Michelle passed her driving test today.

When we moved here to the UK in 2003 we knew that we only had 1 year to drive on our Canadian drivers licences before we had to get ‘real’ ones….

I went to the DVLA and found out I could do a neat little direct swap with my Australian drivers licence. So I did. All taken care of. Unfortunately for Michelle, I guess because we drive on the wrong side of the road in Montreal, she didn’t have it quite so easy. They would ‘swap’ her Canadian license but only in exchange of the theory test – she would still have to undergo a practical driving test in order to be issued with a UK drivers license. That didn’t sound so reasonable, so instead – in our infinite wisdom at the time – it was decided she should keep her Canadian license and go through the full process here in the UK to get a permit.

What a long and sad story. Too long and too sad to relate here. Credit where it’s due though… I’m not sure many of us would be able to sit a driving test after having driven for 25 odd years on the other side of the road and picked up any number of bad habits. Not only that, but there are new rules, new procedures, new lots of things.

The best news is, finally, (after much pain and endless torture and wads of cash!) Michelle is now a full license holder here in the UK. Now she will be able to drive pretty well everywhere fully legal! If we move to Australia she will be able to do a direct swap with the UK license, if we move to France she’ll be able to do a direct swap with her Canadian license. Same as me.

So, congratulations to Michelle (and thank goodness!)