well its been a while since i have done a diary, so i thought i would do another. the week started on a monday in the yard, in nice and early, and…flat batteries 
guy in the yard had been told several times the previous week the truck had to be jump started cos it had been stood for a while! not only that it had been parked next to a container used for storage so it was a struggle to get near the batteries. i decided as it was about an hour before anyone got in i may as well wait to tell them as calling anyone wouldnt get them in any quicker, so i got the cab sorted and made myself a cup of tea. once i was started and rolling the run up to birmingham to load was nice and easy. i got to longbridge, and loaded all they had to go! once i was done it was head northwest for the evening ferry to dublin, i did wonder if i was going to be able to get parked up so late in dublin esp as space is at such a premium, fortunatly when i got off the ferry and into the topaz truckstop there were plenty of spaces, so i had a glass of wine and chilled out with my planet earth dvd. when i eventually woke up, had a brew and a general spruce of the cab i decided to go off on my pushbike for a reccy of where i have to go as its been a year since i have been there. after having a chat with the guys there, its back to the truck and get it washed in the truckstop, the young lad washing it isnt happy with the cab so he puts it back through the brushes, top man! when i get the call to head round i leave, but there is a big problem; when i did the reccy i crossed the first bridge over the liffy which i cant use in the truck, and what i didnt notice was the 1 way system that has not been put in place! 
so i try a couple of ways to get to the street i need to be, but there are roadworks and some road closures, im really stuffed, and the only way i can fathom is to do an illegal right turn. when i get there, the local container driver said he had to do the same thing as it seems impossible to get round otherwise! to start with it looks like i may be heading home empty all the equipment may fit in the container, then it proves this isnt the case, and i end up with about 15 feet of cases to go to heathrow for airfreight to the states. i park on the docks for the night and opt for the 8.30 boat instead of interrupting my break and sleep to get the early one, when i land in holyhead customs pull me into the shed. after a good hunt round the cab the chap declares the most suspect items he has found is my green teabags and coco pops!!! off i set for heathrow, break in hopwood park, and i get to heathrow and they tip me that evening, so i get away from the smoke and run out of spreadover about an hour from home. another dvd and lay in and i trundle back to the yard, drop my trailer and pick up the next one and get it ready for the off, and head home for the rest of the day
monday morning flat batteries
all loaded in birmingham 
gonna be tough up them welsh hills 
god bless the uk; m5/m6 junction and square wheeled
view from the ferry
point of loading in dublin, some interesting grafitti
getting her spick and span
i get back in on the friday morning nice and early, todays gonna be a tough one, down to harwich for the morning boat to the hook of holland!!! i am taking another driver who is collecting a pieter smit tractor unit and going onto a tour, there is also a car with 4 other drivers doing the same. we get o the boat, have some breakfast and i head to my bunk for a couple of hours, back up, chew the fat with the others, have some lunch and were into holland. the truck in front of us refuses to move and were trapped on the ferry, it gets to the point where they are starting to load the unaccompanied trailers for the return crossing before we manage to disembark!! its a short drive up to near schipol airport, its strange not seeing any planes in the air due to the dust cloud at the time, we find smits yard, i drop the trailer and driver, cup of tea and i set off for belgium solo, im off to collect a new trailer. its getting very late when i get to the vanhool factory, but they are 24 hour and the details for my collection are with the gatehouse, so i go off searching for the trailer, but i cant find it anywhere, so the guys from the gatehouse go looking for it, they find it, i follow them, collect it and park up outside for the night. the alarm goes off all too early, i decided to get a move on today as its saturday and there is a bbq happening at home! i get down to norflolk line, and thankfully the queue isnt too bad, i get the 12:00 sailing, and arrive back in the uk around 1pm, its then a simple drive back to the yard, empty my belongings and head home armed with some quality belgium beers for a well deserved feed (well i think so anyway!!)
is that a dinosaur or are you pleased to see me?!!
ready to leave the yard with a mega step trailer, they looked at me funny in harwich when they said whats the load and i replied " a dinosaur!"
getting on the ferry in harwich
friday night traffic, doh!
trailer dropped at smits, time for a brew
vanhools shunter
whats all this then!!!..
taking a leaf from redburns/debenhams book!!!
nope (thankfully!) new mega height skelly, ultra light for the new generators which are taller and a bit heavier than the older ones, transam have brought 2 of these trailers
leaving vanhools saturday morning
this bridge proudly sponsored by edwin shirley trucking
the ferry home, woo hoo!
so its not a typical week in the world of rock and roll, but i enjoyed it, and i hope you enjoyed reading it
