One fateful day, Kim came home with her newly acquired learner’s license. It was to change the McQueen family forever. Well, not really, but it certainly made a memorable story.

It wasn’t too long before Mum agreed to supervise Kim on her first car-driving experience. So Mum took her to some deserted street in Westbury (I think maybe most Westbury residents kept off the streets that day) and Kim took her place, for the first time ever, at the wheel of a registered vehicle.

Kim applied her foot to the accelerator, and they set out on their way.

Just to be fair, I must state that Kim’s previous experiences with motorised vehicles had consisted of go-carts and dodgem-cars. I have a feeling that Mum did not mention that turning the steering wheel around far enough didn’t enable you to reverse. She evidently also did not mention that turning a corner could well involve turning the steering wheel more than fifteen degrees.

So, when they got to the first corner, and Mum said, “Turn left here,” Kim turned the steering wheel to what she thought was a very adequate position to make a left turn.

Sadly, it was more like the position one would use to change lanes on a freeway. Consequently the car drifted confidently and most majestically into the barbed-wire fence on the far corner of the intersection.

Fortunately, no great damage was done. The car suffered only minor damage, and no sheep escaped. It was a while before either Kim or Mum was willing to have a second attempt, but the time finally came and all went well. There was also an embargo on this story for a long time, but as all great stories must eventually come to light, it is here finally told. Kim doesn’t mind now, because she’s now quite a decent driver.