A planned drive out of town with the wife driving. Where the job centre is I cannot go to and where I will no doubt be summoned soon. I tried and I got close but could not take the final steps even in the quiet dark of night. With praise and encouragement my wife has been urging me on to that end without any success and to other destinations too. Slowly she has been pushing me on. Still though the run out of town never came.
Last night we went north to a place we have been twice before but since a week has past since my last journey in the car my wife drove. To me the anxiety doesn't matter whether I am a driver or a passenger as its the thought of being so far from that trips the panic switch. But not being at the wheel I can hide behind the camera snapping blurs, lights, darks and colours. So we went out there and parked for 5 minutes before returning home. But when we neared home the SODS had once again got their roadworks out and cut of the path. Panic stations! We would instead have to drive away from home on a long, to me, detour. It was OK though to be honest. And at some point I found myself outside those buildings I have planned so hard to get to and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I found myself also outside the local council buildings, pictured above, which seem to hog the skyline from wherever you look but until this point way off in the distance. Not much in the way of panic and I managed well. It also meant that we had to drive over Bothwell Bridge which should have been exciting but it was not lit up.
My driving circle has expanded quite a bit. I mean it wasn't so long ago I couldn't even face getting in the car. Now I can go as far as 25 miles. Its all still centred around my home but is expanding. The more I can push out the more insignificant the little centre will become, I hope. But I would not have reached any of the points above were it not for my wife so I have so much to thank her for and she gets as big a kick out of each new step as I do. And all the while the kids sit in the back enjoying the night time drives looking forward to their hot chocolate before bed. It has become a real family affair.
