4923 Kilometres: A Year In The (Beautiful) South

Stonehenge

Background: My colleagues and I mostly haul local, around the North West. However, we do go further afield, usually we share the burden, but since one of my fellows was blown over in January, and has not had a sleeper since then, I have spent a great deal of the year on "The South Run."

This last week was possibly the last time I will have the run until next year, as a new truck will arrive on December 1st.

The Long Man Of Wilmington 

I don't like these trips, and I don't try to hide it, I tend to say things like "It would be different if I had a proper sleeper" or "We do have other drivers, y'know!" The extra money is good, but there's more to life than money, quite a lot more.

I've had a pretty rotten year, and spending so much time away has really not helped get things back on track, and I'm quite certain not being at home has been in some part responsible, since had I been around I may have been more aware that things were going off track, and been able to respond.

Aboard The Woolwich Ferry 

Of course, I'm a truck driver of 35 years standing, and was always aware of what that meant, and as the pictures in this article show, the job does have it's highlights, but it has also to be said, I'm getting old, and it is around now I should be starting to make plans for a retirement with lots to look forward to, but I don't even know if I'm going to make it to the end of next week.

At A Drop Near Southampton 

So, here we are at the fat end of the year. A year that has me physically, mentally, and emotionally wrung out. 

I've lost my home.

My relationship with my hubby is hanging by a thread.

I see my cats once a week, if I'm lucky,

And I'm lodging in a room that if even one of my cats was with me, I couldn't swing it.

Elliott Bear, My Companion In The Cab

There have been moments when it was not all horror, I have learned that I have a very great friend, who gave me shelter from the storm, I discovered that a boss can also be a wise counsellor, and that (for some reason I can't fathom) my colleagues have a lot of respect for me.

Oscar

Astar

So, here's to the demise of 2020, a year I could have done without, a year that almost broke me. Perhaps 2021 will be kinder to us all, I have to hope that it will at least be no worse than its predecessor. 

It Is Always Darkest Before The Dawn
(At least it is in Andover)

Soundtrack: Everybody's Talkin' At Me - The Beautiful South

4137 Kilometres. Art for Art's Sake

 I created these two images, using the Phonto App for Android (also available for Windows, and iOS.)

I'll be using them here, and on the Twitter account, and will swop between them on a random basis.

Soundtrack: Art For Art's Sake - 10cc

44 Kilometres. Arrival (In Case You Missed It)

 

 For those of you who don't know:

My truck is a DAF LF45 FA. (I have yet to discover a definitive answer to the Question: What does LF stand for? But confidently state "Light Freight.))

Referred to variously as M'truck, The Motor, That Rattling piece of Cr*p, and J.J. depending entirely on my mood.

Over the last decade (out of a 35 year career,) I've driven a few of this model, and this one is the best so far, although, I'd likely sell my soul (if I had one) for a bit more room in the cab.

She was delivered with 44 km on the clock, and sat On Yard for a couple of days, taking up space. Since then she's done a little more than her fair share, but things will settle down when she's joined by her sister truck in a couple of weeks. This will bring the fleet up to 4 temporarily, before it reduces back to three, when my previous truck leaves the yard for the last time

Soundtrack: Arrival - Mike Oldfield

The Zero Kilometer

 A good place to start (again.)

A new truck, possibly, even a new era.

Definitely a point to move forward from.

So this blog is mostly just for me to make sure I move forward rather than backwards, there will be a lot of truck stuff, but there will also be news, opinion, philosophy, and a fair bit of Stream-Of-Consciousness rambling.

I decided to add a little something to this Blog that I've not done before, I shall endeavour to always title an entry with the name of a song, or other piece of music, and end the entry with a link to it. There may not be any reference to the song, in the post beyond the title.

I will attempt to post at least weekly, but I'm dreadfully lax, so who knows?

Stay tuned, or not, I don't care.