Where on Earth Have They Put Everything?

My Kia Niro aka The Empress

My old car and I understood each other perfectly. Now I I feel as though I need to learn to drive all over again. 

My first problem was the handbrake – it’s just a button to press!  I drove an automatic around thirty years ago but this is so different!

I had my old car nearly nine years and we had come to an understanding with each other.    For years, I knew exactly where everything was. Now I can't tell whether I'm indicating or washing the windscreen. There is something deeply undignified about spraying water everywhere when all you wanted to do was turn a corner.

And the wretched thing keeps beeping at me!  Am I too close to something? Have I crossed an invisible boundary? Is it trying to tell me I've forgotten my handbag?

Still, I'm making progress. Each journey brings a little more confidence, and I'm beginning to recognise which buttons matter and which can safely be ignored.  I’m taking things slowly, sticking to familiar routes and resisting the temptation to press buttons simply to see what happens.

Give it time. Before long, it will feel like an old friend. I'll know where everything is and the strange noises will become familiar.  Give me time.