30/06/14

Bacon roll for lunch, some days are bacon roll days, nothing else will do. Today was a bacon roll day so it just had to be. All deliveries done and a collection made. I would have made it back to the yard but due to road works I was running out if hours, and then there was the bacon roll van! Don't know what I'm to do after tipping but no doubt I'll be told. See you later.  The day didn't get any worse, Once I had off loaded my collection of silage wrap from Carlton store I loaded and delivered a full load to Malton store then loaded again for Malton store in the morning.  See you tomorrow.

37/06/14

While waiting to load at Cherry Tree Mill I took the picture below. The crow isn't unusual or attractive but it's behaviour was interesting. It flew in carrying something, I didn't see what, then proceeded to bury whatever it was carrying. I suppose it was a food item that it didn't want to eat immediately. It would be interesting to know if the Bird digs it up and how long it us able to remember where it buried the item.  As for the days work, it wasn't bad, the collection from the mill was quick and I got Monday's load loaded. See you Monday.

26/06/14

A picture of a field of linseed. The picture doesn't do justice to the view. From a distance the blue can be mistaken for water. Today can best be described as frustrating, it's not that anything went particularly wrong. It's just that non of the day went as easily as it should.  I'll just write it off as one of those days. See you tomorrow.

25/06/14

Carlton store and area again today.  The most remarkable thing about today was the behaviour of one customer.  I don't often come across a whole family with such a lack of social skill or manners as the customer I delivered to today.  I have done this delivery on a regular basis for the last two years so I know what to expect.  Today I backed the truck in, after waiting for one of the family to drive out.  The drop usually involves hand tipping and stacking forty two bales of wood shavings.  Sometimes they manage to say hello, sometimes they even manage a whole sentence.  Occasionally they even help, especially if I have the taco on break and need to take a half hour.  Today one of them drove out as soon as I arrived and two of the others got on bikes and rode past me with never a word.  They all wear matching overalls and I seriously doubt if they have ever had a good time.  These type of people seem to take no joy in life, they appear to treat life as some sort of punishment to be endured as best they can.  Its not that I particularly needed or wanted help but to bike past me within arms length and not speak is behaviour that I find unbelievably ignorant.  Its also a sad way to live.  Below is a picture of the stack of bales that I unloaded and re-stacked. 

24/06/14

First load to our Kirkbymoorside store. Mine was the first of two loads for the store this morning. I unloaded myself and got out of the way. Second load was my usual run to Carlton store and area, apart from one farm drop that I hadn't done before there was nothing remarkable about the day. The barley is starting to change colour now, most of it is stood up and the prospects for harvest look good, at least they do from the truck seat. I saw the first field of boning peas had been harvested yesterday, the year is progressing, soon be seed dressing again.  Then it's all down hill to Christmas. Where does time go? See you tomorrow.

23/06/14

Back to work, no rest for the wicked or me. Not the greatest sight on a Monday morning, but this is the mill at Amotherby.  Today was fairly 

easy, a load to CCarlton store, a collection from old Goole then two loads into Malton store, nothing remarkable about the day except it was hot and sunny. Why is it always hot and sunny on a work day? :-) See you tomorrow.

20/06/14

Nothing much to say about today, everything went well.  I was on my usual run to Carlton store and area.  The only difference was that I had to collect eighty four wooden rails from Carlton store to make up a delivery of two hundred and fifty rails to a farm at Shiptonthorpe.  There were two remarkable things about this, firstly it isn't in my usual area and secondly it was to a farm that I haven't been to before.  I found it easily enough with the aide of Google maps and my road map and even managed to make the delivery within a minute of the time I gave for my arrival and that is remarkable considering that it was Friday.  I got back in the yard in good time and got most of my load for Monday loaded.  Wonder if the man will throw a spanner in the works and change my tickets?  See you Monday.

19/06/14

Today seemed too good to be true and as the saying goes "If it seems too good to be true it usually is!"  and it was.  I had Carlton store and area with no collections, I had to stop for a break as my hours were up, while I was stopped I received the phone call.  "Will you be back in time to take a load of feed to Kirkby store?"  There was no problem, I knew I could do it easily and still be back in the yard in time to start with the next days load.  I got back to base, collected my tickets and all was well.  The curtains were open and I was about to start loading when disaster struck.  Our transport manager appeared, took back my tickets and said I was to go with another member or staff, take one of the seven and a half tonne trucks with two tonnes of pheasant feed find a hut around two miles into the forestry and swap the two tonnes that had been dropped earlier as it was the wrong product.  Great!  Firstly the truck is a Hino and is built for someone of a much smaller stature than my six foot three, possibly for someone no taller than five foot three.  But I managed to drive the damned thing, no wonder its half the price of a Merc!  That was only the first problem, finding the said hut was the second it was in the forestry to the North of Helmsley off one of the unmarked tracks.  After two wrong turns and a couple of precarious turning manoeuvres on forestry tracks we managed to find the hut.  Third problem, we had on two tonnes of feed which we had to off load in the hut there was two tonnes of feed which we had to collect, the hut would only hold two tonnes of feed and the doorway wasn't high enough to walk in carrying a bag on my shoulder, this just got better!  In the end we had to partially empty the hut to make room before unloading the truck.  We did the job eventually, I hope the pheasants appreciate our efforts.  Just as we finished my colleague informed me that the company had lost part of the order, yes you've guessed it, the easy part.  It appears that the new supplier is willing to undercut us but not on the deliveries to the miserable little huts in the woods.  Which company is being daft?

17/06/14

Today has been an easy day, that is unless out transport manager is reading this, if he is it was a very hard day.  The only problem was that when I thought I was loaded I had to go back round and collect more.  First drop Malton store, then back to my usual run of Carlton store and area.  The only remarkable thing about today was the two apples I ate while waiting for the customer at my last drop in North Cave.  I bought two packs of Smitten apples from our local Morrisons supermarket in Malton.  They are simply amazing, the best shop bought apples I have ever had.  Smitten is a good name, I am just that.  The only problem is that I am unable to buy the trees for my orchard.  Back to the days work; after the last delivery I went back to Carlton store to collect the stack of empty pallets and two sundries cages.  Since I am usually collecting as well as delivering pallets build up so I make an effort to clear them out when I can.  See you tomorrow.

16/06/14

Had a day off today, been to a funeral service.  A friend died at the age of sixty four, it seems no age at all from my prospective since I'm only ten years younger.  Another hole in my world that won't ever be filled again.  For every loss life is diminished a little more.

22/5/14

This is an example of a badly stacked and badly placed pallet, the only surprise was that it actually reached its destination without falling over.  I was amazed though the gentleman who stacked it assured me that it would be OK.  He was right this time!

13/06/14

Friday the thirteenth, not good for some but I hope OK for me.  today has been fairly easy and I have been able to load and deliver the two drops I left off yesterday.  As things have turned out it was much better that I did leave them off yesterday since they fitted much better with today's work.  Deliveries done easily enough and then two collections, the first from Old Goole, a tonne of fish oil.  I didn't even know fish needed oiling but that shows how little I know  ;-)  Then off to Pollington for dog and cat food, this can be a long wait.  They are well organised and the loading staff are very competent but they only have one loading bay so if I end up at the back of six artics I have no option but wait.  Thankfully, today, there was only a single small truck in front of me so I was in and out in twenty five, not bad.  Back at base I got the load off and thankfully I got my own truck back, with little more than a new windscreen it passed it's MOT.  That's a relief the gear box on the one I have been driving for the last few days doesn't like setting off and seems intent on hiding first gear, but once the truck is rolling its a good box so long as you don't come to a halt.  Day off on Monday to attend a funeral, back on Tuesday.

12/06/14

Crazy day today.  I was given the tickets for fifteen drops, all vaguely based on the Carlton area.  Firstly, though I could have got everything on it wasn't practical.  If I had loaded everything the items were such that two of he early deliveries would have had to be loaded at the bottom of the truck leaving me with no option but to back track by around thirty miles.  It was strange how I didn't manage to fit on the last two drops.  Even with the last two drops left for Friday it was still seven in the evening before I got back to base.  It will be pure luck if my hours are right for today.  It's not that we often get near our driving hours as some of the unloading can take a while and so long as the taco is on other work it doesn't count as driving time.  And I did have a couple of drops of feed to unload by hand on my own.

10/06/14

Bad day, very bad day. It wasn't that anything specific went badly wrong.  It was just one of those days in which everything takes twice as long as it should, and all for no reason that I could fathom.  All in all I was glad when the day was over.  

09/06/14

Not busy at work today, but its like that at this time of year.  All the livestock is turned out to grass, most of the fencing has been done or repaired and the farmers are waiting for harvest so they don't have a lot of spare money at the moment.  But things will change, by the middle of August we will be flat out, two of us will be seed dressing hence there will be two less drivers available as we get busier.  Today my only load out was Carlton store and one farm drop, then a collection from Walden Stubbs.  My truck is in for test this week so I had it to wash off before it went into the workshop, not fun when its raining as well.  But job done and I got loaded for tomorrow on the spare truck.  Still haven't worked out how to adjust the wing mirrors on the damned thing.  Great start!  See you tomorrow.

04/06/14

Its been a wet day, very wet, not that its unusual for us at this time of year but its about time it stopped we have had enough for the moment.  One load out today Carlton store and three drops.  I did have a little trouble finding the last drop at Saltmarsh.  Finding Saltmarsh was easy enough but getting there was problematic.  I came across a bridge with a twelve foot height limit my truck is thirteen foot four inches, I didn't even try and had to find another way in.  When I got to the drop he hadn't received the message I had left on the answering service for his mobile so he wasn't there.  Luckily he was on his way with the loader for other reasons.  Then I had a mill collection in Goole, only five tonnes of hi-pro soya but I still had to get there.  It isn't usually a problem to get there but Goole was getting a royal visit today, someone had thought it a good idea for Prince William to go to Goole today.  I wonder what he had done to deserve that fate for today.  I have nothing against the royal family I just prefer it if they are always somewhere I'm not, it makes travelling much easier.  I finally got the the mill and made the collection then back to Carlton store to collect the stack of empty pallets, I don't often get chance to take the used pallets and rubbish out as I usually have a full load to collect, so I have to take every chance I get.  See you tomorrow.

03/06/14

Just loaded with baked cardboard and baked plastic to go to Todd's recycling at Thirsk. Wonder if they pay extra for the rat droppings included on the bales?