Looking for a job?

 A lot of transport companies are looking for drivers right now. If anyone fancies a life on the road they should be applying now. This advert has appeared on tweeeter. 

Leicester Heavy Haulage

@LeicesterHeavy

Leicester Heavy Haulage are looking for HGV Drivers. There is no requirement for experience in transporting Abnormal Loads as all training will be provided to the right candidate. Anyone interested should call 01530 262266 or e-mail sales@leicesterhh.co.uk.

This is an old picture, they now have a fleet of new modern trucks.

I pestered them for a job, and eventually Brian Rodwell, the owner, gave me a trial for two days to see if I could handle a flat trailer, roping and sheeting, strapping and chaining loads down. I moved portacabins and lengths of steel. Back in the office he asked how I did. I said, yes, I can manage the job. He said, ok, can you start on Monday.

I moved on to bigger and bigger loads. My first tractor unit was plated for 38 tonnes, which could be increased to 55 tonnes when I carried abnormal and heavy loads with a movement order. Eventually I moved up to a 75 tonner.

I left after three years. I wanted to work my way up to the 165 tonner, but I could see it was going to take forever. It's a job where drivers never leave, and I was a late starter. I was going to run out of time. I moved on because I wanted to gain more experience on other work. Different trucks, different loads, different equipment.

This was the best job I ever had. Every load is a learning curve, and that's what I wanted. I don't want to stand still, I want to be constantly moving on. If I had my time again, I would do exactly the same thing.

Thanks for popping in.

Toodle pip. ilona

Patrick spells it out

 A MULTI-STATE SPONSORED INVASION?

Patrick Christy lays out how he says the crossings work: support on the French side, then unmarked coaches and police escorts waiting on arrival in Britain. If even half of this is right, the British state isn't stopping the boats, it's running the shuttle service.

Who signed off on this, and why are we paying for it?

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Patrick explains what he has seen on his visits to France.

Of course there are people who will say this is a conspiracy theory.

Good luck to you in your future life.

Enjoy your last days, weeks, months of freedom, because they are coming to an end.

Toodle pip. ilona

What a beauty

I completely forgot to go to the Post Office yesterday, I was distracted. It's not every day that a beautiful beast like this is parked outside your house. Oh wow, I had to go out and speak to the driver. I needed to get the lowdown. Where is the vehicle based, what is the load, where has the driver been, where is he going to next. 

The delivery point is down another street but it is difficult to get to. Too many parked cars and nowhere to turn round. Calum did well to reverse into my street, unhook the forklift truck from the back end of the trailer, lift off long lengths of timber, and take it to the site. He came back and re attached the forklift truck back onto the trailer. Here he is tightening up the straps on his load. 

Here is a snippet of information from the company web site. 

Over the past 50 years we have grown to become a national road transport business with a vast team of talented employees and an extensive fleet of modern vehicles. Our head office is in Aberdeen, but we have depots in Dalgety Bay, Grangemouth and Poole. Today our fleet is regularly involved in trips to Ireland and continental Europe. We operate a daily trunk route linking the North of Scotland to the South of England

A picture from the company web site. 

It was great chatting to Calum. He loves his job and after leaving North Lincolnshire he went on his way down to Suffolk, then Brighton, then London. He expects to be away from his home in Aberdeen for up to two weeks. His workload reminded me of  the weeks away from home that I had, tramping all over the UK. That's what I loved about it. The freedom of the road. 

I delivered three artworks to the 20 21 Arts centre this afternoon. I had a change of mind at the last minute. I have entered the button heart and the chemtrails in the sky, and added a mystery one which is pictured somewhere on this blog. I will be going to the opening of the exhibition so there will be some photo's to post of that. Of course there is no guarantee that any of mine will be accepted. It all depends on what the judges are looking for. I hope I am lucky. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

History repeating itself

 Classic comedy 1972. How true it is today. Have you got it yet? 

Back from Coffee Morning. Now going to town.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Midweek mirth

Remembering the old comedy routines. Dick Emery was a masterclass at jovial titillation. 

It's good to look back on what was funny in 1973, lest we forget. 

Richard Gilbert Emery was born 19 February 1915. His parents were the comedy double act Callan and Emery. They took him on tour when he was only three weeks old and gave him the occasional turn on the stage during his childhood. He was called up to the RAF and rose to the rank of corporal. On leaving the RAF, he returned to the theatre as a comedian. He had a very colourful personal life which you can read about here. 

Now I'm off to Coffee Morning. Catching up with village chat. 

Toodle pip.   ilona 

Fannying around

 I wish they would stop fannying around. In the meantime thousands are arriving every day. What a farce. 

Shabana Mahmood MP

@ShabanaMahmood

·

50m

This country welcomes those who seek a new and better life within it. But there is an expectation that they will play their part, contribute to their community and become a part of our national life. Settlement should not be automatic. It should be earned.

Home Office

@ukhomeoffice

·

1h

Anyone seeking settlement, regardless of when they arrived in the country, will first need to meet four non-negotiable conditions: A spotless criminal record - up from the current threshold of a 12-month suspended sentence English spoken to a high standard with an equivalent to A-Level English as a foreign language No debt owed to the taxpayer A record of sustained National Insurance contributions

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Why should they play their part when everything is given to them. Don't need to work, just go out and rob shops and houses. Our puppets are just following orders.

Toodle pip. ilona

The great escape

I have picked out a photograph from 1973. I was 24 years old. There is a story behind it. I was living in Birmingham at the time. and had a friend called Janet. We both liked Majorca having been on holiday together there before. We decided we would like to go and live there. We booked a cheap five day package trip, which was the cheapest way to get there, and we didn't come back. 

Our intention was to find an apartment and get a job. There was an English newspaper which we searched every day for jobs and accommodation. It was March time and we couldn't find work as it was too early in the season. We would have taken any job, in hotels, cleaning rooms, kitchen work, but no, sorry, nothing today.

 After five days at the hotel, we had to check out. But hey, all was not lost. I had managed to snare a handsome young man who had an apartment, so we didn't have to sleep on the beach. We were invited to stay with Chemari. I don't know if that is the correct spelling but that is how you say it. He was French, and had a job working on the beach renting out pedaloes. 

Our job searching continued. After a month, still nothing. Our money was running out. Not to worry, Chemari bought the food and we had a roof over our heads. Another month and Janet was getting very worried. She rang her parents, and they paid for a return flight back to the UK. I couldn't do the same because my mum had no money to spare. I was on my own. 

For something to do I used to go to the beach and sit with Chemari while he did his job. Hence the photo. I remember one day I got chatting to an English man who came to hire a pedalo. It was such a relief to be able to speak to someone in my native language, without gesticulating every word. 

Chemari became very agitated about this and was very angry that I should be speaking to a male on his own. That was the first time I saw jealousy on his face. I had to be careful after that. I didn't want to get thrown out of his apartment. 

Another month went by and I knew I had to leave and go back to the UK. But how to do that when I had very little money left. Chemari didn't know that I was plotting how to get away from him. He wanted to own me and I didn't like that. He wanted me to stay there forever. 

I checked the English newspaper every day. In the personal column I saw that someone was selling a return ticket to fly back to the UK. This woman had already got a job lined up to go to, so she didn't need the ticket. I contacted the seller and agreed to buy it. I just had enough money.

I hid the ticket because I didn't want Chemari to see it, he might destroy it and I would be trapped. I only told him a couple of hours before I left the apartment. I explained that it was just a visit back home and I would return to Majorca. He accepted that. A car arrived from the seller to take me to the airport late at night. I think today this would not happen. You can't take a flight using someone else's ticket. Passport control and ticket checks then were two separate barriers to pass through. No one noticed. It could have also been a scam, but in 1974 everyone was more trusting and honest. 

I learnt a lot of lessons from this episode in my life. I have a very strong independent streak running through me, and no one can override that. I have since survived two more controlling situations, and removed myself from two unhappy relationships. The decisions I made were right for me. 

Please make sure that the decisions you make now are right for you.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Twelve

A sunny start to the day. 

We have twelve for breakfast this morning at 9am, and the white one is back.

I will have to go to The Range to buy more bird seed. They do a big bag, 12.75kg, for £10. Also need to stock up on cat food, so that will be my afternoon job today. Now I get ready for Crafty Club. 

Have a good day. Toodle pip.   ilona