PeteB

hydroscopic

Feel a cold coming on! Seems that loads of people around me have been having it too. Felt a tad lousy when I woke up, but, life goes onwards.... Drive to Alcester via M1, M69, A46 was fairly uneventful, easier than the M42 has been for a bit so that might be the route of choice going forward! Dropped off the thing I collected from Chester yesterday and set off for Leominster to swap another poorly unit with a good customer over there. My Satnag voice recognition doesn't do L-E-O-MINSTER, and when you pronounce it Lemster, it wants you to drive to some spot in America! It had started raining by the time I left and the roads are filthy from farming traffic etc! His nice clean, repaired unit is looking rather 'used' by the time I get there! Swap them over, chit chat with nice girl in the office and head back again. Awful driving conditions with driving rain etc all the way back to factory and then home! I was recently after a tool box for the 'service' kelter that I carry about in the back of the car, something a tad more organised than the split plastic box that I have had for a bit. I won a Britool box on ebay. It'll do, not clean and shiny but paint splattered and probably a tad bruised but I don't want to take anything from the garage stock! I got one MAC and two Snap On in the garage but it would be sacrilege putting that shiny stuff to be rattled about in the rear of a Ranger. Plus, if it gets stolen, I would be heartbroken! Good job I got clients in that area as I can pick it up when I go through. I had a an exisiting client (course sort of fellow!) leave a message on my system, his boss has ordered another machine for him. The crux of the message was along the lines of, one of his staff has used this new machine before in a previous position and didn't rate it. If that is how they are, then the order will be cancelled! I had to point out that the lad whose opinion he listened too was an ex-council employee and that unit was never maintained properly and the last time that I saw it, no one did the basic daily checks (despite the training that I covered with them) and that the brakes were badly adjusted, the blades blunted and the belts slack! If that is how they look after their machinery then they can expect it not to work properly! The order stands.... Another customer wants his new machine delivered to site, on thursday, in Falkirk! Urm, sorry chap. Cannot get there and back in a day because of Tacho rules and I got a sales meeting on friday. No deal! I wanted to get it out last week but he hadn't signed the finance documents so it will be late! That chap from Prestatyn who had his pinched has had a knock back - the old one was on a finance agreement and they will not allow the replacement serial number on his documents. The finance will have to be settled in full and a new agreement for a lesser amount organised! Beggars believe at times at how things can get screwed up over beaurocracy..... The Ranger front tyres are looking ragged - like I been driving on broken glass while the rears are wearing as they should, don't know why that is but will rotate them corner to corner soon, might get 60k miles out of them then. My record is 120k out of a set of knobbly B F Goodrich's....

Rivetting

Persuasive

Leasurely start to Sunday. Old folk went off to see other old folk and Caz slept. I made Kedgeree for dinner, I haven't had it for 30 years so that made a change! Tom decided to have super noodles instead and Pip decided that she had had a late breakfast! Old folk, Caz and myself enjoyed it! Rugby was a thriller even if we got beaten but it was hellish cold sitting about. Once the game was done, I had booked a table at the local carvery. Absolutely rammed! Too busy for my liking to be honest, and too many eating the biggest plateful of food too! Shocking how much some bad crammed on their plates. Unfortunately, the service was terrible and after waiting some 30 mins to order a couple of desserts, we upped, paid and left. Shame as that is the first time in years that the three generations had been out together and the first time that the old folk and Caz had been to a carvery! Today was mundane, up and away at about eight and down to the factory. M42 was bad so got there after ten. Unloaded and headed up to see someone in Chester to collect a loan machine. The M5, M6 and beyond was awful so got there at 3!!! Time to come home then, bugger all done today really. Home for a quiet night and early to bed as she is doing 04:00 until 10:00 tomorrow.

Selling

Mummies

Writing early today as I got house guests coming. Got the letter sent registered and signed for to the low lifes at the garage. Sent back the kit from BT after all their broken promises - was tempted to get petty and not send it back until they asked, then lie three times, don't communicate, offer a derisory sum in compensation etc..... Caz coming back later as she has a 16:30 -04:30 shift. My folks are driving up from Devon so we can go to watch the Tigers v Saracens match tomorrow. I did offer to go and collect them and Dad said fairly indignantly, "I can manage, I'm only 84 you know!" Bless them. Typical old folk, I had to remind them to bring a key in case I was out, and charge their phone and switch it on before getting in the car! Housework this morning blah blah blah.... I watched one of my Facebook contacts, a tree surgeon form down south, bragging about his latest purchase, a huge chipper from Canada. He is totally ignorant of the fact the they do not comply with our Transport regs or machinery compliancy regs. It does seem to enter his head that his Method Statement and Risk Assessment does not mean that he is okay to pull something too heavy for his truck, which is overloaded before he leaves the yard, isn't bothered about the 'O' licence or that this chipper is unsafe according to the H&SE! Going down in flames methinks! It amazes me that people film stupid acts and then put them on FB and think that all will be okay!

Sauce

Demo was good, they got loads of staff who all want a go! Some really interested and some who obviously feel that the menial jobs of being a "brash rat", dragging trees to a machine a little tedious and beneath them! They have seen two others and we should win on prices do okay on performance, but it is never guaranteed! Bitterly cold just stood about for three hours watching proceedings! Then home to catch up with a few things. The carry on with the insurance firm came to a disappointing end. It was on finance and the finance firm want that agreement satisfying, they don't want to do paperwork to show a new machine! Customer could have had the new one within days, now the old policy has to be paid off and new finance applied for! Bugger!!! Caz at home and Tom and I watching the rugby on the box. I chased up on the Lemon Q7, card issuer thinks that the bust air suspension should have been spotted on the test drive, so I'm back to CAB and the formatted letter given 14 days for a satisfactory result before legal action is started. Bugger!

I find that these people know that you are trapped and pray on that, all very trying! But done now, but will forget how loyal I am to them but watch how loyal they are to me! Same with the ulitilty people and do on! Anyhow! Today was filming day! Decided to do it indoors as it was bitter cold and we needed more close up stuff. This is a 'handover instructional' thing and once edited will be available on YouTube and sent out to dealers and owners wherever! Right ball ache getting a 2 tonne tracked machine through the factory and into a back office used as a meeting room, training centre! There are no signs up to stop through traffic, do several times we had to stop as various staff came in thinking they could have some privacy for a private call, have a little meeting, eat lunch away from others etc! Then there is the general factory noise, hammering, grinders, shouting and banter and a radio getting wound up to a particular tune! I hope that he is good at editing out! Anyway, done now. Following that, I had to load for tomorrow's demo and catch up on missed calls, emails and general enquiries. One was from an insurance company who has a client whose machine has been stolen. Last time this occured, we have terms for them but they supplied another make as our delivery meant that they had to hire a machine for the chap and they didn't like the idea of this do I got to scrabble about to get a solution! Caz has done for a few days, a night here then back to hers for a short bit, so she can drink and stay up a bit! Will be strange!

Devon

Had a decent enough day around Stockton, Darlington etc. Went to have another one of these odd Local Authority visits, well meaning sorts with a boss who admits that they struggle for staff because they don't pay enough to attract staff but that they have a decent bunch and are well equipped although may change one of the two units that they have. They favour American chippers and confessed that they looked at ours back in 2004 and didn't like it and that put them off. But they had got some brash in a truck and would give my little petrol unit a brief go out of interest. The two that they have are American, so big, heavy, over engineered (compared to European made stuff) and a tad agricultural. One is a 1400kg unit which will take 7" and the other is 2900kg and is a 12" unit, so I think that my little 37hp petrol is a tad outclassed! I did my best sales speel and we had a little laugh over the differing sizes but set mine up and powered it up. They all looked at me because mine is so quiet, then they start to feed it stuff that they had cut ready - it ate the lot and blew it to the back of the truck! They all said that it punched well above its class and better than their 7x12" unit! Sweet! When they want to change, we stand a decent chance! They only downside to the visit was that it was viciously cold! A few other visits, bite to eat and I'm on the way home! However....the rest of the day had a surreal, banal, infuriating and disappointing end. As previously said, BT were coming today to affect the change over in TV, Broadband and Phone bundle, but due to my own phone issues - I could not check progress etc. Caz stayed at home from 12:30 to be there when the engineer came. He never did....I got back some 30 minutes after the appointed time was over - no internet, no phone and no TV. I checked my email and nothing, check the phone (card anyhow) and no missed contact. We try their chatline which is available from 07:00 until 23:00 - but it had been disconnected, the link to it was on an email they sent on Monday. I phone the engineer but no one answered, I phoned a contact number. Eventually getting through despite the high number of calls etc. Despite the promises of contact 24 hours before hand, and updates during the day and calls to the engineer, it turns out that he was too busy to answer his phone or do an email - and wasn't going to either. After my protestations, they put me on a "priority install" with profound apologise and promised to come in seven days!!!! Poor girl was really sorry but admitted than the engineering staff would not take the call or explain why they had failed to do as they had promised. As a gesture of good faith she would reduce my first months bill by £10. I told her that I felt insulted and ashamed to have put my faith in them when they could treat someone with such a cavalier attitude and she said that she didn't blame me! I cancelled and asked for a full refund. I then phone Virgin to ask if I could be reconnected - their response was 'that deal that we offered after you had signed to BT was not going to happen but if I wanted, I could half my internet speed as it was pointless in me having that and that I shouldn't have been on that tariff! Gob smacked!!! Talk about mis-sold! I'm writing this tagged in to a mobile hotspot from my mobile and feel violated by the lot of them! I ought to say that a stiffly worded email to each parties is in order but where will it get me? Nowhere, it would be just adding to the grief as they sit in their spot laughing at how they stiffed another one! I can imagine the scene, a stripy shirted, foppy haired youth rocking back in his leather chair, "and then he said, 'you expect me not to get annoyed when you get a young girl to tell me I got no package for another seven days and think a tenner will do?'!" and him and his £40k pa mates roaring with laughter!

Stumble

Caz was up at 02:30 and I struggled to sleep properly afterwards! Left for the depot in Bishop Auckland soon after six and got here for about 9:30. Some myther on the road lead to the trip up via M18 and M62! Awful weather and a tad of sleet after we left Tow Law. Got to see a few clients and cold calls and stopped in a Premier Inn. Having some technical issues today mind. Samsung watch lasted half a day, Sony phone lasted the day, tablet didn't want to work and back up Lenovo Phablet won't restore factory settings! Sony doesn't want to recharge and I didn't bring watch charger! At home, we change from Virgin to BT tomorrow, internet at home appeared to go off before dawn, would I be too cynical to think virgin have switched off already? Lights out in a moment to catch up on this morning. I need my beauty sleep!

Caz was away early to a quiet night at the mad house - she caught a 'Redline' today, a person employed as 'the mystery shopper' or dummy with a false bomb etc - employee of the CAA who is there to test the security staff. This is the second that she has caught just lately which gets brownie points as it shows that the staff are being observant! These Redlines are thrown in to all kinds of scenerarios from being other MAG Aviation Staff, contractors trying to get on the airport to work, delivery drivers etc - in fact, anyone! She is in bed already as the alarm will go off at 02:30 again. I had a slow start with a appointment to get some glasses and trying to organise the diary for the next few weeks - it is always fluid but a plan does help! Then I headed out to drop off the loan machine in Wellingborough - that deal is still a tad shaky as the dealer hasn't got his paperwork in and, more importantly, has not thanked the customer for his £50k order! I done my bit and can push now more - if they give the order to my people then I would have to say that mine deserve it more than the local bloke! Then to the factory to get a tow behind to hang off the back of the car while I tour the database in the North East for the next two days. I had some good news today too - I got a tug for doing 58mph while towing on an A road, I can only do 50....Gulp, I already got 6 points! I was invited to do a Speed Awareness course - probably the 6th in total! Sorted a couple of engineering issues while at the factory and also sorted out a day to do some of that filming too! And got the headsup on a couple of deliveries too!

JOURNEY

Finds

Got to be said, an awful weekend. Possibly a 'defining' weekend which disappoints and saddens and hints of trouble going forward.... One of things that attracted me to Caz was her ability to 'graft'. To put her shoulder against things and go, a real clever girl, a thinker, a doer, someone who has had a hard time in life (we all have had them) but still cracks on! Her devotion to her kid's happiness and balance despite being a single mum for most of their lives is inspired. Her desire to try to prevent them being seen as the 'pov' kids 'wi nowt' has driven her to work incredible hours in crap jobs for low pay. Her need to earn, work and still offer things that I often thought as 'spoiling', is, in a way inspirational. All of this can occasionally hurt too. Not me, but her kids.... Friday night had her receive some very rude txt messages from her daughter which referred to her work taking presidency over her needs. I was surprised at the bile! To set the scene, Caz and I met on Match.com, we met and clicked despite 50 miles between us and it worked having weekends here and there alternatively. Her ex had unfortunately got bad genes and bad bi polar, which is awful for him and those around him. He hasn't really contributed to the household or parenting since the initial act tbh. Not a stable father, ever, in any way! Not a stable partner either - Caz and her parents have had this to deal with.....praise to them for their forebearance. Anyhow, daughter is 17 and quite mature, usually a delight even, stopped college and not sure what to do, clever and aware that her Dad is a missed drop kick. Joe is 22, clever but in a dead end job, not at all practical and shows no propensity to learn household chores or responsibility for them either. Caz worked Friday night, we get there Saturday early afternoon, the house is a disgrace, Ez gone out to look at a 'deadend job' college education with Agricultural Father, Joe in the middle of the sitting room playing a computing game! Caz in tears, me furious! Joe just goes out, maybe pub....We clean, hoover, dust, mop, throw out rubbish, walk dog etc....It seems that there is backlash because Caz works so hard, but they (and Caz's parents), forget the all effort that goes into the iPhones, iPads, cars, holidays, pets ad infinitum but comes with no support from the father or his dysfunctional family! Neither of the kids have spoken to me but have reduced their mum to tears. Sorry, I did say to daughter , "this place is a fing pigstye!, Why do we have to clean as soon as we get here! I got nothing but a torrent of tearful abuse!... Caz's parents got a 'headsup' from me too, 'why am I the only one who cuts the grass, mends the roof, refills the holes in the drive, cuts the logs, mends the fence, makes the tea, washes up, Hoover's the dust, walks the dog, buys the groceries, mends cars and other stuff, decorates, fits lights, drags gravel, but the two teens/20's next door do too little and I don't live here and you keep asking me to do stuff because you don't want to pay another, yet I got a job elsewhere!!! And you want me to make soup for dinner too!?! Enough!!! Back in Shepshed, Caz gone to bed as she up at 02:30, I'm tucking into a Shiraz and typing about my PTSD.... We all got issues along the way, but talking helps. Disclaimer Alery My version of PTSD, does not reflect on the level of true, life changing stuff that others go through!

Archaeology

shovel

Caz has gone to work again, so will be back at 05:00. Odd thing with shifts like that is that you seem to spend more time asleep than when you do days! I can do long days but I doubt that I would get on doing nights! I had meant to spend the morning at home and then go to the factory so that I don't have a trailer and chipper outside the house. We plan to go to hers to do some decorating and see kids, dog, old folk etc...But that didn't happen. Hope it is safe while we are gone. The deal from yesterday took a bit of sorting out and is still a bit 'odd'. The customer was okay with the price and agreed to buy it off the dealer but had told me that the one rep had got up their nose - I asked my colleague who oversees that mob, who he preferred to handle the deal. I contacted chosen man and explained everything and he rightly told the Rep who upset them. He and I have a 'history' from when I managed that dealer. He was extremely rude, vulgar even, in a totally unnecessary manner - even my boss was shocked and surprised, I just said 'you can look after them, I'll never go there again!' I get a real stroppy, bolshy, combative voicemail from him - I'll not loose any sleep - he isn't worth the steam off my waste to be honest! Anyhow, the chosen man gets another salesman to get the ball rolling - he emails the invoice and they pay £4k deposit and away we go! Nice Friday, shame that isn't on my figures! But more will come as long as the dealer doesn't screw it up again! The rest of the day is spent trying to organise some video filming on machine hand over procedure, instructional stuff which we can send to folk rather than physically beimg there. We have done some of these promos as well as instructional and they get put on YouTube and the like. I even did one in the rain during the APF Forestry show at Ragley Hall. I seem to get some of these done in a more natural manner than others but there is always a load of outtakes when we get things wrong etc....I remember the first one I did back in 1998, the camera man was a great laugh, the producer had been a newsreader or some such in the 80's for midland TV and was a pompous prat! The Chairman of GreenMech had steam coming out of his ears at one point when a machine wouldn't work - he shouted at me to move a lorry so that a service van could get to the machine and I ripped the wheelarch off this brand new 7.5t Mercedes! I had to hide the damage against a wall, stay late to get it off for someone to glass fibre up, then I was in at 5 to paint it green again and fit it before anyone he out! I get a little impatient at times - this should have been done ages ago - originally, I was told that I'm too busy on sales work to do another one - but the chap who was given the brief is like a wooden man made of smoke and the 'actor' is not good with machines and dresses like a sack of tates tied up badly! I'm no fashion model but Reps togs work, factory overalls don't..... I also got a two day trip around the North East with a rep who is new to chippers - sound chap but doesn't know the 'patter' - but a plan needs to be done so we aren't just aimlessly driving around etc, quite hard work getting a call list together. Yell.com has hundreds of tree surgeons in each town but most are run from home with no office to call upon - Councils, Hire shops, etc are easy - cold calling is hard work and you often have to have a thick skin! We do have a database to go to but that isn't as good as I would like. No word on the Section 75 yet, but we are already scouring ads for a decent replacement. She wants black with black alloys - I want one that has no vices! Forsooth, she evening liked a RR Vogue! Rugby on, Tigers playing at Kingsholm agin Gloucester! - chilli, wine, bean bag!

Ace

depraved

I have to confess that I was awake at 05:30 as per usual, but decided to cuddle up and sleep for while longer! Left the house at 08:00 feeling good about life and set off for the factory - 54 miles in an hour and three quarters! I had to take a loan machine to a customer who has two units (new) and they both have an obscure issue which is leaving us scratching heads! We got to come up with a fix and quick as others may have the same but are suffering in silence! Got to Leominster for midday, swapped for one of his and chased back to the factory. Dropped that off and then headed to Wellingborough. The flagship machine that I took to them last week has performed well so the 'backstop' unit I lent them wasn't needed and they gave me the 'headsup' that the Directors wanted to see me. They think that ours is blindingly good and want another for their southern ops. Spanking! But we got a 10 week delivery period while a competitors machine of a similar spec can be had within four - Bugger! The only thing left in my bag is the offer of a loan unit of a lower spec until we can satisfy their order. It means that I am a demo unit down and later on, said demo will be well used! It would be good to get the order but, occasionally, we cannot do miracles! The impossible is one thing I will have ago at though! Caz is at work until the wee small hours, steak and chips for tea and I can watch what I want or do some ebay dreaming! I still have to clear the HotRod out of the garage so I can dream of the next toy and hopefully, the issues of the lemon Q7 will get resolved in my favour and the search will be on for the replacement Q7 S Line, or maybe a VW Caravelle or maybe.......decisions, decisions.... Any people on here who know about tyres? My 6 month old Ranger with 30k on the clock has good depth of tread left on the fronts, but look like I have been driving on broken glass!