7. Driving

When I was a runner on a TV show, based in the Cotswolds for a month - I drove a different car every day. I'd have to move the director's car, or the 1st AD's, and on one memorable occasion I had to drive a 12 seater landrover through some high-sided narrow lanes without a map, without being able to find the lights, very quickly. That was fun. In Yorkshire two years ago my friend Liz put me on her insurance for the weekend, and late on the Saturday night I found myself driving her, my mother and my partner, through a snowstorm down Sutton Bank (a 1 in 5 gradient). That was hairy. But fun.

For a few years my in-laws owned a lovely old MG. Driving that round the lanes of Suffolk was bliss, and I was sad when they sold it. One day I will own something similar, kept simply for the pleasure that kind of driving brings me. I'll have to be rich.

For me driving has never lost that bittersweet taste of freedom and self-determination, but that's what I love about it. I have been a licensed driver for 18 years, and the idea of not being able to do it - of never passing that test - is unimaginable. I pity those who can't drive, but maybe they are not speed-addicted control freaks. I don't mind being driven (depends who's doing the driving) but just as my father always did the big drives (unless he was banned), and let my Mum do the 'town' driving, I find myself preferring to be responsible for transporting my little family long distances, and not being so bothered about driving the dog to the park. Just another aspect of my control-freakery, I suspect, but maybe a gentle subconscious nod to what I hope will be a lifetime of enjoyment. Maybe I have to limit my exposure, to truly enjoy the experience. Maybe that is true of other aspects of my life? Hmm. I'll have to think about that, next time I'm on a long journey.