A Bit of Everything

Beyond all expectations for the start of the New Year, this week has been a good one.  Apart from the tough adjustment from almost two weeks of holiday to full-on work again, a total of fifteen jobs have provided me with a complete smorgasbord of the very variety which makes this life so appealing to me.

The week began with a delivery to a shopping mall - these are often difficult because the units' back doors are rarely adequately identified.  I then went on to deliver at a unit on a former airfield in North Yorkshire, complemented by the collection of marketing materials at the end of a conference at a hotel in Nottingham;

Tuesday began with a visit to a factory in Corby where I have made many deliveries in recent weeks.  On arrival, it had all the appearance of being closed; the shutters were down over all of the windows, and also over the goods-in door.  It transpired, after many phone calls, that the boss was still on holiday, and I was able to gain access through another entrance.  Following that, I was sent further afield for a collection in Cannock - it's always a delight to be asked to "ring the office once you've delivered."

Wednesday was a 'postcode' day.  The first task was to collect goods for which I subsequently realised that I hadn't been given a postcode.  Fortunately it was to a hospital - they're quite difficult to miss!  On the way I had one of those 'done-it-before' jobs, where you know from the pick-up point and the town it's going to just which factory it will be and who you'll meet there.  When I was nearly home from these two there came another familiarity.  The controller called to ask where I was; once told, he said "I need you to spin round . . ." in order to pick up a job back in the direction I'd come from.  This job happened to be one where the postcode you're given leads not to the destination but to a Royal Mail Sorting Office.  This one had an added twist, however, because when I phoned the consignee to ask where I should find him, I was told "I knew the postcode wouldn't get you here - I'm in the car park next door."  It turned out that this was the rear entrance to a large office building, the correct postcode of which would have been of even less use!

An early collection on Thursday earned me a roadside breakfast - always an attraction.  The job that followed it presented a situation where we are always advised to exercise caution.  A notice outside the factory announced that the goods entrance was closed, and that deliveries were to be made to reception, which turned out to be a couple of blocks up the road.  As I went to the door, I was approached by a man from the side, who asked what I'd got.  A quick assessment told me that, in a closed compound, it was quite likely that he had emerged from a side door of the same building, rather than being a complete stranger, so I agreed to his suggestion that he would take and sign for my parcel - but you never know when it's your turn to be fooled!

That job should have been one of a pair, but the other one was cancelled within minutes of my being given it.  Again, I was asked on the way to ring in when I was empty, and I was sent to a hotel near Heathrow, to collect from a couple of chaps in a van on a derelict site opposite, where a factory had been demolished.  The day finished with a pre-load, where we collect goods late in the afternoon, ready for delivery early the next morning.  This was another 'done-it-before' job, this time to Haverhill.  It was followed by a 'first'.  I have often heard of that famous and much-praised immigrant, the Polish plumber.  Now, at a block of flats in Barnet, I made a delivery to one.  On then, via this year's first experience of the M25, to Wokingham, where I encountered another familiar, but often annoying situation.  I found myself at the front door of a modern building, and went in with my small parcel.  Just as I was about to open the inner door I saw a notice on it, "All deliveries to the back door".  In this case it involved simply a few extra steps around the outside of the building, but in central London, for example, the rear entrance could well be in another street, and while making this discovery, one could easily pick up a parking ticket from a vigilant Traffic Warden!

Friday afternoon brought another important consideration.  As I collected an item at about 4.0 pm, I asked, "will there be someone there?"  This is always a good idea when collecting something late in the day.  During the week, an abortive attempt to make a delivery to premises that are closed for the day can mean either another journey there the next day or, if distant, the choice of finding a room for the night, or a cold night in the van, either of which is a disruption to one's personal life.  On a Friday evening, however, the disruption is to the weekend: a far more serious intrusion!  In this instance the factory - on the outskirts of Derby - would, I was assured, be working until 8.0 pm.  My collection was accompanied by the suggestion that, if I had room, which I did, I might like to pick up from a nearby customer an 'over the weekend' pre-load, for 8.0 delivery on Monday.

This is normally acceptable, unless I've planned to shift furniture for a friend at the weekend - a rarity indeed, but an obvious conflict if so!  In this case, it will be a good (if slightly on the early side) start to the next week, being to Wallsend!