PeteB

Headache

Rowntrees

Fingers

Break

A client in Hay on Wye has a machine that came back for warranty and it needed returning today. So, Shepshed down to Alcester, get it on a trailer and drive to Hay. It was truly awful down there - rain and grey and cold! Sunshine and warmth at the factory! Loaded another on the trailer and drive home in readiness for an early start and a drive to Glasgow in the morning. 300 miles and about 5 hours! This is a tractor mounted machine so there will some grunting and shoving and the odd grazed knuckle getting it done and it should work okay. Once the demo is done, I'll overnight in Stepps before dropping it off in Selkirk in the morning where it will be shoved on another tractor with another client - who, I am told, will be so delighted that he buy it! Another one sold! The Ranger is now telling me that the oil needs changing soon (booked in for Monday) and it will need AdBlue in 1500 miles. I've no experience on AdBlue usage but it has had about 120 litres in 20,000 mile or some 4 months. Is that usual?

card

Had a lay start to the day, first in ages! Breakfast at 10:15! Couple of errands in town done then a few hours at Sutton Bonington show with the missus! A great village show with a good selection of things to see and do. I had wondered what the spots of stuff were that appeared under the Q7, air-conditioning had leaked! Yet another job! The missus has a few hours of airport security tonight then to bed....

Prequel

Act

Entertainment

Thursday and Friday is what life as a machinery rep is - talking and driving! I did get to sell a used wood chipper to some friendly folk in Hungary with an email! Bonus! Today? She is at work at EMA until late afternoon, so Tom, my son, and I are off to Donington Park. A work colleague is racing his Clio in the 750 Motor Club events and today is practice day. Not been to Donington in years - in fact, the last time I went across the boundary wall was back in 1992 when I supplied the management team with 50 tonne plus of wood chips for footpaths for the main event of that period - The European GrandPrix. A wet weekend was forecast so they cleared my yard and had one of my chippers and two of my staff for two weeks just chipping timber that they had brought in! Tight buggers never gave me or the lads a free ticket and they worked their nuts off! If she wasn't at work, we would have loved to have got tickets for the Chiefs v Tigers match at Sandy Park, my Father and Mother live down that way and he had a trial for Tigers in the 1950's and still is a big rugby fan! But trying to organise a deal like that with several busy diaries ongoing is a nightmare!

Beer

Letter

Copy

Radio

Dreams

We got a big trade show in a couple of weeks so, as a veteran, I get called upon for information on 'where is this kept,' and 'how do we do that'. So for that reason and I still had the Tri axle trailer and tracked wood chipper to unload and sort out meant that I had the morning at the factory in Alcester, Warwickshire. Plus I had an issue with Outlook on my laptop. I missed the computer lessons and school, opting for metal work instead so I got a skills shortage there! After using Outlook via a remote portal for over ten years, I'm informed that I been using the wrong version and that I need to use another version which I don't find as easy on the eye! After sorting that, I go to unload the trailer and note a tyre looks different, it is deflated and has an M8 bolt through the tread! Changed it for the spare and put a good dose of sealant into it. Job done! A pet hate is finding that a trailer/bearver tail truck/demo machine, has been used and put away dirty or bust and the other people shrug and say 'it was okay when I last used it!' My diary for the rest of the week is cold calling potential customers or dealers in different parts of the Midlands or northern England.

Drama

Theatrical

Sunday was washed out, even the dog didn't want to go far! After all that wax and polishing malarkey, the Q7 us dirty again! Monday was another round of domestic chores followed by trying to make sense of the hoarding in the garage. My son Tom and I seem to gather stuff and rubbish with good intentions but little hope of completion. I thing I have four, maybe five, V8 blocks in the garage! If anyone needs a boat anchor, I'm cornering the market....

Formula 1

Content

Invaders

She was up for work at 3, I never got back to sleep, so functioning just. Housework, cooking , cleaning etc. Polished the Q7 and found and after market auxiliary USB socket that allows a modern phone to be wired in for music etc! Sweet! Also noted that door seals on the body are not fixed in place so need new grommets, also, compressor is missing from boot!is it possible to use the onboard compressor? You could on an old Bedford 4x4 truck I had as a crane truck for tree work!

Scandinavian