31/05/17

The last day of May, thank goodness.  I don't like May it seems a month for problems to occur.  Today has been hot again.  The heat wouldn't be difficult if it warmed up in spring and just continued warming until summer.  We would get used to the heat, but as you know it doesn't happen like that.  We seem to be keeping busy at work, not as manic as earlier in the year but busy enough.  I have nothing to report about the work today, it went easily enough though it was nearly six when I clocked off.  We ate our evening meal outside and had the pleasure of watching a buzzard being mobbed by crows as it was trying to gain height on a thermal.  The poor thing made three attempts before it finally rid itself of the crows.  See you tomorrow.

25/05/14

Today has been hot by UK standards.  The trouble with our weather is that it always takes us by surprise.  Last week it was cold, wet and miserable and from that it's gone to hot, it's all a bit of a shock to us, though we should expect it.  If it gradually warmed up with the advent of spring we would be used to it by the time it was hot, but no, it goes from cold to hot with nothing in between.  It's no wonder we spend so much time talking about the weather.  Back to the work, I do wish that car drivers would realise that it's irritating and dangerous to rush past me at the end of a piece of dual carriageway and then brake.  My stopping distance is worked out and is safe but to have some idiot pass me then brake up leaves me no option but to brake quickly.  It happens time and time again on the A64, the idiots are only gaining the length of my truck , why take the risk.  And while I'm on the subject of idiots in cars when will some drivers learn that there is nothing but danger in tail gating a truck.  We can't see you if you can't see our mirrors the only indication we have that something is close in is the shadow that is cast if the sun is at an angle to cast  shadows.  The practice doesn't irritate truck drivers as it does other car drivers because we can't see you and it's possibly dangerous for the idiot who's so close in.  And for my last rant of the day it's cyclists, for goodness sake wear a high vis vest or the equivalent.  Black Lycra doesn't show up in shadows when we are facing the sun.  Three times today I've come up behind cyclists in black lycra riding along in the shadow of roadside trees while I have had the sun in my eyes.  If you really want to die go jump off the Humber bridge then you get your wish and other motorists don't have to explain things to the police and fill in unwanted paper work.  Show some concern for other road users, give us a chance to see and avoid squashing you.  And finally, don't you think that men wearing, what amounts to, thick black tights is a little odd or at least a little Tudor.

See you tomorrow.

24/05/17

I?ve not been out of the yard today.  Our company puts us through a day towards our CPC every year and today was my day.  While it isn't fun the instructor made the best of it and I managed not to fall asleep and the first aid part of the training was useful.
See you tomorrow.

23/05/17

I would like to express my sorrow at what happened in Manchester. I know it won't help but I would also like to express my sympathy for those effected by the horror.

17/05/17

Guess what! I got wet  again today, not as wet as yesterday but wet all the same.  Perhaps I should start wearing my waterproofs.  Not wearing them could be what's causing the problem.  Once again I had two loads to a local store before starting a delivery run usually completed by one of the other drivers but at least i didn't have a collection as well, unlike yesterday.  Even though I wasn't loaded the night before the work went well enough and I was finished by half past fire.  I managed to ignore most of the political clap trap today so the world seemed a better place.  Yes I know I could switch the wireless off but I like listening as I'm driving.  All in all it would be better if the politicians shut up and kept their lies to themselves then they would be fooling the only people to believe them, themselves.  I'm feeling grumpy because the Tesco web site isn't working correctly and I can't complete our shopping order for the week.  One more try them I'm giving up until tomorrow.  See you then.

16/05/17

It's raining, the roads are wet and so am I. At least it's not cold.  The trouble with warm rain is that I tend to ignore it until I suddenly find I'm soaked through.  I'm sure it will be good for the crops, it will even be good for my orchard but the driver doesn't appreciate being unexpectedly wet.  Wet is nearly as bad as listening to politicians who have been mistakenly given air space, trying to convince us that their lies are better than those told by the opposition.  I don't keep my hatred of politicians for any particular party I spread it to cover the whole disgusting lot.
Apart from being wet, did I mention I got wet? The day went well enough even given the fact that I was loaded the night before and had to do a local store delivery first followed closely by a second load to the same store.  All very irritating as the store doesn't open until eight and after the first two loads I had to complete my normal days work which all ran late and I didn't finish until six thirty in the evening.  See you tomorrow.

15/05/17

Today we have had rain! Not the heavy drenching rain we were promised by our weather forecasting teams, just regular and constant drizzle.  At least it wasn't particularly cold.  If weather were an expression today would sum up my enthusiasm for the UK's up and coming election.  Yes, once again we are choosing which group's lies we like best and picking them to act as our government for the next five years.  The whole damned thing must be a hugh waste of money and is, as usual, extremely boring.   But I will be voting, not to do so would be to belittle the sacrifice made by our forebears, a sacrifice that gave and maintained our freedom.  So no matter what I think about the various parties involved and the pathetic back biting they involve themselves in I will vote.  But that's enough of my views of politicians, back to the day.  The work went well everything was completed as required with no incidents to report.  See you tomorrow.  

12/05/17

Friday again, work has gone reasonably well, everything arrived where the customer required it.  Funnily enough its wasn't always at the address which my paperwork claimed was the delivery address.  But that's not unusual though things usually work out without too much trouble.  I forgot to say on yesterdays post that the day was mad, four full loads all reached their destination, for a change everything worked perfectly and I was back in the yard by five, amazing! Back to today, nothing exceptional to report as I said,
See you Monday

11/05/17

The swifts have come back.  I saw the first while I was at work, can't remember where, and the second flight when I arrived home.  What a wonderful sight to greet me at home.  As usual I heard them before I saw them, screaming as they dash between the houses of our little village.  The swallows were late but I think the swifts were back early, perhaps not very early, but early.  They're drab coloured little birds without the advantage of a beautiful song and can't take off if they land of the ground but their redemption is their design, they are built to fly.  In fact they take life in the air to extreme, even sleeping on the wing, never landing until they nest for the first time.  It's a pleasure to see them return.
See you tomorrow.

10/05/17

Today has been the warmest day of the year so far and on the good side and totally unrelated to the weather and sunshine, it looks as if we are getting super fast broadband in our village.  At last and about time.  And to change the subject entirely has anyone else noticed how few swallows we have in the country this year?  Farms that look as if they should be home to ten of more pairs seem to have only a single pair.  I know one swallow doesn't make a summer but can we have a summer with no swallows?
See you tomorrow.

08/05/17

I've been trying g to find out if two apple varieties montioned by Robert Hogg around one hundred and sixty years ago are still in existence. They are the Siberian Harvey and the Siberian Bitter Sweet. If anyone knows of either of these app!es p!ease let me know. From their description it is just possible that they would both produce high quality juice here in Yorkshire. I'm trying to produce cider, yes I know I'm too far north, but that's where I live so I will try to choose varieties that give good juice here. The cider was good this year, I didn't muck it up this time, there just wasn't enough of it.
See you tomorrow.

Profound Thought

As I have aged I have eventually come to realise that the only constant in life is change.  To live is to change.
See you Monday

03/05/17

Apologies.  I have been a very poor blogger for the last couple of months.  I have been distracted by my orchard and by truing to brew mead.  Both endeavours seem to be progressing reasonably well now.  Though I did go to the expense of buying some heather honey at great expense, hoping to make superior mead, so far it seems to have produced the opposite.  For the moment I am going to give it the benefit of doubt and put the bottles aside until next year in the hope it will improve.  The problem I have with brewing is that, so far, I haven't brewed anything in a large enough quantity to allow me to sample on a regular basis and keep some long enough to age correctly.  I have hopes that one day I will brew in large enough quantities.   I very nearly threw my first batch of mead out as it tasted like petrol.  Thankfully I did a little reading on the net and discovered that , early in it's life, it often tastes that way due to fusel alcohol.  But according to what I read the chemical taste fades and disappears with ageing.  From my tasting the comments are correct.  But that's enough of that for the moment, back to the driving.  Apart from the lead up to the bank holidays the roads have been reasonable though I did notice someone had attempted to drive through the road barriers on the Ouse bridge.  Not a good idea, the drop to the water is a long one , not fun.
See you tomorrow.  Perhaps.