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My day today!

Up after a late night - don't know why we sat up with large gin's watching tripe, but we did!

We had to go to Armthorpe to get a small set of chest of drawers - vintage/antique stuff that Caz will paint the bottom a mint green type od colour and distress it to give it that retro look. We do a load of small jobs at Cobwell Street and then head over to her folks house which she shares with them. I get roped into grounds maintenance jobs that they cannot do for themselves. I have started to draw the line as it became obvious that her Dad just couldn't be bothered once he could see that I would do stuff. I don't mind really but object when I buy a bloody good Honda strimmer to save him bothering with a cheap corded electric one and moan that it isn't up to the job and the cord is a myther, then refuse to use this Honda as he is too busy! Same with the mowers - chap likes to buy purely used kit on price and not the right piece of kit to suit a job and get it done easily. Instead of buying a ride on with mulching kit, he will ride about being followed by a rooster tail of clippings which blow all over him and through windows and over washing/cars/veg patch as that is how he has always done it! I know that he has some projects like fencing mending to do as he buys a big back of tie wraps! The shed has a hole in the felt so he gets a roll of felt out and leans agin the wall as a reminder to me! He got a strop on the other year as I refused to tow the bin some 200 yards to the end of the lane with my new truck, when he asked why I refused, I pointed at the battered rear on his Yaris and said that the exercise would do him good. I like him to be honest but the old bugger does have issues!

After all that, we had a roast beef dinner then we head back to Shepshed, Caz has to be up at 02:30 for her shift and I'm away until wednesday night again.
 
Caz away without me even waking! I got up at six, did a few household chores while waiting for my Boss, the Sales Director, to arrive in his Discovery Robert of up north in my Ranger, towing the new unit on another round of Dealer introduction events. This was at Tuxford with the staff of Platts Harris. A good event with everyone enthusiastic and a good atmosphere. I like the people here and it was a joy to have them naturally engage with the Boss and him with them!

Next stop was a call to the dealer in Wakefield, I saw to them at their Burnley office but the boss hasn't been to this office, again, good to have people acting at ease and naturally.

After that to see a hire customer, who also sells another make as well as having ours in his fleet. He gave me an order unprompted for another machine and we had a good laugh over stuff. He has become a friend over the years and I gel with him where others don't.

Onwards to overnight in Newcastle in readiness for another intro tomorrow! Tiring but good to be out with the boss. He trusts my judgement and activities and never really feels the need to question me but still good to have him out with us.
 
Had a relatively late start from the hotel in Newcastle, then headed to a private recycling spot to introduce this new machine. The weather was utterly miserable! This recycling place takes mainly green waste and via a long process, turns it into a compost like material etc. It is also a cattle farm and their waste gets mixed in too. But these places smell a trifle ripe, even on a cold day! Fortunately, that had an open sided barn cleared that we could use as the weather closed in a was wet! Again, the dealer reps were impressed and gladdened to see a machine with significant selling points over the competition! The Boss and I headed south then. Good to spend some quality business hours with him as well as socially. I'm sure that life will go on but I would have preferred a different scenario.

I got on the phone to confirm tomorrow's details. First appointment in Montgomeryshire then Chester.

Wednesday night is divorced Dad's night! Time to cook supper. Tom is here and Pip makes a rare visit - we grew apart as she grew up with her mother and like her mother. Still, my daughter and my responsibilities! She tells me that she is pregnant. Don't know whether to laugh or cry with disappointment or happiness! The father isn't suitable as a Dad or partner, she isn't mature enough, has no real job or training and is going to miss out on so much!
 
Caz away in the small hours and I didn't sleep much after.

Anyhow, away in the Ranger with the tri axle trailer and a 1000kg of new machine off towards Shropshire. M42, M6 Toll, M54, A5 and country lanes. A decent enough drive but in pretty lousy weather. The first dealer out at Churchstoke has had his workshop boys away so it is only him to see the new toy. He is impressed and will start spreading the word on Friday while we are at the Arb Show. We reload the unit onto the trailer and head off north bound towards Chester. The people there aren't quite ready for us so there is a fair amount of story telling and reps banter until the spiel starts. Once done, over the road to a neighbours field and chuck a few logs through it. Same result - everyone is impressed! Lets hope that the buyers are too at the show. Once we done that, we put the trailer on the boss's Discovery 4 and he heads back to Warwickshire and I head across to the Stoke/Derby link road and to Shepshed. Feeling shattered from lack of good sleep and the cold and wet of the day has sapped it out of me.

Caz home soon after 5 and after a natter, she has gone to bed for an hour. Cold ham, salad with jacket/wedges for tea, she can stay up a tad tonight as it is shift change and she not due back in until 16:00 tomorrow afternoon, so after tonight, it will be Saturday afternoon when we meet again. Funny old life we lead.
 
Sales meeting today, an early start needed as the MD has confessed to double booking his diary. I'm away at soon after 06:00. The trip south in the rain was okay until the M40 split. I forgot that J3 is goosed and traffic is chaos. I get there for 8 but find out the meeting ain't to start until 8:30!

Usual meeting with the usual comments etc apart from the section on the new machine. I do the notes so try to keep up! Then I got to type my recollections later, not always a true reflection! We got this show next week so there was a fair amount of planning and discussion was had and things changed but it seems that ducks are not aligned yet! I got a little 'reminder' after I confessed to not doing something as I was too busy. But I got to say that I am spread too thin at times and something else will have to go on back burner!

I tried to get home in time to see Caz but traffic and awful weather conspired against me and we passed each other on the back road. I spent the early evening looking at the washing machine as it won't spin up. It's ten years old and ain't worth the time, so a new one ordered. Damn heavy though!

Caz back at 4 in the morning, I'll type up the notes then...
 
I stopped up late and watched This Is England and drank too much! Got up a couple of hours after Caz came in.

I went to buy a washing machine that I ordered after my 10 year old thing stopped spinning. I also got a new phone ordered as mine is old and the battery life is getting poor. Got the new washer in place and the old took to the tip in good order. After Caz got up, I made a filling soup and we spent a bit of time together before I set about doing a wheel swap on the Discovery. I only got two corners swapped before the rain came down!

After she went to work at 16:00, I watched a bit if the rugby final before going over to Nottingham to collect yet more retro furniture! Something else for Cobwell Street!

Now in a bean bag watching some tripe - feels like a busy day and I managed to write up the bull shine notes from the Sales Meeting! Bonus!
 
I got up and left Caz to sleep after her night shift. I got a few things done quietly including sorting a SORN notice for the Corsa, I had forgotten that vehicles need the 3 elements to exist or a SORN. Gone are the days of being parked up on private ground awaiting repair! Hopefully, a fine has been avoided...

I took the Ranger for a wash ready for next week, then decided to go for a proper hair cut and beard trim! Caz usually does my hair with a No3 trimmer and I try to sort the beard. Shepshed Hassan couple of places that do the stuff that the usual barber doesn't bother over much with. A friendly chap, originally from Kurdistan, did a fantastic job for £15, he gets my vote! Hair trimmed, ears flamed, eyebrows sorted, beard shaped and styled, whizz about with cut throat and I look proper! Chap in front of me had a shock, in there with two young boys, all in for the tupenny all off. Dad mentioned that the wife commented on his hairy nose holes, the Kurd said he sort that and pushed two blobs of wax on sticks up his hooter! The kids howled with laughter and shouted Gross! I suggested they they gets Dad's phone and take pictures. I also suggested that they ought to video them coming out as it would be painful! Dad laughed it off but them being pulled did makes his eyes water!

Then off to Cobwell Road and more trauma! The boiler has stopped working and has no pressure in the system. Caz also spots a damp patch on a bedroom wall, that chimney again! She stresses! I tell her that we will do the dog thing and get ladders to look in the loft space and think boiler tactics.

The dog enjoys his walk, I enjoy the dinner! A trip up the lofts shows a poor old roof but nothing any old house doesn't have but no water tank leaking etc. That puts her mind at ease a bit. Then, after a two minute YouTube video, refill the boiler and press reset and it works! Winner!

She does a quick roast dinner for Joe and us two, and shortly after that, I head home. She stays for a couple of days inbetween shifts. I'll see her on Wednesday night next!
 
Awake at 05:30 and read news blah blah then get on the road. I got to collect a demo unit from Newcastle and see (or at least try) to see a couple of customers and potential customers before heading home. Lovely day but lots of insects about, the newly cleaned car is covered in dead spots! I stop at the services at Wetherby for a toilet break and note that most cars are the same.

Caz is at Cobwell Road and out for supper tonight with her two kids, she doing some DIY stuff and waiting for the gas man coming to get rid of the card meter and fit a smart thing.

Back to Shepshed to collect a new phone from town - amazing that nowadays, a few buttons pressed and everything is transferred from one device to another! Non of this messing about with sim cards etc.

I got a stack of household chores that need doing if I'm away for a few days more, I don't like leaving it to Caz as she has to work too. Late supper and now in the bean bag, watching tripe on tv! Contemplating the show and the doings that need to be done in preparation. Its my job to order up a kilo of pork scratchings as nibbles for the show and I just found out that they are likely to be delivered on thursday - we want to be away on Thursday, and thats cutting it fine!
 
One of those days that drag on with bother! Up and away before 08:00, the trip down to the factory took over 90 minutes again. I had hoped to slope in, swap trailers and get on the way, but, various people wanted to ask/talk/tell, so I lost another 90 minutes! I went up to Birmingham to my dealer there to collect a customers unit that needed taking to Nottingham. The dealers service Manager must not have talked to anyone for the whole week and felt the need to unload it on me! Good job that I had not made a definite appointment with anyone.....After the chat, I head out towards Nottingham, letting the customer know what time I'll be there and that I wanted to talk about the loan machine that he has and I need.

I got to his yard in Nottingham and he isn't there, a lad helps me get mine out and away but confessed that he couldn't be bothered to clean it or check it over. Nice. It amazes me that some people get all this help with free machines, transport, special deals and they still cannot be bothered when you extend a hand to them. I slope of before he bothers to appear as I might not hold back! I already had a chunter at him the other week when I dropped it off. Some time ago, he injured his hand and had to got to hospital after trapping his hand - blood wound, badly bruised and damaged finger nail - in the flywheel of his machine. He blamed us as he said that the machine was unsafe. Despite several warnings in the handbook and plenty of anecdotal evidence - he hand his hand in the wrong place while turning over a heavy rotor! Last week, he said, "I still haven't decided how much to sue you for after my injury, my solicitor says it would be a tidy sum". My response was "bring it on son, but remember, keep smiling and bragging when you pay our costs. The HSE investigated it and there was no issue according to them - operator error!".

Anyways, I check over that machine, do the weekly grease and fitted new blades, checked the levels etc. Then took it to another outfit in Wellingborough, they had two of these top machines and unfortunately, one has been a bit of a 'Friday nighter'. I got to take it back to ours for a small weld and another minor thing, so left mine there as a gesture. Their other also has to come back as a gesture. I get there, start to explain what is happening etc and the contacts body language is a total negative. He then blandly tells me that the other is playing up - a quick look diagnoses that some mountimng bolts have worked loose and need tightening. He just looks at me blankly. I try to point out that in the manual and safety decals say, "if you see loose bolts, tighten them up". He stands there with another blank look. I run out to the truck and he just stands there while I do them up but one is missing. His sole response was "you'll have to come back tomorrow with another bolt". I feel that despite all the efforts that we have been too, they won't buy anything else so I am at my level now - shall I bother anymore with you?

What I didn't say was that this was identified as an issue a few weeks ago and the parts and the instructions were sent to the dealer - but they haven't responded! I do wonder at times about some aspects of these enterprises. They get paid workshop rates plus travel to do this and they cannot be bothered - yet we loose further sales.... Madness.
 
I think I'm having one of those periods that you hope pass by soon!

Awake early and on the laptop. I need some desk time but cannot get it. I start to get a few things done but get a call. The trailer that I have is needed! I suggest that they take the other one of the same spec, they cannot as the keys are lost. Drill the lock! Nobody has checked it over, it hasn't moved since February so it does not need it! I stop doing what I'm doing and drive to Alcester to find that the lost keys weren't and that it is being checked over but it doesn't need it! My blood starts to fizz.....

I do some mundane stuff loading "Show stuff" into my car and get the bits I'm allocated onto another trailer. One bit if good news though, the 1kg bag of pork scratchings have arrived, listed in the ledger as 'show expense'! The other year, my budget was raised to £50 for such fodder!

After I load, I find the Chairman to discuss a prototype unit I got out on trial. I give him the update of who had it and who has it now. He wants to visit this lot, but I have to tell him that they are sore over done reliability issues. He turns puce, demands to know why he hasn't been told and what am I doing about it (he don't like me!). I advise him that has been included into the emails and that I do sales, not development, not service, not assembly and only a little Marketing but in two sales areas! Furthermore, I'm next driving for 90 mins to do an urgent service/warranty job that the dealer CBA'd to attend to.

I head out to discover that there was a bad smash on the A14 and I got to divert through deep country to Wellingborough. After 30 mins, I've changed these four M16 bolts for new with Nordloc washers and head towards home. I forgot the strife on the A14 and got stuck in it for two hours! Aargh!

Wednesday night, divorced Dad's night! Tom and Pip here for supper, nice to see them. Caz here too but in bed soon after they went as she is up at 03:00! She had a trial in the airport control room today. A couple of hours o her own time to see if she would take to it if she applied. She was surprised that most of the activities was to do with people having myther with car parks! Wrong car park, wrong bill, wrong car etc....
 
Caz away before I even realised! I'm up, bag packed and laptop stowed and away with spring in my step, I enjoy shows and this is usually a good one to catch up with people and we got the launch of the new machine! I take the M1/M69/A46 route to Westonbirt Arboretum. I used to use this route a lot when I covered the south and I'm still amazed at how things have changed! Not only new housing developments but how much trees etc have grown!

The show ground is a heaving mass of activity as people get their stands ready, trucks in unloading, people positioning their kit and cleaning machines until they sparkle etc. We are one of those "hands on" outfits whereby the Sales Director downwards gets involved! There are five of us getting stuck in, I usually find that there are too many people with an opinion on how things are done, so I'm quite content to leave them to the decisions and just 'do'. Anyhow, it all gets done with no trauma or drama apart from me driving over a carelessly left lunch bag and destroying the contents! We all had a laugh over that! The forecast isn't good which is a shame, rain tomorrow and Saturday!

Now sat in The Cross Hands at Old Sodbury, having a Speckled Hen or few, and a steak! Having my own Sodbury sort out! Is that still on?
 
I'm missed last night as I was in a rush to get on the beer!

First day of the show and all went well with the launch of the new machine. There wasn't as many people at the show as I would have liked to see but interest was good. I've been at this show since 1998/9 and that means I know a lot of people who are here and many of them come for a chat and talk gunsmoke and bull dust! That is good fun, but not always good for sales in the short term! Hey Ho.

The expected rain was short and light so that wasn't a bad thing but it wasn't over warm.

After the day, I shared my hotel with a young girl from our office, a dealer of ours and a product specialist from a protective clothing/ARB supplies company. A fair bit of beer drunk and lots of laughter.

It will be good to get home and see Caz in the morning mind. I think there is some bother looming with her kids as they get to find out that their father is more of a drop kick than they thought. They put him on a pedestal but he wasn't the person that they thought he was and that is hard to accept.
 
Finally home and in the bag with a tripe film, tablet and wine!

Up at silly o'clock as I couldn't sleep with a full bladder and Stella mouth tasted bad! Left the hotel for a Tesco run into Yard, called back at the hotel and Charlie was up but she looked like she had a hangover so left for the show with her to follow with the dealer after they had had breakfast.

The show was tediously slow with visitors down I think. I wished that I had walked and talked with other exhibitors but CBA'd! We did have a number of good enquiries to follow up with but not that many from my area which is a bugger! The breakdown of the show is always a fraught time, set up is two days whereas breakdown is 90 mins! Things get broken, bent, thrown about and with gay abandon too! After a short but frantic time, we head as a convoy back to the factory. Once there, we put trailers (still loaded) into the compound, back a couple of towed units into a building and thank each other and head home knackered!

Tom and I have a Chinese but have logged out on scratchings and other comfort food so aren't over hungry. He has work tomorrow so heads back to his mum's. Caz has left me a couple of errands but once they done, I collapse!
 
Caz came in and I woke long enough to welcome her with a few mumbled words. I get up at nine after a lid of tea and a a read of the news etc!

Off to get the Ranger washed of the dust from the show and the shocking amount of flies stuck to the front. Those eastern Europeans earnt their money today!

I had invited all the kids for Sunday roast at dinner time so the provision had to be sourced and cooking started. Only mine decided to come. Caz looked very tired so had another nap after lunch while I did more domestic chores and chatted to my daughter. Tom was festering with his car so out the way. Pip is 12 weeks pregnant and although she is too young, not really with the father, unlikely to get support from his family, has decided that she is proceeding. I knew/hoped on day to be a Grandad, I had hoped for a different set of circumstances! She did say that she is going to apply for council accommodation as living with her mum is not going to work. I had to gently say that I doubted that the council will fund anything as she could live with her mum, with him and his parents or even me! (Unlikely as we have an awkward relationship and I have different standards of morals, scruples, expectations and parenting compared to her mother!) I have to be happy that she is happy and resolute in her decision going forwards.

Caz goes to work after they have gone and I'm left to finish chores and watch the rugby from the last few days. Tigers got beat by Bath in the final minutes. The end to a pretty miserable season!
 
I was semi awake when Caz came home then fell asleep and woke with a start at 7!

The day was all about starting to catch up with desk time and out standing emails and chores etc.

I got a myther from the Accs office as I'm behind on my expenses claims. March/April was £166 while April/May was ten times that £1600!!! I had the table covered in bits of paper gathered from every door pocket and cubby hole, various laptop bags and suitcases and they all to be there! Miracle....

Some of the calls that I get during the day include a bolt on modification requested some 2 months ago has fell between the cracks and I know that some one will say that it was because I bypassed the process with verbal instructions and no order number! My OCD includes a dislike of processes just loved by OCD sufferers! I also got a call from an outfit in Glasgow who want to buy a machine and sell it on - my dealer isn't aware of the deal that these people are on, so the head man had the good grace to let me give a load of discount away so that they all make a small amount of money - I'll make the least if I have to go up there to do a demonstration of my machine!

Caz away in the middle of the afternoon, leaving me to phone people about her ebay bids and try to arrange collection etc.....I got some Discovery 4 wheels and tyres off of a ebay, paid for them but the seller has gone quite quiet!
 
The day started when Caz came in at 5, I managed a little more sleep after that but I'm glad that her shift pattern means that she has a couple of days off! She has gone off to Retford and Wood Lane to spend some time there. We spoke before I wenrt about her coming to Black Isle Show at the start of August but she is on shift on the day I need to travel but will fly up when she can - via Belfast - to spend a few days with me and go to a few shows....

I drove down to the factory to collect a trailer and talk to a couple of people about stuff which isn't really my bag but unless I keep the pressure on, things get forgotten. It should be a case of the Salesmen sell and the Service people do the fixing but quite often, we get involved as we meet these people all the time or they ring us for an update!

I call on the way home at a spot just off my route the collect the four wheels and tyres that I brought. Dropped them at home and headed of to a dealers to collect a PX machine which has been sold abroad. I got to collate all this stuff - usually without any help but hindrance from my southern colleague who is a law unto himself. He will not go out of his way for five minutes to do anything and right gets up my nose somewhat! Oh well - I get on with it and manage....

The dealer writes me an order for £27k and we have some good banter! His service people are trying to fix a machine which they ask my advice on too. Then home to do some gardening - the back fence is being done so anything hanging on the fence like the honeysuckle and trellis has to go! I'd love to do the side fence but as there is a footpath on the other side, I need full planning permission to do anything other than take down the 7" fence and erect a 3" instead! I'm not even allowed to swap like for like! - but I will eventually.
 
I seem to have too much to do behind a desk but it is all necessary at times! I prefer to be getting my face in front of people and turning over stones for my dealers but that damn laptop keeps me at the desk!

Strange waking up and no Caz, she comes home tomorrow to start another round of night shifts though. She sent me a text to tell me that the Discovery has awarning light on the dash - suspension alert! Normal height only available! I've asked the question and hope it is a simple thing - after only haveing the car a short while, I'd hate to take it back or have the hassle we had with the lemon Q7!

I drove down to the factory to swap loads and get ready for the next two days of driving. The Ranger needed some 18litres of AdBlue in the tank and it has only done some two weeks of driving since the last fillup! I'll have to send a message to Ford to find out if that is normal......methinks it ain't!

I needed a new demo unit for small tractors and the Prod Director said it would be available in 4 weeks (that's this week), I put off the demo for the month and am due at a golf club on friday with it. When I went to get it, it had been sat there for 3 weeks already as a man in France was dithering about and yet I could have done my bit and got that job done! UK seems to be the poor relation - cast off trucks and trailers, rigid supply lines and no credit given to the effort that we give it!

Loaded that and another machine that I got to drop off in Stamford Bridge tomorrow and headed home. Wednesday - divorced Dad's day. Tom is here but Pip is staying at her mothers. Tom is having a fight with someone on ebay, so we both tapping at key boards! He had a Lexus (forsooth! just why!!!), it needed new discs so these where ordered off of ebay and when he went to fit them, they didn't fit, and one got slightly damaged. They refused to refund the cost of both and he got stung by the Post Office as the return label supplied was too light! The damaged disc got binned in a fit of pique before he thought about it and is trying to get his money back as the label on the box said that they suited his ride!
 
Up and away before 7 to drive up to Durham towing! I reckoned it was a fairly painless trip but still took thirty mins longer than the previous evenings plan! Durham County Council have a number of our chippers and recently got another delivered. Because the had a lad cut his arm off in a chipper some years back, they are fairly strict about 'new machine, new training'. I don't mind, it shows willing and shows we care. Plus it gives the rep some brownie points with his clients! I was dissatisfied with the number of things not done to my standard with the machine and had to report these back. I haven't told them or made an issue with the local rep but I got a hard job without products being sent out badly prepared! Annoying little things like poorly adjusted brakes, a couple of bolts that didn't have thread through the nyloc, a missing stand, wrong ops book etc!

From there, I head to the dealers yard at Bishop Auckland and a lively but if banter with the Manager and Dealer Principal. I buy some more AdBlue off of them, that Ranger appears to have used 18ltrs in 2 weeks! After that, I head to Borough ridge to drop off some brochures at a potential customer. He wasn't available so they got left on his desk.

From there, across the countryside north of York to get to Stamford Bridge to drop off another make if chipper at the owners. This other make is one we rented at peppercorn rates since last year. He wasn't about but I had a good laugh with the rest of them before aiming home.

I had a quick trip into town on the way back as I needed a new grinder to cut a pto shaft for tomorrow's demo. I got to Shepshed at the same time as Caz, she'll be at work at 04:00! She wants to come to Black Isle Show at the end of July do booked a flight as she cannot come up with me! I seem to haemorrhage money at the moment!
 
Caz away without me turning over! Never heard a thing! I'm up and in the Ranger before 7. I got to say, apart from a small amount of myther at Stoke, the trip to Formby was no bother! There at Formby Ladies Golf Club about 15 mins early. Met the local rep and the Head Green Keeper and his supervisor and proceeded to get this chipper hanging on their 50hp John Deere. Some cheeky banter and a few laughs later it is on! I cut the shaft to size and get it fitted. This model uses the tractor hydraulics but you need a detent on a lever (or bungy) to hold it in pump mode. This one has an electronic thumb button without a lock! So for the duration, the rep has to sit in the tractor holding the button down! Us other three had to drag the brash and feed the chipper! I'm 55, unfit, in heavy overalls, in a helmet with muffs and wearing gloves! It was hot there and it wasn't long before I was soaked with sweat - yet I used to do this stuff all day many years ago. No wonder I was skinny then! Anyhow, the demo was a good one with some fun and nothing went wrong! Over to the dealer rep to finish it off and the GK to persuade the committee!

Once on the road, I head towards Mold to collect another for our Service Manager. The cost road is already busy with people heading away for the weekend! This customer has left the machine but is away looking at work so I'm on my own! No bother, within a few minutes, it's loaded with the help of the winch, strapped down and I'm heading off again! The satnag says I'll get there for 16:30 but, thanks to holiday traffic, it is closer to 18:00!!! I drop the trailer in the yard and head to Shepshed getting home at 19:30! Another tank of fuel and another sub 20mpg!

No in the bean bag with a wine!
 
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