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My day today!

Again, Caz away while I snore on. But awake at 5:30 and couldn't sleep so will be tired early tonight. I start to de-clutter various aspects of my life going forwards today. Not that I'm a hoarder or anything! Well, not much compared to some....I have every wage slip I ever got given, an awful lot of paperwork from banks, building societies and pension things! Time for it to go or archive it in the loft! Same with my desk area, every mobile phone and box for the last 20 years! loads of unlabelled discs with pictures, loads of memory sticks! Six boxes of photograph paper and loads of general clutter! Time to have a clear out!

After a few hours of that, I drive the Ranger, complete with more kelter and mower to Cobwell street. Mow that lawn and a big of lunch then back to Shepshed. And more declutter! Surprised at how ruthless I have been slinging stuff that may have been useful but when??? Some of the stuff I had to sling as it was from work and possibly referring to it may infringe the GDPR cobblers.

I already sold the big mower for peanuts, the saw bench has been brought and paid for but not collected, the Focus will get towed to the breakers and the Corse will soon get gone too. Biggest move so far was to message the chap who built the Hod Rod and advise him that she is going! I loved drving about in it, loved the looks you got, loved the grumble of the V8, but have gone off the near constant tinkering and spending ages on my back stopping water leaks, the occasional hydraulic leak from the gearbox, the occasional oil leak from the engine, the odd electrical issues etc....Anyone want a project? Piece of British Hot Rod history? Wouldn't take much to have running again and could be driven pretty well straight away! Or, complete strip and rebuild to your standards and needs?

The garage that we brought the Discovery 4 from have said to take it back and that they will sort out the suspension warning light! Although, it wasn't on when Caz came home from work!
 
Up after a short lie in and off to the DIY shop to get painting material etc time to get gritty and determined and decorate this house! I'm doing Sunday roast for lunchtime as Caz's shift starts at 16:30, only Tom is coming as the rest have other things on. I have to pick up Tom from work as his Subaru has blown the turbo, possibly due to oil pressure getting low with a lazy pump. That shed is turning in to a bit of a nightmare!

Once dinner is done, I got a few jobs done but only looked at the decorating kit! The Discovery looks good with black alloys but the side steps are getting too rusty so will get changed! The frame has delaminated and swelled so that the rear doors foul when opened or shut! Another job!

Now in the bean bag with tripe TV!
 
As Caz got in at 5, I get up and skulk about being quiet. Not really motivated today....

The Discovery got a wash, I would like to give it a right good waxing but the weather is a bit iffy so take back the silk white paint I got as she would rather it was Matt. I get that done and make a wholesome soup for lunch. Caz is a bit grumpy and unhappy, she came across an injured fox cub on the side of the road and that has upskittled her.

We talk about decorating and stuff like holidays and she shortly cheers up and then heads off for work. I get another errand done then set about the hall. Once set up, I open the exchanged paint only to discover that I have got magnolia and not white!!! Really not motivated to carry on! I got the leftovers of another pot so start that! I can see this week being a long one!

I did however, get a piece of good news. A rail contact that had asked me to visit him in Morpeth tomorrow at 08:30 called to postpone! That's got me out of a ridiculous early start and given me a desk day to do a bit of catch up!

I got a call from my father, like me, he is wrestling with the news that my daughter is pregnant. She has grown up in the image of her mother, with her levels of intelligence, morals and scruples. She isn't in any way ready to bring another human into this world but is going ahead with things. My stance is that she is my daughter and I will be here, but I don't like what she is doing, nothing I say or any opinion is listened to in that house, so I might as well let them carry on as otherwise, my blood pressure would be sky high!
 
Caz came home and jumped in to bed at 5, I didn't sleep much and was at my desk at 7:45. I had a successful few hours of desk time then things started to get too busy for simple things to be completed! Caz got up looking very tired at 10 and after a little buggering about went of to her spot. Her daughter had took the day off so that they could have some quality time in Meadowhell in Sheffield!

It looks like I got another day at home tomorrow with more desk stuff to be done! We have decided to take a stand at the PlantWorx exhibition at Peterborough Showground on the 11th-13th June. Looking for a couple of rooms wasted another couple of hours!

Once work was done I did try to do some more decorating! A little now and then will stop me going mad! There have been times when I have felt creative be been good at it, but not any more! I had to stick some trim in the door hole to cover up some holes from a poorly fitted double glazed door. I used that gorilla glue and they are right, it expands three fold! I will have more work than I thought!
 
Pretty awful day with everything running out of synchronicity! Loads of moaning people on the phone, people not doing what they are supposed to do, missed promises blah blah blah.

On top of that, row with the awful ex wife! Accusations of being a liar etc - not impressed. Bloody families!
 
Sorry. I missed lasts nights episode! Drove to the factory near Stratford, collected a trailer and after a few quick meetings or chats, drove to St Helens to collect a new machine that had been badly put together. Once on the trailer, drove back to Warwickshire, dropped it off, collected a chipper for no reason other than having it on the towbar, and went home. Good to see Caz again. She up at 2:30 to start the round of shifts. She tells me that they are incredibly short staffed and underpaid - the local distribution centre is paying a couple of pounds per hour more for pushing pallet trolleys around and loading them!

The St Helens job is truly infuriating. The mounting points for this tractor mounted machine where in the wrong place. It was too close to the tractor, so three new ones were fabricated and sent up. One fitted okay, one had to be "opened" with a portable hydraulic pack, the third fitted but the bolt hole was 15mm out! And they were painted the wrong colour! The chap in charge of fabrication didn't even apologize, just made excuses. They two sets that he had on the shelf are ear marked for production, to be used next week, but I cannot have them, he will modify mine and getting them repainted. But, I point out that I could change mine then, and get it back in the customers yard today! Nope, cannot interrupt the process, they will be done by Wednesday and I can then arrange for it to be returned! Production is too busy to be disturbed! He not impressed when I tell him that I've lost three sales days this week putting right crap production problem areas!
 
Caz away early. The drive to the Widnes area was a doddle and met the Network Rail guys at a small yard to view a recently supplied tracked machine, they reported that it sheds tracks more often than the old unit. I check out the undercarriage, tracks and chat to the man. I can find nothing wrong so can only put it down to happenstance and terrain. Their old unit is in the yard and looking at tad unkempt! Maintenance isn't high on their list to be honest. I ask when a critical safety bar was changed and who by? He isn't sure but things it was fairly recent by their contract services agents. I sign quietly, it is on upside down and thus isn't safe! We get the spanners, remove it, put it on the right way up and chat more!

I eventually get home to finish the day with a few emails and Caz gets here. Sweet! She in bed early.
 
Caz off for her shift - she later tells me that she ends up in a gatehouse with an awful colleague in her twenties who thinks that due to "health issues", she is entitled to tell her employer how many hours she is going to work and they have to manage themselves around that! "Far too stressful doing more than a couple of hours per day!" I have no time for the snowflake generation!

I'm up and away early. We got the Discovery from Martin Lee cars on Penistone Road in Sheffield and they have been brilliant dealing with a couple of issues we have had. Today, they replaced a valve in the air suspension set up as a dashboard fault high lighted an issue! Brilliant attitude and very helpful!!!

I borrowed a manual Pug diesel to bomb over to Wood Lane off them. Strange to be in a low down, manual car after 4x4 and auto! The buyer for my circular saw was coming up from Northamptonshire to collect it. We hit it off and had a laugh! The instant friendship type of thing which would have endured if we lived locally. He nearly bust a nut when I told him the story of being a ten year old at boarding school and being sent down to town to fetch a yard of fallopian tubing and a pint of Pigeons milk!

I collected the Discovery and was surprised that as well as fixing it, they had intended to give it a full valet! I called at a shop and got a couple of boxes of chocolates for them! Good folk!

Back to Shepshed but no time to carry on with the decorating. Tom came for his tea, I cooked a big ham, new tates and peas for him but broad beans for us, plus a pot of beetroot! Sweet!!! Bloody ham for the rest of the week now!

Caz gone to bed again - after this week's trauma, I'm having too much wine! Sarries did well in the rugby I hear!
 
Fell asleep last night during the 10 o'clock news and went to bed at 2:30. Caz left at four and I didn't sleep much after that!

She had brought a sofa for her house from someone in Ilkley. My mission today was to drag a trailer and collect it. The seller said that there were two but one was damaged but fixable! That came too! I bloody rained on the way back so both are stacked in my hall way to dry out! The drive up through the middle of Leeds was right tiring so not much got done afterwards then.

I did catch the match between the ladies England team v the Bar Bars. Not a bad match and we beat the Bar Bars!

Now Caz home, ham for supper, again!
 
It is shift change for Caz, she had a lie in and went off this afternoon as she has 16:00 - 04:00.

I went off to see my dealer and collect a machine that needs a fettle from my boys! I drag it across to Darley Dale for a good will visit to another branch of the same outfit and all was good there. Good people at all levels!

I drove back to Shepshed to have a sandwich with Caz, apart from snatched "Hello/Goodbye", we won't spend much time together until Friday night!

I head off to the factory to drop off the unit that needs our stamp on it, have a chat about this show next week and get annoyed about things not being done and eventually head home. I got to find some "brand ambassadors" and consider having some "Chipper Days" with my dealer's and their key customers. Not an easy task!

Show fodder needs to be organised, I'll need to order a two kilo bag of pork scratchings tonight!
 
Caz got to bed soon after 5 and didn't sleep well so went off this afternoon with bags under her eyes! Woe betide anyone who gets her nose tonight!

I was behind my desk at 8 and after a couple of emailed and phone calls, head off to North Kyme, just passed Sleaford. I drop a demo unit there along with some bumpf on the new machine, both of the reps are off selling so I have a quick chat in the office and then head onwards. I call at Shepshed to have some dinner, chat to Caz and write a manual for an auxiliary, petrol driven, hydraulic pump. We have developed a donkey engine with pumps for our tracked machines. No one had thought of doing a manual for it!

I help with a service job just for fits and giggles, then load a tracked machine on a trailer and head home, making a few calls on the way! Just before I left, the Tech Services Manager asked me how long it took me to change ten bolts on site the other week. It took me some 45 minutes as there was an alignment issue. He has had a warranty claim from a dealer who claims for 5 hours labour! Funny how they thought that they would get away with that!
 
Away at 8 to head to Wellingborough. Left Caz in bed snoring!

I was due after 09:30 with the client but left early as I wanted to call at a hydraulic fittings firm to get some protective caps for some of the fittings omn this machine. Not in stock! I make an excuse with the client and he is okay - I head to another, National firm, in Northampton. Not in stock.....They even wanted to see the fittings as they didn't believe that I knew what I wanted! I dropped the machine at the clients and after a tad of banter, I head off with one of their other units that they would like us to check over. I call at the depot of another national fittings company and they don't know what I'm after and again, want to check what I mean. They pratt about in the back and come out with an oversize fitting and cap and say that that is what I need. Errr, No, that isn't a female cap of a half inch size! Muppets.....

I then stop at home for a bite and chat with Caz then head off to knock on a few doors - being Friday, ,most offices are shut, councils have finished and no one wants to talk seriously. I end up at home early. Finish the day with a couple of calls and emails. Tom here for tea - Pip is working until nine so just the two of us...
 
Caz finished the shift pattern early this morning so she gone to hers for a couple of days. I got up and was away before 7:30.

We got a show to get to next week, so we had some set up to do. This is PlantWorx/RailWorx at the East of England Showground - a pretty huge event not starting until tuesday but we got advised to get as much on the stand prior as it will be busy as heck on Monday. My Ranger is in for it's 60k service tomorrow so today was the day. My colleague knows his stuff and came from an organisation where you gave your instructions and minions did the sweaty stuff. Here, we give ourselves instructions and get on with it! He isn't overly practical, not a confident driver when towing and not a physical sort. So, we both had a Sprinter, loaded with stuff and towing a trailer! My van had a tracked chipper inside it and a tri-axle behind it with two on top. His beavertail had a steel frame and boards on the bed with some log wood for demo stuff and towing a small trailer with a heavy tracked unit on top. Steve, cannot drive a tractor which is helpful to tow stuff about the factory yard, he cannot strap stuff down, cannot reverse a trailer and is unsure where things are kept or who to ask for help. I had to load his and mine so we were late leaving and late getting back!

On top of the need to educate and help Steve, the winch broke on the trailer when we got to the show ground and my Sprinter has lost boost! Getting a chipper off the trailer without the winch is a sketchy thing! A Sprinter on the A14/A46 towing a big trailer with no boost makes you think very far ahead too.

Home now and defrosting a brown brick in the microwave - not sure if it is curry or soup!
 
Friday was a day of some trauma. The Ranger was in for the 60k service and following that, I was to meet a customer's crew to return their chipper and collect mine!

Up early to a nice morning and hung out the washing. At the appointed time, I went to remove the customer unit from the car but the barrel lock was jammed! It was stuck on the car! I removed the hitch from the chipper, pushed it behind my gates and drove up to the garage. The walk home was good. An hour later, the rain was hammering down and the dry washing was wet! The garage rang to say the car was done but both my coats and brolly were on the back seat! I get wet walking back up. Once home, I change and set about getting the hitch back onto the chipper, in the wet! Cold wet hands, grease covered parts, a broken bolt and I'm having a sense of humour failure! Eventually, it's fixed, only, the customer has gone from this local job and finished early and gone home! I end up having to go to Retford via the middle of Nottingham! Overnight at Retford.

Today was a day for a few DIY jobs, walking the dog, and now back in Shepshed! Caz has a shift pattern to start at 04:00 tomorrow!
 
Caz away early and I'm up and busy at 8! Absolute whirlwind of domesticity today! Shirts ironed, 4 loads of washing, Hoover through, bathroom and bog done, dusted, several things mended, ham cooked, roast lamb supper, grass mowed he now in the bag!

Caz away early again and I got to get to do the final set up at Peterborough and the forecast is lousy!
 
Damn wet today!

Caz away early and I got up to set out for the showground at Peterborough. Got a call and returned home as they wanted the used second hand unit I stored at home. Set off again but returned to get some nuts and bolts just in case! Got to the showground and it started to rain. My colleague was late leaving the factory and by the time he got there, I had the spot sorted! Just needed to unload the caravan stuff and plan tomorrow.

Ordinarily, I enjoy shows. The show buzz, the anticipation, the meeting of old friends and the chat. But the weather forecast is awfully wet and that isn't good!

Caz has a shift change so we are, comparatively, late to bed, 'night all
 
I missed a day on account that I was drained from the show and went to bed early!

Yesterday, it was raining before I left home and was raining went I fell asleep! I had to stop on the way to the show to look for some show stuff like chocolates to balance the 2 kilos of pork scratchings and a couple of other bits. But it was a miserable day and bloody cold too. Not much to work with in the way of enquiries but still, we have to be here to be seen. We packed up early and I drove us back to Corby to the hotel, had a beer and a very nice meal and fell asleep on top of the bed at 20:30!

We got back to the show ground in good time this morning and again, not overwhelmed with enquiries and I watched a few people who ought to have come to our stand just do a swerve! Did get to meet several people from the past and enjoy the day. It just started to rain as we left so we weren't too damp or cold today. No back at the hotel and again - will likely be in bed early again! Perhaps I'll get to see some of the show tomorrow as there is a hell of a lot of machinery to see!
 
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