24th - 28th July 2006

Monday 24th July
Back to my usual place of work nr. Harlow and my usual truck this week, last week was MOT so got loaned to another department. 6am start, the truck (FM12 8 wheeler) has been loaded and left ready for me to strap down. All strapped and down into Kent to large housing development at Chattenden in Kent. Found a forkie and persuaded him to unload the 12 stillages, to save unloading having to chain them up, crane them off and unhook them all myself. Off site about half eight and a quick blast down to Ashford to crane off a pack of ply and two more stillages. Empty. Phoned in as per instructions and given address in Sutton Valence, Kent for collection. Check map, just behind HMP East Sutton , delivered there no problem. Next turn after the prison one is the one I want, it has got a 6'6" width restriction but no weight limit, can't turn round but it looks OK so venture cautiously down the road. It got narrower, then a bit more the wheels were scrubbing the bank on both sides, the mirrors brushing the hedges as I crept through about 3mph. No way was I going to reverse, I just prayed it would eventaully open out. It did. Found site and squeezed through the gate to find that the equipment wasn't going to be ready for 2+ hours and had to be walked down a slope covered in rubble. Not my job, but being helpful I start to lug the deck stands (approx 20Kg each) to a pallet that once loaded to 49 needs shrinkwrapping and craning on. 231 later drenched with sweat I am ready to go 4 hours later. Easy run back to yard at Harlow, unloaded with forklift and reloaded with 600mm Augers for CFA piling rig. 1800 finish.

Tuesday 25th July.0630 start, down the A10 for drop in Dalston Lane, Hackney. Missed the bit where the A10 branches and ended up on A105, went wrong at Stoke Newington Sq. and had a horrendous turning round exercise. back on track and left on to Balls Pond Road, despite taking all the road still had to shunt it to go round, kamikaze car drivers cutting behind whilst reversing. :evil: Up Dalston Road, wrong lane into Graham Road, round the block and come across a 25t bridge with no advance warning and no where to turn. Over the bridge and into the site. Dropped the augers and spent an hour trundling over to Westferry Rd, E14. Arrive on site at 09.30 am waiting for wagon from Scotland with some brand new 350mm augers that I have got to crane off. 14.00 Wagon arrives, augers craned off and left for CFA rig which has now arrived on lowloader outside. 6 wheeler with all related equipment also arrived and has 450mm augers that I am to return with. Loaded and off site by 15.30 persuaded boss to let me drop them off for refurb in the morning, so straight back to the yard, parked up and left yard at 16.30

Wednesday 26th July06.30 start, sorted out augers for refurb took some off that were OK and put a couple of duds from stock on. Added a pallet of concrete slabs for an underpinning job and trundled off for Chelmsford to drop the augers at welders yard. Saw an OshKosh tank transporter on the A12 with trailer but no tank, massive thing with huge convoy of cars behind. Quick unload and back on A12, stopped off for a quick cuppa with my Mum in Colchester and off to middle of nowhere just past Bury St.Edmunds. Craned off slabs, and told to collect about 30 steel tubes 2m x 240mm, It was about midday and these were red hot, but as they were loose they had to be handballed on. Two blokes helped from the site. Also on site was small tracked drop hammer rig with trailer power pack, unfolded ramps on truck, tracked the rig on strapped it down and headed off for the A14 towrds Newmarket. Which was a BIG mistake, just past a turning on the Newmkt bypass I hit the traffic which the radio now tells me is a big jam cos the road is closed ahead. Great. Traffic starts creeping forward after about 5mins, I spy a left turn lane and decide to leave A14 and go back via the A12. Only the slip road leads into a disused service area that was not obvious, so straight back out on the exit slip, followed by a Frenchie Norbet, much to the amusement of a Co-op driver who had been behind me. I did see the humour however. Hours passed trundling along, was given a bottle of water by a copper becuase of the heat. At one point a police car with lights and sirens ablaze was filtering between the two lanes of stationary traffic and was stopped by a car driver, who was telling him to sort out the f-ing traffic. I shouted to him to stop being a tosser, and he soon shut up. Eventually we came off the A14, got diverted through Newmarket which was solid and experiencing an onslaught of rain. Once through Newmkt it was fairly plain sailing back to the yard for a 1900 finish. Phew.

Thursday 27th July
0700 start, boss has unloaded everything and am now ready to load for today. 3 packs of ply and 12 stillages go on and I am out the yard at 09.30 headed for Totland on the IOW. Round the M25 and the traffic is stacked up just past the M3, can't be doing with jams so down the M3 to the M27 and into Portsmouth that way. Arrive at terminal bang on 12.00 check in and am loaded on the 12.30 behind some caravans, much to my disgust! Whilst crossing the Solent the Captain announces that there are temporary traffic lights in Wooton causing severe delays and to go via Ryde if poss. Aaaargh worst possible news, completely wrong direction but hopefully everyone else will go that way. Off the boat at Fishbourne and luckily through the roadworks smoothly. Out past Newport get stuck on the National Speed limit Yarmouth road behind a local doing 25mph. Arrive at Totland and am flagged down by the builder who points to the site entrance which is a nice steep descent down a loose suface access. Gingerly edge down the track, hoping it ain't gonna slide. Get to the bottom and the bend is too tight. Everything craned off, and dumped around the truck wherever space (what space) allowed. Now I am empty and even with the diff lock engaged struggled to reverse up the slope. Took a run up and got out, reversed back to main road and back to Fishbourne. Arrived at F/B 16.10 for the 16.00 and fingers crossed for the next one. Not too busy so good chance. Ferry already unloading, and last off was Thomas the Tank Engine on a low loader. Got over on the 16.30 and arrive Portsmouth for the rush hour. Up the A3 everything fine until Ripley where get to the jam resulting in the M25 closure J10-11. Just as traffic slowed, passed a bloke who had just spun his Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and was still sitting in it on the verge looking dazed. As the speed of the traffic was about 10mph past him, I could have stopped put all my flashing lights on and checked to see if he was OK. Only I didn't think of it until I was past, which irritated me as I am not one to pass someone by if I can help. Sky now black and lashing with rain, so much that the road is awash. Eventually joined M25 a/c and made good progress back to Harlow where there had been flooding and massive lakes across the road in places. Dumped truck in yard and left for home at 21.00

Friday 28th July.0700 Start. Nothing much doing today, but was asked if I wanted to do a Lincoln run instead of next week. OK not too bad I think, and spend about an hour moving stuff in the yard to unearth 17x steel tubes 6m x 140mm and mega heavy with it. Tubes loaded and out of the yard by 10.30 slogged up A1 to Newark and cut across A46. Had forgotten just how far Lincoln was, but found the site easy enough, backed in, craned them the tubes off and decide to head back down the A607 towards Grantham, then take the road through Ancaster to Colsterworth. Stopped for a break near Cranwell and was treated to a bit of an airshow, thanks to everything going in and out of Cranwell and a C17 that had lifted off at Waddington and was buzzing the field. Get to the Ancaster road, ROAD CLOSED, follow diversion and follow the road bak to the A1 remembering that last time it WAS great in a car but just a pain in the truck. Long slog back to Harlow was uneventful except for a Harrier just missing the roof beacons as I passed the runway at Wittering. Back at the yard, reloaded for Monday and out the gate at 1900
Thank **** for that.