Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

[Cyberprog]

Purty. I've been all over this week. WFH Monday, Weston, Hengrove, Bristol Tues, Swindon, Cardiff and Swansea (then back into Bristol) Weds and Weymouth+Exeter today. Off to Portsmouth tomorrow, and need to do Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Doncaster next week so far!

 

[V8Druid]

been a loooooooooooooooooooong day today .... at Russ's for 06.30 .... got home to chez Druid at 22.30 this evening .... will catch up tomorrow
couple to whet your appetites
Worcester for 8.00 ... left at 17.30

got here at 19.00 and away 20.45 for Russ's place

was a very busy day too
Old fire station in the middle of Worcester being redeveloped into appartments ... old skool live on site station .. hell of a building and had huge amounts done to it
Russ'd been here a few times but was 90% blind work yesterday and needed some eyes he could trust on the end of the two ways. tight-ish work area and bodies everywhere

lots of can you justs , 'fore the main events, slinging materials up and juggling a few big window panels about up on the top lift, which'd been parked in the wrong spot last time ... had one of those glass sucky lifters ... "do you know how to use this Gra?" .. "Yeh but Russ ain't supplied it - you rented it - you'll have to use it - not covered for it sorry" .... they didn't manage to drop anything anyway, after a 'this is how it works and FFS sake keep the cups clean' pep talk.

still ain't found me stitching prog.

so the main event ... what you can't see is the 240kg man basket sat on the back of the Lieb ....
load of chimneys needing attention and totally blind ...

first task was take a lightning conductor fitter up and replace some ali 'sky spikes' ...
guy climbs in with a new 8ft x 16mm spike and a 12" Bahco and I'm thinking "yeh right" .. what's up there has been there decades ....
put us alongside the first stack and after ten minutes grunting and struggling, he's snapped off the 30" one, that's there and ripped the side of his hand open on a clay flue liner.

ten minute conversation with his boss later and the job's abandoned, with what's up there now considered to be sufficient
drop him back on the flat roof and on to 'phase two'

Ben the owner/developer is on the roof ... "this is Steve ... I want you to take him up so he can fit these vent caps to all the flues, then fit the mesh cages over the top of the stacks " --- it's like 12.30 and there's eight stacks and Steve'd never seen these vent caps before ... (neither had I) and is just a 'labourer' with a motley selection of tools to do the job ... I'd already seen the first stack had flour flues so told him we'd need four for the first one, then come back down for the mesh cage ...
put us back alongside the stack, in a comfy working position - I'm just the 'chauffeur' in theory - tell Russ to get his head down and Steve 'attempts' the first cover .... ,
after 15 minutes it's bloody obvious that, without some 'input', we're still going to be here when it got dark ... crap caps - end of - 2+" bigger than the flues they were supposed to be clamped around, with this 30" S/S, quick adjust 'jubbly' clip, so some metal tweaking required ... so wrestled one's fixing legs into shape, got it in place, dropped a 'jubbly' over it and said to Steve " Yer mate, do this up " ... at which point the tip of the driver disappeared .. presumably down a flue ... was no where to be seen on the top of the stack " Well that's bloody handy .. got any more or an 8mm drive socket for the whizzer you've got down on the roof? " ......
" er .. nope "

" Russ, you got your socket set on board? .. head up and put us down in front of you please mate "

suitably 'tooled up' we're back up alongside the stack in ten ... I'd gotten three on, by the time Steve'd persuaded his into shape and 'jubbly'ed on
back to the flat roof for the mesh cage which had to be hand balled up and on .. that was fun .. and then screwed to the stack top ...

down, to the flat roof, grab eight caps and up to the next one ..... after we'd been down to the deck for some eats at 1.30

Ben the boss man collars me as we're about to go back up and asks WTF is taking so long?? " get yourself a harness and come and have a crack Ben ... not easy and it's being done as fast as is possible -- If I wasn't helping Steve, we'd still be on stack one "

Up alongside #2 and there's 8 to do ... I'm into it by now and doing three to Steve's one ... back down for the cage ... cage on and we're 'motoring'

two more 8 pot-ers to do on this wing ... and can only just reach #3 with the hook against the anti two block to get the far side to fix the cage

no room down below to fit the swingaway fly jib, which'd still have been doubtful and #4 & #5 were the furthest, so we were gonna have to move out into the road which was fortunately a very quiet semi-dead end and'd make these a POP ...

especially with less flues to deal with
so wrapped down, stopped the traffic and shot off round the corner to set up ... doesn't take the two of us long to get shifted - we're a well oiled team

and wait a good 20 minutes for the telehandler op. to bring us our basket -- no sense of urgency anywhere on the site, other than from Ben, who's obviously paying all the bills
eventually got up and did #8 and #7

 

[Lancs Lad]

was a very busy day too
Old fire station in the middle of Worcester being redeveloped into appartments ... old skool live on site station .. hell of a building and had huge amounts done to it
Russ'd been here a few times but was 90% blind work yesterday and needed some eyes he could trust on the end of the two ways. tight-ish work area and bodies everywhere
View attachment 37371

lots of can you justs , 'fore the main events, slinging materials up and juggling a few big window panels about up on the top lift, which'd been parked in the wrong spot last time ... had one of those glass sucky lifters ... "do you know how to use this Gra?" .. "Yeh but Russ ain't supplied it - you rented it - you'll have to use it - not covered for it sorry" .... they didn't manage to drop anything anyway, after a 'this is how it works and FFS sake keep the cups clean' pep talk.
View attachment 37374View attachment 37373View attachment 37372
still ain't found me stitching prog.

so the main event ... what you can't see is the 240kg man basket sat on the back of the Lieb ....
load of chimneys needing attention and totally blind ...
View attachment 37370 View attachment 37379View attachment 37380View attachment 37381
first task was take a lightning conductor fitter up and replace some ali 'sky spikes' ...
guy climbs in with a new 8ft x 16mm spike and a 12" Bahco and I'm thinking "yeh right" .. what's up there has been there decades ....
put us alongside the first stack and after ten minutes grunting and struggling, he's snapped off the 30" one, that's there and ripped the side of his hand open on a clay flue liner.

ten minute conversation with his boss later and the job's abandoned, with what's up there now considered to be sufficient
drop him back on the flat roof and on to 'phase two'

Ben the owner/developer is on the roof ... "this is Steve ... I want you to take him up so he can fit these vent caps to all the flues, then fit the mesh cages over the top of the stacks " --- it's like 12.30 and there's eight stacks and Steve'd never seen these vent caps before ... (neither had I) and is just a 'labourer' with a motley selection of tools to do the job ... I'd already seen the first stack had flour flues so told him we'd need four for the first one, then come back down for the mesh cage ...
put us back alongside the stack, in a comfy working position - I'm just the 'chauffeur' in theory - tell Russ to get his head down and Steve 'attempts' the first cover .... ,
after 15 minutes it's bloody obvious that, without some 'input', we're still going to be here when it got dark ... crap caps - end of - 2+" bigger than the flues they were supposed to be clamped around, with this 30" S/S, quick adjust 'jubbly' clip, so some metal tweaking required ... so wrestled one's fixing legs into shape, got it in place, dropped a 'jubbly' over it and said to Steve " Yer mate, do this up " ... at which point the tip of the driver disappeared .. presumably down a flue ... was no where to be seen on the top of the stack " Well that's bloody handy .. got any more or an 8mm drive socket for the whizzer you've got down on the roof? " ......
" er .. nope "

" Russ, you got your socket set on board? .. head up and put us down in front of you please mate "

suitably 'tooled up' we're back up alongside the stack in ten ... I'd gotten three on, by the time Steve'd persuaded his into shape and 'jubbly'ed on
back to the flat roof for the mesh cage which had to be hand balled up and on .. that was fun .. and then screwed to the stack top ...
View attachment 37382
down, to the flat roof, grab eight caps and up to the next one ..... after we'd been down to the deck for some eats at 1.30

Ben the boss man collars me as we're about to go back up and asks WTF is taking so long?? " get yourself a harness and come and have a crack Ben ... not easy and it's being done as fast as is possible -- If I wasn't helping Steve, we'd still be on stack one "

Up alongside #2 and there's 8 to do ... I'm into it by now and doing three to Steve's one ... back down for the cage ... cage on and we're 'motoring'
View attachment 37383

View attachment 37375
two more 8 pot-ers to do on this wing ... and can only just reach #3 with the hook against the anti two block to get the far side to fix the cage View attachment 37384
no room down below to fit the swingaway fly jib, which'd still have been doubtful and #4 & #5 were the furthest, so we were gonna have to move out into the road which was fortunately a very quiet semi-dead end and'd make these a POP ...
View attachment 37386
especially with less flues to deal with
so wrapped down, stopped the traffic and shot off round the corner to set up ... doesn't take the two of us long to get shifted - we're a well oiled team
View attachment 37385
and wait a good 20 minutes for the telehandler op. to bring us our basket -- no sense of urgency anywhere on the site, other than from Ben, who's obviously paying all the bills
eventually got up and did #8 and #7

Retirements not all it's cracked up to be

 

[V8Druid]

#8 .. 'fore we'd sorted the cage on it

getting set up for #6 and Ben appears on the roof wanting to come up in the basket ..
"Sorry Ben but without a harness you can't .. end of .. get caught and Russ loses his ticket - you're not insured and I am DEFINITELY not taking responsibility for allowing you in here without it .. this is my ride and the buck stops in my lap " ..
didn't go down well, but no way was it happening!!

We'd just gotten up to #6 and ready to work when he appears on the roof again - with a harness and wants me to come back down for him (and he's the one complaining about time) ...
took bloody ages to sort #6 .. Steve and I'd gotten a routine and Ben just ****ed that royally ...

not content with being a PITA on #6 he stayed for #5 too .....
just as well really 'cos it was his decision to leave this in the one flue

and to cobble the caps onto these, in a non approved / totally cowboy manner ... not enough collar showing to clamp to and should've been screwed to the stack top so we're told to just 'stuff' the legs down the bore ... hopefully the mesh'd keep 'em captive if they blew out .. we're a good 60-70 ft in the air FFS .... some folk beggar belief.

anyway .... #4 was unreachable from there ... so back to the floor ... de-rig and shunt back as far as we dared, to the end of the road we're stood in, right on the junction .. rig and back up ... to find we'd run out of caps ... ordered weeks ago, so the man's decision was to fit the mesh and to hell with the caps ... on sealed off at the bottom flues, open to the elements
can still only just reach one side of the stack #4 -- just .. fix the mesh to the side we're alongside and Ben says how we gonna get the other side? .. We're up against the anti-two block with a about 8" of hoist rope showing between it and the sheaves .. that's it-end of ... it's ten to five and we've another job we should've left for already..... no way are we putting the bloody fly on for two screws ...
thought he was gonna faint, when i said to Russ on the radio ... " don't move, I'm getting out" ...got out the basket onto the edge of the chimney and said " pass me the drill " ... (Won't be telling Pam 'bout that bit - she hates standing on a chair)
I'm clipped on - what's the problem ...
five minutes and we're on the flat roof, dropping Steve and all the tools off and said to Russ ... " Basket's empty of gear, 's just me and Ben ... whip us up .. we're coming down in a minute " and 'UP' we went .. to the cat head ..... " want to get some pix while we're up here Ben ? "

Photo-opportunity taken, we were on the deck, discharging Ben, loading the basket on the back of the Lieb and wrapping up for a speedy departure to the next job at Pontrilas Timber, we'd looked at Wednesday afternoon ... left Worcester at 17.40 and rolled into Ponrilas's yard at 19.00 where 5t of S/steel tank, which'd arrived at 17.00, as scheduled, was awaiting our attention

set up, reeved and ready to rock in 20 minutes ... flying time for said tank

WTF's me stitch prog

just a bit of deflection

don't think there're many 35,s that'd do this at the radius .. 's a fair lift .....
lovely tank .....
new tanalising plant ...
this is the containment/storage vessel for the tanalith to be pumped into/out of the big blue pressure vessel along side it, when filled with the timber for treatment ...
virtually fully automated - will run 24/7 with minimal input and full tele-metric control/alert systems when finished ...
built in Belgium, with two Belgian guys there to meet us last night, for the install

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Why narrow jacked Graham?

 

[V8Druid]

's a nice building, with all the gear inside, bunded in a big concrete pit

rolled out of there at 20.40 and back at Russ's in Sellack by 21.30 .... which left me just enough time to slide down into Ross's Aldi to get some milk and bits, 'fore they kicked me out at ten
stretched the P38's legs on the way home cross country ..... lanes are so much easier to fly at dusk .. can see the lights coming and sat down for me tea, just after half ten

wouldn't want a 16+hr day every day ..... but the 'remuneration' 'll be worth the effort .......
and it's always an interesting day out with Russ

 

[V8Druid]

View attachment 37409
Why narrow jacked Graham?

well spotted .....only the front off side short rigged MB .... was two tonne of balustrade there when we set up, which got sent up to the balconies ... and didn't need to reset for the man basket ... this Lieb'll do a tonne and a half, short rigged with the boom flat ..... it's a bloody amazing machine for duties

 

[LKSF]

At least those lovely blue skies have stopped you moaning about the weather

 

[V8Druid]

At least those lovely blue skies have stopped you moaning about the weather

well funny you should mention that ...... ****in' pollen is killing me yesterday and today

 

[LKSF]

well funny you should mention that ...... ****in' pollen is killing me yesterday and today

You're never 'kin happy!

 

[V8Druid]

You're never 'kin happy!

not strictly true .....
off my face this morning, having been forced out of bed at 4.30 for a Tramadol cocktail ...
the painful bits I took them for are still giving me sh1t, .............. but my feet feel great ... usually got a job to stand on 'em for an hour first thing

 

[V8Druid]

spent a couple of hours on Monday this week having a re-juggle of some of the stuff on my patch ... been wanting to relocate the Genny for ages as it's a bit of a pain where it's been sat since arriving, for turning vehicles around ... so
Fleming took a ride from where it's been sat for quite a while, after I'd re-positioned the band saw rollers and BIL's bench, still awaiting collection.

and got relocated elsewhere and stuck the Thwaites in its place

as you can see 'old faithful' blew a steering hose as I wound it round to go into spot ... bloody annoying, but better now than when I want to use it .. have investigated and could be one of four suspects .... 's only a pin hole, so I'm gonna have to get Pam to turn the wheel for me whilst under it, to see which one has to get swapped out ... she was busy watching the tennis so'll get looked at a.n.other time, shortly...
Russ called me whilst I'm lying under it to sort the week's 'needs' and had to chalk it all down, or I'd forget it

then turned my attention to getting Lil' Jake in a new spot, having tracked him out from his adopted home, beside the Micron, since he arrived and shifting my nice collection of buckets for him, that arrived courtesy of Mr Gunns, when he got delivered, damned near a 12 month ago
WTF did that go?

followed by the genny ... needed to get it just right, to be able to access everything, without shifting any thing about ... worked out a treat ...
sat it down on its bearers and the bubble confirmed what my eye said .... "perfick" ... with just the right amount of space for the 'Drema to go back in her usual spot ....... this also points the exhaust into the field and away from us all .. although a silent pack, it still has an exhaust note, all be it, reasonably quiet, considering

the Deutz and pack went back on the bench, ready for some more attention

and although it didn't intrude into the patch a lot, it made a big difference to the available space for maneuvering in

Pam also happy to see it (or more like not ) in a new home, when she showed her face later in the day ...... was some bit warm here Monday afternoon and that was enough for one day

 

[V8Druid]

forgot to say .... mowed the lawn yesterday morning, fully intending to give it all a 'short back and sides' .... couldn't believe how much it'd grown in 6 days. Side of the driveway is far worse .. been a good 10 days since it got 'attended to'

the arrival of Harper and her entourage curtailed the drive's 'Daning'

Clara unwell again .. chucking up most of the night .. trying to decide why/establish a pattern .. my money's on the swimming pools she goes to once a week, learning to swim and swallowing pool water ... ... unwell within 36 hrs now on 3 occasions ... she's now a lot more confident in the water and more likely to take it on board

lovely sky last night

and not a cloud in it at 04.30 this morning

 

[V8Druid]

two years ago today we're rudely awakened by the sound of a vehicle on the drive ... Reo had arrived after a two year wait for him, to start doing our wall ... slight problem as we had summat on that day .... Pam says to me "put him off and I'll ****in' kill you " .......... so spent 5 hours that morning running round like a headless chicken getting him set up and hauling out bags of stone from the back of all me stuff

(the bit already up was my attempt at tight jointing, 'fore Pam changed her mind and wanted pointing )

then jumped in the shower and shot off for a 4 o'clock appointment in Usk

can't believe it's been two years

 

[Lancs Lad]

2 years where's that gone?

 

[hiluxman]

Tempus fugit

Happy anniversary tho.

 

[Quattromike]

Slainte

 

[Cyberprog]

Time really does fly. Happy anniversary to you both!

 

[maz]

Happy anniversary, have a good one!

 

[V8Druid]

cheers guys ... where has it gone indeed? .... we'll have been together 23 years come November WTF did that go ?????