One of my mother's claims to fame was that she could drive my father's big black Austin A40 at 30 MPH and with double declutching, put the car into reverse without grating the gears. This irritated my father to death. Not only was he a very proud car lover and home mechanic, but the thoughts of possible torture to this vehicle drove him up the wall. What made him go ballistic was the fact that he tried the same feat many times and never did succeed. I remember sleeping on the back seat of the Austin snuggled in blankets and pillows. I also remember going on wonderful adventures - albeit around the block. The rains would arrive with a vengeance, lightning and thunder drowning out every other sound. I was afraid of these horrendous storms lighting up the southern African skies. Houses weren't safe with all their metal doors and window frames, so my mother would take me to the safest place she could think of - the Austin, which sat on four sturdy rubber tires. Here I snuggled with my parents on the front seat knowing I was safe and sound.
My parents sold that car when I was about 7 years old, and my mother was still double declutching before putting it into reverse at 30 MPH. My father by this time had all but given up on the idea of putting the car into reverse without grating the gears and had given up trying. He had also conceded that my mother was the better driver. The Austin was replaced by a Jaguar with a synchromesh gearbox and driving with my parents became a tad more boring. Another fact I quickly learnt was that a Jag can go a lot faster than an Austin!
