A Catch-up Cuppa for All members.... no matter how long you've been away

[Kobione]

On 21/03/2020 at 03:25, Denis said:

Where do I start..?

Due to 'Health & Safety'  us lowly third rate citizens, or low life scum (Lorry Drivers) We have to hand our truck keys in so the vehicle cannot be driven off of the rear loading bay accidentally, all well and good, I have no problem with that, it safeguards the workers who are entering the trailers with forklift trucks loading or unloading the goods. While this is being undertaken, we then have to sit in a 'drivers waiting room' while we are being unloaded at large warehouses or distribution centres for Supermarkets.

This 'drivers room' is usually nothing more than an undecorated, uncleaned interior room or a portakabin type building outside.  Sometimes they have the luxury of an uncleaned toilet and an equally unclean coffee machine that will dispence warm cups of liquid that would never resemble coffee except for the colour. Sometime we are required to stay in this room for up to two or more hours......and in some cases longer, the longest time I spent on one of these bays is 9 hours and 15 minutes !

Now, with all that is going on now, and the sudden importance of us drivers being elevated from low life scum to 'Key food supply chain personnel' does not seem to have made a difference ! Drivers, and some of those are foreign chaps who are 'trampers' (drivers who travel about from country to country collecting and delivering food chain or automotive parts or indeed any freight whatsover) are all cooped up in the same room in close proximity to each other and could easily spread the disease if they, or even just one, was carrying it. Therefore spreading it to other drivers who will go to other warehouses and infect even more drivers there.

So, pretty soon, nearly all lorry drivers will be carrying and spreading the virus, then there will be no one to drive the lorries causing even more shortages !

 Blokes like me, who can spend nearly all week away, AND stay clean and so far virus free in our trucks . But,  pointy shoed managerial idiots who make up these'health & safety rules need to realise this. By all means take the keys off the driver  for safety reasons,  BUT let him stay in his nice clean truck cab,( which to anyone who has not seen inside a modern long haul truck, we are quite well equipped with fridges, freezers kettles, microwaves, central heating and air conditioning and nice comfy clean beds)  where we can keep ourselves isolated and safe and keep on delivering the goods that the nation needs for feeding itself, employment and trade.

Thats it, rant over I know where I would rather be while waiting to unload.....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=36Tz38nxFKI

This must be really frustrating for you Denis, and as you said your truck would be the safest, isolate place so there fore far easier for you to manage, hope you do get somewhere with this issue.

Our local store has now restricted shopping to 'locals only'. Most of the population are known to the staff and recognised, but if an unknown person comes in they now ask for some id. If the person only wants one or two items, then ok, because they could be a visitor to the town, but no more bulk shopping will be tolerated.

[Denis]

6 hours ago, Kobione said:

 

Our local store has now restricted shopping to 'locals only'. Most of the population are known to the staff and recognised, but if an unknown person comes in they now ask for some id. If the person only wants one or two items, then ok, because they could be a visitor to the town, but no more bulk shopping will be tolerated.

A friend of hours works in a Tesco at Bishops Stortford, they have had nothing but londoners in bulk buying as it is easy to zip th 36 miles up the M11 to stock their newly aqquired chest freezers!

[vanguard]

Realistically speaking, I think I’ll be ruined within two months. The wife’s about to loose her job in a local hotel, and I think my hours will be cut right back. I’ve just bunged loads of things on eBay for sale so hopefully that’ll help.

[Clicker]

Looks  like this social distancing is being taken seriously at last .... 

[Clicker]

I’m sorry to hear things sound so dire Van ... it seems millions are in similar situations ... these are very trying times indeed .  Are you self employed .?

[vanguard]

10 hours ago, Clicker said:

I’m sorry to hear things sound so dire Van ... it seems millions are in similar situations ... these are very trying times indeed .  Are you self employed .?

No I work for a firm. 

[Paul]

8.30pm UK, Boris conference.

Could this be the lockdown for Britain?

[Denis]

Not quite I dont think Paul, but very much harsher than we are at the moment methinks.

[Ryewolf]

32 minutes ago, Paul said:

Could this be the lockdown for Britain?

I was just thinking that myself, I overheard a member of staff in Asda talking about Boris.

[Ryewolf]

Well, that's it official we are on lockdown.....

[Kobione]

We moved to Stage 2 restrictions yesterday, but there are warnings that we will also be in complete lock down very soon. Covid 19 is certainly having a huge ripple effect in more ways than one!!

[Heather]

 

Hi everyone, long time no see  thought i would just swing by to see who's around and who's not these days 

[FUJI]

Hi Heather........good to see you again.... despite everything things are still ticking over nicely.

FUJI

[Clicker]

Hi Heather .... well there’s a nice surprise ... Good to see you back here ...what have you been up to then .....?

[Martyn]

Hi Heather, nice to see you again!

[Denis]

Hello Heather

[Heather]

7 hours ago, Clicker said:

Hi Heather .... well there’s a nice surprise ... Good to see you back here ...what have you been up to then .....?

other than driving Richard mad  ive been doing loads of DIY as have been doing up an old bungalow ...was supposed to be the last move but we have now decided to move again as so now finishing the place  off to sell, so no rest for the wicked i guess .... hows everyone coping on here ? hope everyone is healthy and safe  x

[Guest]

Heather has been an angel. taking over Loads of the DIY as we deal with my terminal diagnosis and the radiotherapy and scans etc etc. We have to sell the place to fund living lol  but we are staying mostly positive  

[Clicker]

I thought I 'd resurrect  this thread as  I  meant to respond earlier  and other stuff took my attention when my eldest lad  was taken ill in May with Covid  19 ... First of all to both of you Richard and Heather, I am sorry to hear  your revelation about  your  health Richard. and all the implications that go with it .. AND especially as it seems you are selling  the bungalow that has been such a focus in your lives over the past few years  as you tackled the renovation. ...  I  see that  you are selling all of your camera gear  as a result of your diagnosis  so if anyone is interested in a great number of lenses , camera bodies etc here is a link to Richards list .. Often some of the other Forums are easily missed  so I thought  this might  draw attention to it in case  members have missed it ..ESPECIALLY  CANON FANS !

 

http://www.tipf.co.uk/forums/topic/29960-selling-up-loads-of-canon-gear-available/

 

As I said  at the start of this   thread , you don't have to have been posting regularly on  the Forum to warrant dropping in  just for a chat  or catchup with the cuppa on offer . There are lots of reasons why we just sometimes  need to air our  thoughts with someone else  and catch up on gossip and news and  even though not everyone is in total lockdown  now ,  these are unprecedented times  and  looking out for one another  even  via the internet    is something we shouldn't undervalue ...     We are  quite a close knit community on here and being supportive   is a trait that comes with that..

 I noticed that Bill hasn't been about for a bit ...  and Brian  in Aussieland ... is he off on one of his adventures again ..Maybe Dee or Cheryl will know ..

[Guest]

Hi Clicker just spotted this thread, it has certainly been a weird 6 years for us, moved oooop north and bought a project to spend a couple or 3 years doing up. Thats taking a lot longer as more work was needed than we expected and four years in I got cancer then on year 5 it came back as terminal, Here we are at year 6 and I am still terminal but more importantly still here lol. My humour is as dark and unabashed as it always was and keeps me smiling throughout.

In the last couple of days we have had the last flooring laid and we are now putting the furniture back before a final clear through of stuff we have gathered and don't need anymore and then its going on the market.

Hopefully a quick sale and into a new home soon.

Before that we have my next operation which combined with the one 6 weeks ago will mean I will be missing one rib, The T5 & T6 vertebrae and maybe the T7 vertebrae as well. They will put a cage in down the front of my spine from the  T4 vertebrae to the T8 vertebrae which will pair up nicely with the bars from the last one which go down the back of my spine from the T3 to T9 vertebrae. So I'm going to be ROBO dad or metal Mickey and will have fun if I ever go through an airport again lol

Along with the kidney they kept 2 years ago I am starting to wonder if having a donor card means they can take you in instalments  

 

Anyway enough about all this I intend to focus on the positives if I am to die of cancer I will never have to suffer the hell of dementia, for a person with a mind as strong as mine that is a massive win. 

 

Hope everyone else is having as good a covid mashed 2020 as they can 

 

[Clicker]

WoW Richard... your post adds a humbling perspective  to  the  inconvenience  that the virus is subjecting  the majority of us to ... Notwithstanding how serious  it can be ,  for the majority of us it is a relatively minor upset  to have to socially distance, wear masks , work from home where possible, not visit  vulnerable relatives etc  so  thank you for talking so candidly about what you and yours are facing  and with such positivity and humour  I hope you continue to  join us on this thread   not least of all to keep up with your news and to  make us chuckle with that   incorrigible sense of humour that enables the rest of us  not to fear having a laugh with you still ...      Gosh ... All that metal Richard.....!  Sounds like  you'll only need four wheels and you'll  have all the attributes to  become a Transformer ! 

I just watched  the VJ  commemorations on tv this morning and this evening and found it was really well done in these strange times ... Bands Marching and choirs singing all socially distanced etc ... My late  Father in Law was in Burma in 1942/43.. and like many veterans  never ever spoke of his experiences  out there ...We are in the middle of piecing  his service record  together and waiting for some records from Glasgow so the we can record it all  with the photographs we have found for the grandchildren and future generations . It's another  thing to focus on and keep me busy ... besides .. I've been saving a fortune on manicures and hairdressing !!

 

[Denis]

Thank you Richard, puts my small life concerns neatly into place and echoes Polly's sentiments. I wish you and Heather all the best for your next project!

 

[Clicker]

Did you see the fly past Denis  on tv ? I wonder if Colin saw them leave  as he’s in Lincolnshire.... 

[FUJI]

Hi, Ryland.... it’s difficult to know what to say, except that my thoughts are with you........we have no pets now since our 18 yr and 22 yr old cats passed on... just remember the good times.... thank you for  sharing the photographs.

FUJI

[Denis]

No Polly, weather too bad down here for even the birds to fly!