I was working in Shrewsbury and decided i wanted to do something challenging, not in the "climb Everest" kind of challenging, but something where i could breath, meditate and get into myself, so it was that i remember seeing a guy in a blue Renault Traffic long wheel base van on a beach in Wales, he was just sitting there, not a care in the world on his own. peace tranquillity, being one with the earth, seems some how just so perfect.
Someone went and parked up close to him so he just got into the drivers seat and drove further down the beach, it was quite obvious he needed his space, then when they had gone he moved back up the beach, i could see that he wanted to be alone but some people just don't get it.
This had played on my mind for a long time, how do you survive like that ?, what are the advantages/disadvantages?, how do you keep clean, shower, wash clothes, well ok as long as you have a swimming pool nearby and a laundrette, then i suppose its should be easy, is it legal to just park where you want ?,well as a car driver i can tell you that "no it isn't unless you know a bit about the law yourself" as i found out later. .
I was working in Stafford on nights one May three years ago and caught the train back in the morning, i happen to mention in conversation to a guy sitting opposite me that i wanted a van just to be mobile and to carry the small amount of belongings i had with me, he said he had just the sort of van, Nissan Vanette, that he used for business but as he had an accident that prevented him from driving anymore i could go and have a look at it. well it seemed alright but then most motors do when you first go and look at them without prior knowledge not knowing too much about mechanics and cars, although i had a feeling that i should if i was going to go on my journey of discovery.
The outside of the van seemed fine a few rust marks and a dent on the lower body but nothing too serious, i climbed in, the seat was a bit worn where due to the low headroom the driver had slid off the drivers seat to the ground to exit the van.
All in all she (ok i named her Myvanwy), seemed ok and ready to go, we shook hands and the deal was done, i phoned the insurance who promptly charged me over £600 to get her insured and a trip to the post office for a tax disc £120, for six months....and that was it i was on the road, Three days later the alternator packed up on the way south on the M6,luckily i managed to drift to the hard shoulder and was promptly towed off the motorway, i was forced to phone the guy and tell him that the van had broken down on the hard shoulder of the south bound M6, a bit scary at the time as it was dark and i got breakdown cover with the insurance.and had to get the van repaired at a cost of £480,not happy about it but it was just a setback nothing more.
While i was lodging in Shrewsbury and working close by on a construction site, i had all the opportunity to "kit" Myvanwy out, so i saw some carpet that had been thrown out by the side of the road that very day, i stopped and didn't even ask but bundled it in to the back, carpet down, i decided to board over the wheel arches and make some kind of shelving, this i did with the help of the recycle skip we had on site, ply board and purple paint, where the boss couldn't see me hard at work painting and sawing, well there were other people on site who had taken over the crane so i was left to twiddle my thumbs.
Carpet and painted i was quite pleased with myself and shelves in to at a minimal cost.
As it was mid June and work was calling once more i was on the move, so i needed a bed storage for food, tools, personal items, the front seat became my "office". I even managed to procure some curtains and got them tailored to the front of the van.
Everything i own, all my personal belongings were in my van, and off i went...I had finished the Shrewsbury job and had a phone call that there was work in Elgin Scotland, so at 5:30 i set off to drive up to Scotland planning on stopping half way for Rest, i got as far as the Lancaster services and pulled in, climbed into the back for a few hours and before i knew it the time had passed and i was on my way again.
I had in fact over stayed my welcome at the service station and received a letter telling me that i had to pay £60 for the pleasure of a few hours kip, i wrote back and explained that as i had just finished work and was due to start another job in Elgin and as i had only pulled in as i found myself feeling very tired, i could there for continue my journey as i would be a danger to myself and other motorists,
Soon after i received an email to tell me that in light of my explanation and as a gesture of good will they had quashed the fine. .
My first stop was a job not far from Elgin in Scotland, i worked as a banks man just keeping my eye on a forklift truck, walking it about the distillery moving stuff about, at the weekend it was my time to relax and breath, to this end i found the Inchberry touring park, a council run park up on a quiet road out of the way.
It had picnic tables to cook on, i soon found out that not far was the Inchberry village hall with a water tap behind it and with a bit of ingenuity i managed to catch pure Scottish rain water in the tarp tied from the roof rack to the tree's over the picnic table.
I took a pan full of water, heated it on my gas stove, added it back to the stainless steel bowl i had caught the water in and as it was just the right temperature i had water to strip wash with at the back of the van.
To the side of the caravan park there was a small woods, with a stone circle fire pit in a clearing, i collected wood and at the weekend it was my reward to myself to just sit in the silence watching the flames dance as our ancestors would have done all those years ago.
I sat with a Bottle or two of ale into the early hours, but again as there was no-one about i sat there undisturbed while the embers died down then making sure that there was no way of the fire catching any where it shouldn't, i retired to Myvanwy for the night.
The next night hit me more because of the serene tranquillity, being on my own gave me time to think, to reconcile myself, to heal from some of the trauma of my previous years and to ponder why i chose Paganism as my path.
I didn't have any magical ancestors and the nearest to any magical inclinations was my grandmother who could grow almost anything in her little garden in Upton Chester, one memory of this was when i was admitted to hospital and she came to visit bringing those purple grapes with the bitter seed inside, on her next visit i gave her the seeds i had spat out in a tissue and she took them back and grew the most splendid vine up the wall of the outside shed and across next doors greenhouse, however it failed to bare fruit because of the climate.
Back to the fire, this was it.. this was living the dream, my dream, but how do you give thanks to the woodland spirits ?, as the flames of the fire grew that evening i put a plastic gallon container of water just close enough for the heat to warm the water but not too close so that the fire would melt the plastic, when it was warm enough i poured some over my head and shampooed my hair, yes i was completely naked at this point and it was dark with no one else around, or at least i thought there was no one else around, i continued with my make shift shower.
I had forgotten my towel and was not going to walk back to Myvanwy so i just stood for a while by the fire and let the heat dry my skin, the feeling of being completely naked and in the company of the trees and nature and all around me the scent of the fresh air and the overall elation of being reliant caused me to dance naked around the fire.
The few horses in the field near by could see the fire pit by day and must have wondered what i was doing, carrying logs and twigs, to the fire pit, it took several trips before i realised that i could perhaps make some kind of sledge to transport the logs the few hundred yards from the woods to the fire pit...i found a few long narrow branches and layed them on the floor, a few cross members lashed with birch bark secured the sledge and i carefully loaded it up with sizable twigs and small branches for the fire, it worked well and soon i had a neat pile of fire wood.
Sometimes as my pagan beliefs allowed i would give thanks to my Gods goddesses, angels and spirits for such a beautiful and tranquil place to rest and enjoy myself.
Then leave the ritual decorations i had gathered from the hedgerow on the table for visitors to the caravan park while i was away working the next day. Staying in and around Scotland i also went for a weekend to Annam Cara a spiritual retreat just North of Inverness, for an introduction to Shamanism, i made a few friends and the course was interesting.
From Scotland i moved down to Nottingham for a weeks work, then on to Glastonbury.
I had never visited Glastonbury it was one place i wanted so much to see, so i packed up the van and headed down.
Glastonbury is a beautiful magical place where the temptation to spend money seems greater at every window, alas it was about 8am and i had walked the streets window shopping, waiting for the shops to open i received an urgent phone call, asking me to hasten to Cheltenham as a crane driver was needed.
I left Glastonbury with a vow to return soon and headed off.
Cheltenham:
I felt ill at ease with Cheltenham maybe this was the first time that being a traveller, for that's what i was, made me feel that people were judging me unfairly, "where are you staying"? i was asked, "in my van" i replied, this was met with odd looks of bewilderment, Yes i stay in my van, its comfortable and cheap, i don't pay rent or council tax, maybe that was the problem, do anything out of the normal and envy and jealously abound.
I found a place to park at the top of Parabola road, OK it was right opposite the Cheltenham Ladies Collage but i was doing no-one any harm just by living and sleeping in my van.
I settled in one night, cooked my dinner, and lay on my bed, soon after there was a knock on the side door of the van, i opened it to see Two of Cheltenham's finest Community police officers standing there....
They had already checked out the registration of the van, had two A4 sheets of paper in their hand with my details address in Market Drayton, my insurance drivers licence details etc., i ask them if they would like a cuppa while they were standing there and could i help at all with what ever it was that had them knocking on the van.....they said that i wasn't doing anything illegal and just asked why i was parked up and in my van, i explained that i was working down in the town on a crane and would be there for a few weeks, they informed me that a local resident had seen a man getting into the back of the van (me), so with that i showed them around the van, under the bed etc. and they went on their way.
After a few week in Cheltenham i moved on to Swindon, it was getting colder now and one thing i had not thought about was that the van needed insulating from the cold, i had to spend a few weeks in a small hotel with bed and breakfast facilities just so that i was not freezing, and so Autumn arrived.
Freezing temperatures soon took hold and the van was now not an option for accommodation.
The next job i had was in Northampton, a small tower crane with very little heating so i was sat up there all day, lodging locally i did a few months over the Christmas period.
From Northampton i moved to Oxford,
I braved -2 temperatures until i had the money to equip the van with an electric consumer unit and join the Camping and caravan club, at last i could stay in the van again have my privacy and drive to work.
the consumer unit cost me £50, but so worth it and with the help of a garage who cut the hole for the outlet i could shut the doors keep warm with the heater i had bought, put the kettle on power my phones, and sit in relative comfort while on my laptop.
There are so many camping club sites that are open all year round and the cost is minimal compared to the wage i earn. I was in Oxford for one week, the temperature was too low for the bricklayers to work so the site shut until further notice, this was no good to me as i needed work to survive.
I drove up to Ellesmere in Shropshire where i worked for two weeks, staying at the Oswestry camp site with hot showers and the town not far away, I also managed to obtain a small strip light which i fitted myself so i had heat, light, a consumer unit with three sockets, I could cook on my gas stove charge my phones, and plug my laptop into the campsite WIFI, Myvanwy was becoming a real home and campervan.
The temperatures were still low, the next Job was in Cambridge operating a pedestrian tower crane, (remote Control), I parked up at the Black Bull in Sawston, i knew the landlord Dave and he let me plug into the electric for putting a few pounds over the bar for beer, a few weeks laterand i was no longer needed so i headed off to Bristol to see my mate Woody.
So the journey continues......
April 2013
After a stop off again in Shropshire visiting friends, another phone call I am was off to Sidmouth in Devon. Myvanwy was due..i knew there was black smoke coming from her exhaust and it didn't look good, I couldn't just park up on the street, and there was no parking on site as it was only a small plot, 20 weeks in Sidmouth sounded ideal and what a holiday, but then my poor Myvanwy failed her MOT, oh god now what, no van ,no home, what the hell do I do..
Luckily before I had a van and was working away, I had on occasion used an internet renting site...and very luckily there was a double room in Sidmouth not far from the site.
I must admit now that looking back, sitting with my head between my hands near crying wondering what to do, the land lady was a treasure, supportive and kind, she charged me minimal rent and so I was able to save as much as possible out of my not so well paid wage, to hopefully afford another van.
Myvanyw was far too expensive to repair, engine problems and welding left her financially unviable,
I advertised her on the web and got a few hundred for her but still not enough, I had to move out while the land lady had her family over for May bank holiday, I parked Myvanwy on her drive and lived in her again for a week.
Poor Myvanyw. What a great friend she was, I use to talk to her even when I was parked up, the places we went, but the guy who bought her said he was just looking for a jobbing van and off she went.
June 2013,
Still worried sick about getting a van before the contract was up, then after a great deal of praying and asking for guidance, tax return.....TAX RETURN !! yes I could do it on line like I did last year...off to the pub again, sitting there tentatively working out my wages, expense's ect, then hit the button at the bottom to enter....I nearly jumped for joy when I saw the amount of rebate I was due and in two weeks it was in my account, now I could breath thank the god and goddess for their patients and guidance.
There was a full moon and as I walked down to the sea front, I stood and gave my offerings of thanks.
Work was coming to an end and I had some fond memories of Sidmouth, the people I had met, the long walks along the coast to Budliegh Salterton,, sitting on the beach breathing in an out to the sound of the waves hitting the pebbled beach.
I looked on the internet and found an LDV CONVOY minibus for sale at the price I had set myself, ok a few more miles on the clock but it looked good, the guy drove it down from Manchester, and so Bronwyn arrived, stripped out of her seats and down to bear carpet....she had a Transit engine and sounded good. Long wheel base and more importantly a high roof so I could stand up and move about.
I left Sidmouth and headed for Exeter to buy a bed and camping stuff I needed, double gas cooker, single bed, storage boxes.
I didn't want everyone looking in on me so I got some duvet covers to cover the windows and fitted curtain rails, boxed over the wheel arches, started boarding Bronwen's walls and roof out insulating with 25mm insulation board,
I went to Stroud to work, the weather was very hot and Bronwen's interior was so hot I had the windows open at night. Sometimes I would park close to the site but at the weekends I would head off and explore the surrounding area for tree's and somewhere quiet.
I was at one of these beautiful side road park ups I saw the most beautiful sunsets and full moons.
I wont forget the people I have met on my travels, Chris the street guy in Sidmouth, been living rough for twenty one years, Lindy the landlady. various Police who have stopped and asked me why I am parked up in strange places .friends I have made on sites all over the UK of all those people who travel the same path, road and highway as myself, I am humbled by some of the stories.kindness and friendships I have made.
I met Chris when I was in Sidmouth , he was sitting outside of Tesco playing his harmonica, and there by his side his dog.
Now I used to walk strait past people sitting on the street...that was a long time ago, i suppose as you get older you appreciate that some people have no choice but to survive the best they can, and I to have been forced on the streets on a few occasions.
After chatting to Chris for a few weeks, I found out that the local church had donated money to buy Chris a caravan and site it for him on a small piece of land, he invited me up to his caravan and we cooked and drank into the small hours, I learned about his travels and met some of his friends to.
As the end of the Sidmouth job was in sight I looked further to see what was available, I found a contract in Stroud operating a remote control crane, it was lovely and hot, sunny all day I could just go and park up in the trees, and the duvet kept me nice and warm at night...never thinking about later on when the weather starts to change...
Parked up in Stroud over looking the River Severn
I spent some time meditating in the tree's and watching the sun go down
Beautiful views over the Severn
I found out that locally the Tewksbury medieval fair was on at the weekend so I went to that and had a great time, I joined the East Sussex historical society who let me join them on the battlefield on the Sunday afternoon.
Back to work and travelling
I went To Blandford Forum, now the weather was getting cooler and I knew from past experience with Myvanwy that it was going to start getting very cold, I took a trip to Glastonbury where, for £475 I had a log burner installed in Bronwyn, a whole new concept in cooking in my van took off !
Idris the log burner, lit with her beautiful glass door.
I did a ritual welcoming Idris to Bronwen and lit her for the first time, it got warm....very warm very quickly, I was amazed at how such a small burner would radiate so much heat.
One weekend I had parked up in Blandford Forum minding my own business, cooking my dinner when I had a visit from the local police wanting to know what I was doing parked up, after explaining that I was a crane driver and was going to be operating a crane for some weeks they did their usual checks and left me to it.
With some ply boarding and purple paint, a few decorations and some candle lanterns and wall hangings Bronwen was looking more like home.
I can make toast !!
another culinary experiment on Idris..
From Blandford I started work in Hedge End, Southampton.
It was definitely getting colder so I was pleased that I could get wood to burn on Idris from the site I was working on and also I had permission to plug into the electric to, so I had light, heat, and a way of communication for charging my phone and working my computer came very easy.
Where ever i have been i have always been mindful that i am only a visitor and to take pictures and only leave footprints,i have met some of the loveliest and spiritual people who have enriched my life and in a small way i hope i have at least helped them and maybe left a small piece of me with them, be it a memory,a smile or just do the dishes !.
I have been rewarded with beautiful friendships, smiles and laughter and that is really all i wish for.
October 2013
In Hedge End I first parked behind the Bitterne Pub and was made to feel like family be the locals and staff, even got my mail posted which helped when re-registering Bronwen.
Winter Solstice at Stone Hedge
One of the better jobs I have had as I travelled was at Hedge end in Southampton
I arrived on site at 10:30 having been asked to travel from Blandford Forum for the same company I was working for at that time Midas. Bronwen came to a halt on the gravel car park and I proceeded to find the site manager..as I ran up the metal stairs to the office they were already waiting for me at the top of the steps, big smiles and hand shakes as apparently the other driver/operator who was sent by another agency had taken one look at the crane and ran away.
I had operated this M80 before and assured the Manager Paul that all lifting operations were now in safe hands, and as the project went on I worked through my breaks and was rewarded with extra hours being added on to my time sheet, Cornish pasties and cups of tea being brought to me to keep the chill of the morning out, more cups of tea at dinner time, until if I worked all day and kept the crane going for eight hours, then I was rewarded with twelve hours a day on my time sheet.sixty hours a week.
Parked up on site with free electricity the use of the canteen, a shower and the supermarket and shops not too far away I soon made myself at home in the small brick yard that was adjacent to the site...the thing was that this brick yard with its high wall and Blue metal gates was actually the service back yard of Jessops which had been boarded up and also Carphone warehouse. I asked the manager for permission to park in his service yard and he said yes as long as I kept it tidy and acted as security or a visual deterrent, I had lengths of timber from the site, even using the crane to pick them up from one side of the site to the other and drop them strait in to the yard.
One night as I was coming back from the shops with my bag of provisions, I noticed the security locking up the gate of the main industrial park, I took no notice and walked on as the temperature was dropping rapidly and I needed to light Idris my log burner, I set my pan on top of the hot plate and cooked myself a small pan of pasta with tomato's and garlic.
As I waited for my dinner to cook I noticed a strong torch light shining over the metal gate which I had locked behind me, the beam of the torch shone sharply through the window screen and fell upon my form crouched as I was by my fire, I heard a voice shout "POLICE" ....
Calmly I climbed into the drivers seat and wound down the window, "CAN I HELP YOU ?" I shouted ..."OPEN THE GATE" ...ok now at this point I thought ..ok everything under control and calmly got out of the van and walked over to the gate, "what are you doing in there, asked one of the four police officers....I opened the gate and stepped out into the torch beams, I explained that I was the crane driver and that big tower over the building site fence was the tower crane I had been employed to operate, and the fact that I had permission from not only the site manager but also the manager from Carphone warehouse was enough for the police to drop the beams of their torches.
I felt the energy around them relax to allow me to further introduce myself as a travelling tower crane driver, after the customary ..."what's your name, date of birth and where were you born....they confirmed that I was not some one the police had an interest in.
One of the officers noticed the wisps of smoke now drifting from Bronwen's roof, " have you got a log burner in there?" Yes I replied and duly invited the four police officers into Bronwen to take a closer look...I don't think they wanted to leave as they laughed and admired my form of existence while warming their hands over my dinner...they left amused and I shut the gate behind them, sitting in the warmth of Bronwen eating me dinner, I thought how lucky I am again to have....to be given this life, this existence....
The next morning the site staff laughed as I told them about my brush with the law....Mark the manager phoned the local police up to confirm that I would be staying for a few months and that I had his permission as well as the manager from Carphone warehouse to stay in the small brick yard.
December 2013
The days flew by on site and I made quite a few new friends who all wanted to know about Bronwen, my travels, how I existed how I washed, kept myself clean and even the what if's....." what if you want a...." I assured them I had a fully functioning toilet on board and was never too far away from a pub or supermarket or a friend who was willing to let me use their amenities...Next question please !
Time went on and soon the harshness of the full force of Winter came upon me...the building site had shut for Christmas and I had thoughts of sitting on my own in Bronwen talking to Idris as I was sometimes apt to do...some evenings I would drive back to the Bitterne pub just to warm myself by the open fire talk to the locals, just for the company....it was here that such colourful characters like Jip and Stewart became friends and soon they introduced me to more of the locals until I was invited to food form the table of a 60th birthday party..."go on love help yourself" they probably thought I needed a good feed and so I joined in the chorus of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"
I got to know two of the ladies in the pub Sue and Sharon, they lived not too far away and were very kind to invite me to Christmas dinner at their house, Christmas morning I ran to the shops to buy gifts for their lovely generosity...I had a text from Sue...Hurry up your Yorkshires are on...I spent a lovely day in the company of Sue and Sharon, again friends on Facebook whose kindness I will never forget.
I drove up to Manchester to see my Daughter Heather and on the way back down I called in at Barton Moss, the Anti Fracking camp to spend New years eve with tem and to show my support
January 2014
The crane was due to come down in February, however I received a phone call from a company in Bristol who were offering more money and a longer contract, so I gave notice and left. That's the thing when you are chasing the money: you lose sight of the things that are more important.
Throughout the Winter, Bronwen was coughing white smoke upon starting; the window wiper linkage had packed up due to worn joints; the back break pistons had burst and leaked break oil all over the break pads...Bronwen was un-driveable and needed urgent attention.
I phoned the nearest garage, which happened tto be Halfords. I had never been to Halfords before, always preferring to use local garages that were recommended to me. I phoned the number and got quite a chatty Brian on the phone..."Good morning. Halfords Hedge End. Brian speaking. How may I help you?".....I explained that Bronwen was a near wreck and needed urgent attention as I was due to go to Bristol that following week to start work.....PANIC !
Halfords were great. I received a phone call to say that I could bring her in as they had found the parts to repair her and get her back on the road....I was absolutely elated, relieved that as if by magic this guy had been able to source parts for Bronwen...In just one day they had her fixed and road worthy again.
February 2014
I spent my birthday working...51 years old and running round a building site in wellingtons; six inches of frozen mud where the tracked diggers had churned up the ground; cold, wet and miserable...Each night I returned to my van, got changed into warmer clothing and lit Idris using wood from the building site.
In times like this I just sit in the dark, in the warmth, grateful for what I have, just me in my van, talking to Idris as the flames once again dance over the wooden embers.
March 2014
After a few weeks off work, my phone rang.
A voice at the other end of the phone asked "Terry Payne ?".
"Yes", I replied.
The short of it was that a renovation company was working on a stately house belonging to the National Trust in Shrewsbury. They were working on an art gallery roof that is 200 years old and had to replace the leaking roof from the 70s, so I packed up Bronwen and headed North again to Shropshire.
I know Shropshire pretty well, having spent a great deal of my life there. That's were I was living with my first real girlfriend, Pauline...another story maybe.
Driving on to the Attingham park estate and finding the information office I was met by one of the lovely ladies who were in charge of running the place. I usually like to arrive early on a new job to look it over and see where I can park up. This was no exception and being a Sunday, the general public was out in force.
It only added to the trepidation that while the crane was being used, I would be watched from all angles and pictures would be taken in case anything went wrong.
I returned after a trip to Market Drayton, not far from Attingham on the Monday morning, fresh and ready to start.
I waited a while by the information office, then saw a few vans arrive. In one was Brian, the site manager for Norman and Underwood (the company I would be working for).
He got out of his van and we shook hands and I introduced myself. We walked to the site office where I met some of the other lads, and got on with the usual paper work, reading, lifting plans and risk assessments and inspection sheets for the crane.
The thing is that Norman and Underwood are very used to repairing buildings and not constructing new ones; Brian had never had a crane on a job of his and so was full of questions for me about how the crane works and how we are going to lift 1.3 ton pieces of steel up over the existing 200 year old building without the risk of damaging the roof or killing someone !.
I assured Brian that his project and the National trust house were in good hands and we continued having a look around the beautiful old house.
Attingham has a deer park and is a very quiet estate on the outskirt of Shrewsbury. The National Trust gave me permission to park in the corner of the car park and so it was that I made camp next to a small coppice of wooded area- fire wood for Idris, my burner.
It was really nice waking up and seeing squirrels at play, watching them running up and down the trees and across the metal railings that bordered the car park. The sun was warm and inviting; the work was interesting and the people I met were so friendly.
On one occasion I was in my van one evening; there was a knock on the van and one of the deer park Rangers appeared with a full set of antlers for me...I happened to mention in conversation that I was of a druidic following and the horned god of the forest figured in our celebrations and rituals.
By the side of the van and just over the railings, there was a beautiful old Oak tree, under it nettles grew quite abundantly, lots of them. Now, when I was younger I remember falling in to a huge patch of nettles; as I have gone through life I have been stung quite a few times, as I am sure you have yourselves.. I have never eaten nettles but understand that they are full of vitamins and one of the first plants out of the ground after Winter that can be eaten, until the second week in June when they become too tough and fibrous.
I learnt from a certain Corwen Brock that good cordage can be made from plant fibres (I attended one of his excellent workshops at the Mercian Gathering last year).
Having collected the first four leaves carefully with gloves on and trying not to sting myself, I washed them in a bowl and put them in a pan with an egg cup of water; I didn't want to ruin the flavour of this plant by adding wild garlic or some other plant....and so it was that I lit Idris once more, watched the smoke rise from Bronwen's roof as I gathered my nettles, and gently steamed them...well, they turned out quite like wet spinach at the bottom of the pan...but ooh the taste! Actually just like spinach and quite earthy; I would recommend anyone trying it.
 |
| steamed nettles |
The job went well lifting all the steel beams from the ground, over the two hundred year old building, with Brian constantly asking me it the crane is alright and was I alright ...totally nerve rattling watching 1.3 tonne steel beams suspended in mid air on the crane,
then placing it gently into the holes cut out of the brickwork to form the roof.
At the end of April and with the first phase of this work done,
I headed down to Bournemouth for my next Job.
I love the West Country and its people, there is something still quite medieval,ancient and earthy about the towns and villages, the accent of the people and the welcoming warmth when I walked into pubs.
I have never yet been turned away from a pub when requesting that I park up for the night as long as I am eating and drinking, I don't think anyone minds.
May 2014
Bournemouth.
My job as always is lifting and shifting around a building site, with this job it was more "we are not ready for the crane yet, have a cup of tea", I probably spent more time drinking tea and eating biscuits than actually opperating the crane, which was definitely not doing my waistline or my bank balance any good since the site manager decided on his own to fill in my time sheet according to how often they used the crane... I was, needless to say looking for the next job post haste.
I stayed in Bournmouth long enough to visit Corfe Castle and see the Viking festival and meet more nice people.
I walked around Bournmouth and explored the beaches and coast line as far as Lulworth cove to.
June 2014
Bedworth
I had never been to Bedworth before and so as always travelling with an open mind helps..
I arrived on site and met the site manager from Willmot Dixon...
The job was only for two weeks and no where to park on site so I found an industrial estate not far away with a huge field and river running through it.
I took a flask of tea with me in the evening and sat watching the rabbits and wildlife at play until dark when I would retire to Bronwyn again.Bronwyn was due her MOT and passed with flying colours.
The job went smoothly, then after two weeks I was called into the office.
They had another job in Darly Dale Derbyshire, would I be interested ?.
Damn right I would !
They gave me the details and off i went once more.
I have always loved Derbyshire and while at school spent many weeks on outdoor activity camps arranged by the school.. Some of which took us on field trips to towns like Bakewell and Matlock.
Caving and pot holing,absailing and rock climbing.
The weather was just right.. Hot !
I soon found a nice welcoming pub called the square and compass with good food and facilities... The pub owned a field across the road and I was made welcome to pitch up in the car park.
Just down the road there was a beautiful walk along the Derwent river so I found a quiet spot and went for a swim, blessing the waters before I left.
The building site I was on had a shower and there was a fuel station on the way to work... I would grab a sandwich and a drink on my way and sometimes would visit Matlock at weekends.
I found a really good mechanic to who fitted Bronwyn with two new front seats from a ford Galaxy, they swivel and have plenty of padding, and arm rests to !.
After a few weeks in Darley Dale and with only two weeks left on the job, I received another phone call from Brian Eaton in Shrewsbury from the Attingham park job, he wanted to know if I would be interested in going back to put the glass on the steel work now that it was ready
I made my way over to Shrewsbury again and Met with Brian and Andy the contract manager.
I arrived and took my now usual spot over in the corner of the carpark near a small line of trees, backed up to the trees and close to the old metal rail that bordered the carpark and divided it from a beautiful sturdy old oak, I had my own supply of dead wood for the burner and a little privacy from the general public.
The guys who I had worked with previously were pleased to see me and hear of my travels in the south.
A new day and the glass arrived on trucks to be cordoned off and unloaded by the crane.
All went well and plenty of people stopped to see what we were doing and to chat about the workings of the crane.
The National trust employed the services of a photographer to record the works and they even did a video on their "Through the roof" project called the giant jigsaw.
As the name suggested the glass came in big panels and because of their shape it looked like a big jigsaw puzzle.
Good job we had a drawing ... However one of the pieces that had been sent was the wrong shape ....
There were meetings and discussions and finally I was informed that the piece that they needed would be delayed for two weeks and they needed me to stay.
Of course I eagerly agreed as they would not be able to find anyone else, and so it was that for two weeks I enjoyed walking round the deer park, shopping in nearby Shrewsbury, and generally relaxing while being paid the same rate for ten hours a day !!
Finally the last piece arrived and so it was craned into place and the crane dismantled and sent away.
I really enjoyed the job, meeting with again such nice people and the fantastic opportunity of taking part in the restoration of such a beautiful old building.
After Attingham I was at a bit of s lose end, it's something that happens quite often at the end of a contract where the last lift is done and the crane goes away, I have done my bit and now they don't need me...and so it was with the National trust.
So I headed off to Market Drayton to see friends, a few nights of catching up and the occasional game of dominoes with Shaun and Annemarie.
A few days later the phone rang again... Apparently some crane driver was playing up , not turning in and just being plain awkward when he thought that there was no other crane driver about ...
Redhill Surrey
Sept 2014
I arrived on site not knowing quite what to expect and made my way up to the site office... After the initial hand shake I was asked to take off my crane jacket , hat ect and sit in the office, my trade card was checked and photocopied then the site manager , a really nice guy from Australia went to give the other crane driver the bad news ... He didn't like it much and went off site shouting ect.
I was allowed to park Bronwyn on the site but it was tight with the materials blocks bricks ect, they even had a shower on site which I made full use of, the door swung open but faced the site so no one could see when everyone else had gone home... Again I was given he run of the site and was able to use the site canteen for cooking ect.
One of these little ect' became using the canteen to paint ply board and fit out Bronwyn with a nice wardrobe and bedside table more storage and paint with a beautiful shade of purple and apply sparkly paint to.
The work was easy enough, I had my own slinger who would do the running about and all went well.... Until one day when the management decided to have a sort round and then the office politics started.
A new site manager arrived like a bull in a china shop shouting his mouth off "get it sorted" !!
There goes the neighbourhood, constantly in disagreement with Thom the other site manager it was best just to keep head down and get on with what we had to do.
On the good side I made full use of the ply and materials which were left around the site.
Things were getting too difficult and stressed on site, even one Saturdsy morning when I was told I was not needed, Thom came knocking on the van ... "What it is."..... He wanted to use the crane but not pay me !!... So he wouldn't look an idiot when someone had to sign my time sheet ... The following Friday he called me into his office and said they no longer wanted me on site !! Well it was actually some what of a relief to be able to pack Bronwyn up that evening and head far away from that site !.
I drove down to Patching to visit Liz, a friend who I had known for a short while and spent a few days relaxing and helping out on her small holding, just taking in the air.
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