us understood half of what he said but it didn't seem to matter because they were over half an hour chatting.  The British reserve stereotype does not hold true once you get away from the cities! 

The Darley Oak

The Darley Oak is massive of course and is estimated to be over a 1000 years old.  While it looks like some of the branches would break off in a stiff breeze it didn't give off the air of dejection that Major Oak in Notts seems to have.  If anything it had quite a cheerful aura and I'm not one to usually ascribe such characteristics to trees.  

The 50 Great British Trees Plaque

Don't you wonder how many children have climbed and hid in this tree over the centuries?

We didn't stay there but the Oak Barn B&B across from the Darley Oak looked quite lovely if you are looking for a getaway location and if the proprietors are half as friendly as the man we spoke to then you are in for a pleasant stay.

Expat Adventures: The Road Trip in Search of...

One of the best and worst things about an English summer is the extended daylight hours.  In late May it starts getting light around 3:45 am and there is a little glow in the sky until around 11 pm. This makes getting a decent amount of sleep for someone like me who rises whenever the sun does a bit tricky unless you have blackout curtains but it does make planning for outdoor activities much easier.  There is still the need to layer up because the temperatures are on the chilly side but at least you have daylight to play in!

This is what made Wednesday's epic road trip possible, we covered 712 miles down south and back home with only about 2 hours of it driven in the dark--yes our drive started at the unholy hour of 5:30 am! There was a lot of ground covered and while we didn't get to spend much time at any one place the objectives of the trip were accomplished: my partner got to do something he loves--drive through places at speed while pointing out interesting landmarks in passing, put some miles on the new front tyres, and we took a few photos of historic trees.  Yes, the objective of the trip was to visit a couple of the 50 Great British Trees.

First stop not counting the Starbucks refueling (where they oohed and ahhed over my American issued personalised gold rewards card) and to allow the dogs to do their business was the Heavitree Yew in Exeter...or it would have been but for some reason we thought the tree was at the Heavitree Pleasure Grounds.  It is quite a pretty and bustling park and we did find a historic tree, just not the one we were in search of!  Oh well, it got us out of the car and Ben got to frolic off leash (Elsie doesn't get that privilege because she has NO recall whatsoever and likes to put her front paws on people's legs) while we figured out where we should have been.

The 'other' tree

Quite old but not the green plaque we were looking for

The Voices of Heavitree Arch

The arch in the picture above is apparently quite controversial because of the amount of money spent in upkeep, it seems to be a target of frequent vandalism/graffiti as well.  What I do want to point out is the sign on the building for The Gun and Sport Shop.  Quite a few people are under the impression that ALL guns are illegal in the UK and that simply isn't true.  There is certainly a more stringent licensing and certification process but it isn't impossible to own a firearm. Anyway back to the tree!

The church through the daisies

The Heavitree Yew is in the churchyard of St. Michael and All Angels, like most here it is a very pretty church but it also has a air of being very busy and cluttered! The yew is right next to the entry and when we were walking up we were almost bowled over by a man rushing out 'in search of a body'! He was very apologetic and it was almost like a scene out of a television programme. 

The Heavitree Yew

50 Great British Trees Commemoration Plaque

I wonder how many people have sat in or climbed this tree

Quick pic of the Church interior

Beautiful sky

Always love the gargoyles

Water spout above an entry

So that was the first planned stop of our one day road trip southwards, what we didn't take time to see was the Exeter Cathedral, perhaps another day we will stop to see it but honestly I much prefer the smaller churches to the massive cathedrals so I wasn't terribly disappointed about skipping it. There will be another post or 3 about our insane drive soonish! 

All image editing courtesy of Real World Image Retouching

Expat Explorations

En-route to finding the Chestnut Tree at Morton we spied this building.  Now I would expect to see something like this in Illinois or Washington DC back in the states but it seemed very out of place in Derbyshire! Obviously we stopped to snap a few pics and to see if we could possibly go inside but it was locked up and the gardens are somewhat neglected.  After getting back home to some decent internet access a google search revealed that although it was intended to be a library it never served as one and is currently a masonic lodge.  How it came to be built here is a very interesting story!

Robert Watchorn was born and grew up in Alfreton but immigrated to the US when he was in his early 20s  and was very much a self-made man, the epitome of the American Dream if you will. He began working in the coal mines at age 11 and continued in that line of work in Pennsylvania after immigrating but worked his way up while continuing educating himself. Amongst his accomplishments was helping end child labour in the state, becoming Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island, and owning an oil/gas company. Robert however believed in giving back and invested quite a bit back not only into the communities where he lived in the states but also back in Alfreton--besides this library, he also built a church, school, sports ground and pavilion.  

Robert Watchorn was very much an admirer of Abraham Lincoln and what he stood for, please read more about his history and the Lincoln Memorial Shrine he founded in Redlands, California here.

A visit to the Morton Horse Chestnut Tree

The pursuit of visiting the 50 Great British Trees continues! Yesterday we took a shortish road trip to visit the village of Morton and its Horse Chestnut tree.  The village is quite pretty around the church square and although most of the housing is the typical miners' lodging it does have a bit of a peaceful and slightly quaint feel to it.  I am slightly bemused as to why that particular horse chestnut tree was chosen though...it's not particularly old and according to the parish council site it might not even be the original one planted in that location.  The prettiness of it can't be denied though! However if anyone has any inside knowledge about the Morton Horse Chestnut or the process of how the 50 Great British Trees were selected please leave me a comment.

Morton Horse Chestnut Tree

We also had a wander about the churchyard to see what interesting things we could find, unfortunately the church itself was locked up so we couldn't have a peek around inside.  I'm not sure what it is but while I can't stand funerals I love old cemeteries but that's a subject for another time.  

The church 'gate'

Old grave markers

Water spout, there was another identical but more worn one on the opposite side of the church

More water spouts

While doing a bit of research on Morton I did discover another interesting tidbit...the parish claims to be the centre of England (based on north-south axis and the east coast/Welsh border) and it's marked by an old oak tree!  Of course a newer OS (Ordnance Survey) study has now shown this is not quite accurate but it's still cool.  

The centre of England?

Morton Parish Council Plaque

Me in the centre of England!

This trip marks 4 out of the 50 trees (plus a bonus!), we just need to decide on which one to road trip to next. I was considering the Lebanon Cedar in Childrey but a google maps search shows that it might not be accessible to the public now as it appears the old rectory garden is blurred out on street view.  

A bit of local vernacular

Ey up me duck!  The local media has been all aflutter about Dolly Parton being the latest celebrity (preceded by Angelina Jolie and Prince Harry) to use the East Midlands phrase and even the BBC has waded in with today's headline Do normal people really say 'ay up me duck?'.  To answer that question, yes they do!  A day rarely passes that I don't hear it said as a greeting at least once and it encompasses most age groups.  You do tend to hear 'eyup duck' and 'hiya duck' more often though and while I haven't adopted the usage of duck, hiya has most definitely entered my lexicon.

This video explains the phrase and origins quite nicely

Also notice the pronunciation of Derby--it's 'Darby' here rather than the 'er' we usually say in the states. I can't exactly say anything since Arkansas is 'Ar-kan-saw' rather than Ar-Kansas. However I still reserve the right to shake my head over Belvoir ending up as beaver!  

Americanisms...or are they?

This list link was posted on a facebook group I'm part of this morning, I had to laugh because there are several I've gotten corrected on and it turns out they are originally English...or in the case of autumn, French!

Even Ben thinks this is funny!

American/English

Fall/Autumn

Guess (to suppose)/??? I'm not sure on this one unless it is 'to suppose'

Trash/Rubbish

Soccer/Football

Slain and slay/(another one I'm not sure about)

Gotten/???

Faucet/tap

Loan (verb)/???

Draft (selection for service)/???

Diaper/Nappy

Gotten of course is just slagged off as poor grammar and mentioning that football used to be called soccer in the UK will cause a VERY animated discussion! Please comment and let me know what the UK versions are of the words that have question marks. 

Expat food cravings

No matter how well adjusted expats become to the food available in their current country of abode there are always a few cravings from back home (usually unhealthy) that just can't be ignored. Mine is mostly of the Tex-Mex variety but I do have to confess that one of the others is the packaged instant ramen noodles...yes, I know you don't get much more unhealthy than those but adding a handful of kale and not using the flavouring pack lessens the evil somewhat (right???).  After a bit of snooping around the local shops I have discovered that I can at least fulfil that particular urge.

After extensive research (hey, someone has to do it!) I've narrowed it down to these two options from Tesco and Aldi (in other words those two shops are the ones closest to me). The Aldi version is 100g for 18p, Tesco is 65g for 20p--I'm sure you can guess which one I buy most often! Ostensibly the former is 2 servings per packet but does anyone really believe that? That ranks up there with the suggested serving size of cereals.  With that settled, recommendations for GOOD Mexican or Tex-Mex in England would be very much appreciated!

View from Breedon on the Hill

As a truckdriver back in the states there were many times I'd spot interesting things from the interstate (motorway) and think to myself that I should go see that up close.  The same thing happens quite often here only it's from the passenger seat of a car rather than behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler which makes it far easier to take little detours. One of those places happened to be a church atop a hill that can be seen from the A42 in Leicestershire in the village of Breedon on the Hill (sometime soon I need to write about the differences of villages, parishes, hamlets, towns, and cities but not today).

To delve into a bit of toponymy, Breedon is a combination of the Celtic and Old English words for hill so basically Breedon on the Hill is a bit repetitious! To be fair though, it is quite a hill and you can get some amazing views for miles in several directions so it's no surprise that it used to be an Iron Age hillfort. The church standing there now was preceded by a monastery (approx 676 AD) and a priory later on (1122), more of the history can be found here.

The quarry as viewed from just outside the Church grounds

The Jubilee Beacon

Interior of the church

A moss 'forest' on the stone wall

Manx Loaghtan sheep

The other thing we were fascinated by was the herd of the sheep that had 2 to 4 horns! Neither of us had ever seen these before and we spent quite a bit of time trying to get some decent pictures of them. As you can see from the photo above they weren't at all interested in our attention or posing.  Turns out they are Manx Loaghtan sheep and they are on the watch list of rare breeds.  

The mutts and I outside the roundhouse in the village

While Breedon on the Hill isn't exactly a tourist hot-spot, it does provide some interesting things to explore and very spectacular views.  After our visit I did more research on the church and I would like to make a return trip to look more closely at the artwork and carvings. 

Evening Walk

We don't always go for a walk with the camera but when we do...

Beautiful Bella

The mutts in motion

Ben taking a breather

Just posing and hoping for a carrot

England is absolutely gorgeous when the sun is out and you have to take advantage of it as much as possible no matter what the temperature is.  Pictures taken and edited by +TWBrit com, the last photo had 2 strands of pipe covered fencing across it and he was able to remove them from the finished product.  Give him a shout about prices if you need any retouching or editing done.