PeteB

Someone said that I ought to have done this earlier. Happy reading if it does you good! Best wishes to you all. https://www.lrukforums.com/threads/my-day-today.251630/

Considering My last folks, I got a Discovery 4 today and it isn't right to be in the owners club and not own! Best wishes to you all!

That's it folks. We went to view a couple of cars but fell for a Disco 4. Done deal and it is outside now. First night in Caz's new spot too! Put up enough curtains etc so stopping here. I enjoyed writing this blog but this ought to be the last entry as I no longer own an Audi. I might get another but that may well be for a straight liner! Goodbye all! And best wishes to you all going forward!

Bright

Awake early then up and over to Retford to the new house. Took the fog and he didn't like it! Right nervous and wouldn't settle. Caz also got the jitters over the chimney and hardly slept. She does worry over stuff she hasn't got control off! Anyhow, set too with the various jobs until lunch. Had a walk into town for some lunch then did another couple of things before going back to Wood Lane. Chap came to look at chimney and got rid of a load of loose bricks and has agreed that it needs to cone down to solid brick and capped off. He will liaise with the seller and get it done. At Wood Lane now, curry for tea and a few drinks.

Early start! Was gone soon after six as the training with Network Rail in Sheffield was due to start at 07:30. Satnag took round the houses and caused me to be late but they were good about it. Good bunch of folk who wanted to learn and asked questions and had a bit of banter. Odd thing happened though. A passing train had a conductor shout across that there was a trespassing chap who needed escorting off the track. We stopped while three lads went off to sort this out. They escorted this well dressed but oddly behaving 20 something off the railway property and onto a road which lead in the industrial heartland if Sheffield. Someone thought he was off his trolly on drugs, sweaty, nervous, staring around etc. Some 20 minutes later, we could sirens in all directions and the helicopter was overhead. Turns out this chap was on the run from the Police and the NR chaps inadvertently helped him get away from them! The five oh were slightly annoyed that we hadn't kept hold of him as a trespasser! Wakefield Station after that for another round of training, again, another good set up with willing staff. Makes the day easier! Raced back to Shepshed to store a chipper, finish the week with a few emails then up to Caz's for a couple of days. She had BT come and sort out the TV/phone/internet stuff. While he was there, a brick fell from the chimney downwards and crashed into the bricked up hearth and another slid down the roof and crashed through the roof of their outhouse! Fortunately, the selling agent phoned the seller who came around and gas promised to get something done tomorrow! Not a good start to home ownership!

Steel

Queen

Shoes

Experiencing a series of infuriating events at the moment, stuff which needs to be done isn't, parts that need organising that don't, blah blah blah. It started out with a call to tell me that this machine I'm returning was scheduled to have a plate welded in place to help a conveyor, no one told me or the service manager that it had to be done so I'm dragging it back to the owner before we get told!. I phone the person who should have organised and communicated and had some off hand comment about it not that important! So why weld it in then??? I asked for the warranty manager to contact a council customer with issues, I asked how it was progressing only to be told, "as it isn't registered with us, I cannot do anything" He was a tad sheepish when I confirmed that it did exist and he had to get off his backside to send the parts and talk to the dealer about the warranty repair and the warranty reg documents -"be proactive and people will work with you,!" I then asked what had been done about a split weld on a replaceable part and got "I've passed the picture to the fabrication manager and we are waiting to have a meeting about it". He was silent when I pointed out that we cannot repair it so he needs a replacement part, and when is he sending that? Has he discussed this with the owner and the warranty dealer? One week later and nope, he is waiting for a meeting to get told that it cannot be repaired so he needs to send a new one!!! There are times that I get so frustrated and annoyed, I could thump, kick and scream abuse at people! The day started out like that and only marginally got better! Got a couple of site visits in and trapped a bolshy customer with a grievance who gets rude and stroppy. Got him in his yard to discuss a way forward with a commitment from us and the dealer and just confirmed that we will work with him to resolve his grievance but he ain't getting his money back! Home to the Divorced Dad's Wednesday! Only Tom here, and he still cannot get the clutch on the Subaru working! He is about ready to burn it! A new master cylinder is a chunk and no seal kit available! Caz up at hers and enjoying the company of her family and the dog!

Alive

Caz's last shift for a bit was 04:30-08:30. I had gone before she finished and she done house stuff then went north. I headed to the factory to drop of one and collect a new demo unit. A small one with little margin - the type of deal that if you don't sell, the day costs! Two people's time, two trucks blah blah blah. Got to the client and see the small pile of stuff. The client is immediately dismissive as he wanted one on the back of his tractor, but this can be towed around the estate with the tractor but isn't reliant on the tractor. He things it is too small and too dear as well! "Humour me!" Says I, "I've come this all the way and need the exercise!". I fire it up, the pile disappears PDQ, and I sneak a look at them, they are all smiling! Done deal apart from the official nod! Sweet day! Mind you, it is a little demon thing! Back to the factory to gear up to return a unit back to the owner after a warranty fix. I hope that they fixed the flaws but I feel that it will be a boomerang! My Ranger is a year old this week and just passed over 50k, another 300 tomorrow is neither here or there but another day not going sales! Had an infuriating situation with the development team. The got a pivotal prototype part going and needed people to test it. It was decided that Sales get a few customers on board and the Drawing Office carry it on. We did just that. Several weeks ago, one of my customers needed more of these parts do I involved the DO, asking them to contact as per the test and send out the bits. They didn't. Customer rings me again. Apparently, the lad given the task has decided that he isn't in a "Customer Facing Role", hence he has not kept up to speed with the tests, recorded any results or sent out any parts! I found out that he isn't over helpful in any role! That role of non team player thing is right up my nose!

Iron

Caz away at 02:00 and back at lunch. I'm away heading north around 06:30, all the way to Newcastle at 60mph! Met the dealer rep in the yard and headed out to Newcastle town to meet a bunch of the council tree team. They have another make, which they like, but have agreed to see us. Started to show ours off and go over the USP's etc. They like it! Fire it up and let them throw stuff into it, they like it more! Could be in the cheap seats for a shed change of three! Sow the seeds further with a bit of name dropping, "Derby City have had 6, Karbon Housing have one and it transformed their work!" Blah blah blah! Shameless !Removed! of a Salesman!!! Then headed for Carlisle but the man I wanted to see had bogged off to Dumfries unannounced do sat talking to sales guys etc. Headed home with the intention of stopping at a car sales spot in Wakefield to see a smart Q7. I had emailed but no response, so rang only to find it had been sold ages ago! Grrr. Got to collect Tom and his mate from Brum airport later, after his trip to Berlin. His Subaru will need fixing over the next few days, could be a couple of hundred in parts! By the time I park up, I reckon I covered close to 500 miles today!

Drunk

Box

Another lonely sort of day, Tom at some gaming convention in Berlin and Caz away at work until late lunchtime. Pip was probably recovering from a late night in the club's of Loughborough. I did a fair few household chores, mending the vacuum, hoovering up, ironing, clothes washing blah blah blah, all to load music! YouTube is a wonderful thing! Made a soup for dinner and watched the highlights of the rugby from yesterday and Friday. Caz came home and went to bed after a bite to eat! I got to watch all of the Exeter Chiefs v Wasps match and it was a pleasure! More eBay dreaming, still looking for a decent Q7, without having to go miles! Short week next week! Hurrah!

Caz away as per usual. I drove up to the Retford house, mowed the lawn, assembled the TV, fitted the shower screen and looked to do the blinds. The one for the front room was a tad too narrow, downstairs had a hollow lintel and the hanging for then was basically naff! Have to rethink this...Met the neighbors and they seem friendly enough, even bobbed off to get a key for the shared jitty! This afternoon we went to a car sales place in Coventry were they had some Discovery 4 and a few Q7. All seemed a tad shabby with scruffy interiors, bits of damage outside, reversed scuffs blah blah. Feel a little deflated by it all. In front of the box eBay dreaming and mentally trying to solve why Tom's Subaru has a bust clutch. Pedal goes to the floor on bleeding, works once then pedal hits the floor and stays there! Smacks of a busted seal internal bypass!

Shine

judgement

The training session organised for Bradford Council was organised as the had this tracked unit a year ago and have been on LANTRA approved tickets but never had a machine specific introduction. Recently, one of the chaps, and they are a good bunch, had an incident on a site and this tracked machine did a nose dive over a low wall hidden in the undergrowth and it was left on its nose with the infeed pointing towards the sky! No damage done and no one hurt, but they felt the need for a refresher. Plus they had a few issues that they want me to help with. We got on good naturedly and had a giggle while we did it. They want an alteration doing to suit their needs as well as I noted a badly fitting safety bar - still compliant but renders the machine hard work to live with as it activtes too soon. When it was delivered last year, I had a rage in the office after our own demo unit was the same and suggested that all in that batch were checked over - obviously they didn't.....FUBAR! After that, I went to the dealers in Burnley to collect a demo unit then raced home to view this Q7, it wasn't at the car lot until tomorrow and someone else is going too. So, that one may not be for us... Then off to get some stuff for Caz's spot. A smart tv,curtain/blinds etc and that got rid of £600!

Grave

Knob

Spent a couple of hours searching for a booking a Cotswold hotel without getting fleeced. Done a few other paperwork or screen jobs then went to the factory. Loaded the little broken one and went to a truly delightful spot called Buckland in the Cotswolds. Through the village until it ends, turn right and follow it til it ends! On top of an escarpment looking across towards Wales. Private estate owned by a wealthy industrialist! Nice... Thank back to discover that my colleague has been doing nothing in the office all morning but neglected to unload his stuff from his dealers day yesterday. Just bogged off and left it. Others also noted that as well as abandoning them, they were dirty and should has been clean! I reversed one onto a trailer that I need for Monday, tucked that behind the house and saved myself four hours! Sweet! Caz back here and she has a half two start, she has got a permanent 4/4 contract so some stability going forward! Brilliant

Museum