I had a lovely lunch. Seeded bread with peanut butter. Topped with an avocado and grated cheese, melted under the grill. Bliss. Now ready to go out.
Another attempt to tidy up that grotty corner on Flixborough Industrial Estate. Only a few bottles of pee found this time. My bag is nearly full, so what do you do with a filthy lorry strap which has been buried in the bushes for a very long time. I need to squeeze this into the bag.
Do what all self respecting lorry drivers do, roll it up tightly, and store it in a safe place on the back of your truck in the tool box. This one got left behind. There you go, fits nicely in the bag now. Problem solving is my forte.
I wonder why someone chucked this electronic kitchen gadget into the grass verge. Picked up, bagged up into an old found bag, and left by the general wheelie bin for collection. Don't know what it is, don't care.
Test driving my new picking stick. Sadly not impressed. Flimsy cheap plastic, the grabber is at a funny angle, trigger needs a firm grip, twisting my arm sideways, and it made my wrist ache. Going back to the old one.
Two very full bags to start a new pile at my drop off point at the Pond. There is a lot more tidying up to do there, when I have time to go back.
While I was busy picking, a lorry turned up. The driver wanted to get unloaded at a factory, but was not able to. It was late and everybody had gone home. Nobody there to operate the weighbridge, so he had to park up outside the gate for the night and wait till the morning. I moved my trolley out of the way so he could park alongside the kerb.
I got chatting with him, like you do. 😎😄😀 Nice cab, tipper trailer, big transport company. The conversation progressed from simple trucking talk, to what do you think of the state of the world right now. I told him a few of my trucking stories of past experiences. He listened intently. Then about what I have been doing since retirement. He asked questions about my long distance walking. Did you camp, what did I do for a bed every night.
He was thinking about his own retirement, when it might happen, when would he be able to stop working. He told me he is 59, divorced and soon to have his mortgage paid off. I said, you could stop work right now if you check out your finances, money in, money out, balance the two, make a few changes to your lifestyle, it's up to you.
And then we talked about everything else. Luckily he was clued up about the convid farce, so no need to say anything more about that. I recalled my experiences of keeping hold of my freedom while everyone around me was being sucked in. How I have made it my mission to keep as much of my freedom as I can. How I pay for almost everything with cash. He said he has gone along with the digital banking, because there is no alternative, and everything will be moved over to that. I explained that they want us to all live in little boxes, not go anywhere, can't afford a car, get groceries delivered and buy everything on line. Then he said it doesn't matter because by the time that happens he will be long gone. I said I am planning on another ten years, and I will hang on to my freedoms for as long as I can.
Blimey to have that attitude when you are only 59 is a bit sad. To just give up and go along with whatever is thrown at you. That's no life. I could have given up lorry driving a long time ago, but I didn't. I hope I have given him something to think about. I will continue to share my thoughts with whoever wants to listen.
Friday morning and it's a bit overcast. I will have to water up the plant pots because it hasn't rained for a few days. I will go and walk Billy dog in the next hour in case Carol goes out later. I can't get him out if she is not there.
Have a good weekend. Toodle pip. ilona