Monday
6am start, I leave my yard at Shotts and head down the road, a phone call to Dingo, he’s on time and we meet up at Bothwell services
We run down the 74 together, a bit of a chat on the box helps to get the miles under the belt.
I’m loaded for Dalbeattie but need to get fuel, I pull into Cairn Lodge and fill up.
I arrive at the mill, there’s a couple of motors going into get tipped the lights change to red… grr tea break time……I take my belts off and wait, and take 15 minutes break myself.
The lights change and I go round to tip, a quick tip
I’m swept off and pull into a bit of empty space to wait for two of the guys from John Millers, they are going to take me out to a forest near Kirkudbright and load me for Chirk, I wait and wait, eventually they turn up and we head off…… I wait at a loading point whilst they go into the job load up and cross load me, with two of them loading it doesn’t take long,
Next I have to head for Longtown to be weighed, 39100 oh dear I phone Peter — some blue words, and I’m off for Chirk.
I pull into Tebay for some lunch
Now I make my way down the road, just at Charnock Richards, there’s an accident …. I lose nearly an hour 
although chirk is 24 hours I wont have enough time to get tipped and back out, I park up at The Lazy Kettle for the night 9hrs 51 minutes driving, and enjoy a steak dinner for £6.00
Tuesday
6am start again and into chirk, I pull onto the weighbridge — no queue the weighbridge operator says I have the wrong paperwork — do I is my reply — having never been there before I wouldn’t know….
A few phone calls things are sorted and I go round to get tipped.
I stop and take my belts off — and am told there is a train in getting tipped you’ll be a while………I watch a Jenkinson motor getting tipped ….
I pass the train
And eventually go round and get tipped myself.
Pins away, swept off I weigh out and head for RPC Ruthin……up some bendy steep roads, I take it in my stride, the 10 months I have been at McKerrrals has taught me a lot about driving on little roads !!!
At Ruthin I am loaded with concrete mats, these are blocks all wired together and form a big mat which is used to weigh down cables under water. A quick load and I throw a few belts over it and off I go again………
I drop the trailer in a the new cattle market just outside Oban as this load is not being tipped till Thursday, I run solo to Raera where I’m going to pick up a trailer in the morning which has been loaded for me by Dingo, I phone him he warns me to double belt it all as it’s like a pile of wet fish……
My driving time is up before I get there and I park up in a lay-by next to Loch Feochan for the night 9 hrs 55 minutes driving.
Wednesday
After a very peaceful night — I head off at 5 30 — The run into the forest is very steep and loose — I have no weight on (no trailer) this makes for a very interesting climb into the forest — however I get in find the trailer throw 8 belts over it 4 would do normally and head back out for Caledonian Paper.
As I get out onto the road and start heading down some steep hills, my air pressure drops and I get a “workshop Stop” warning in my dashboard. The air recovers but the warning stays on — I phone the office, and explain.
As my air is now staying up — they ask me to carry on and book me into Renault.
At Irvine, a quick tip sees me out of there.
The tip is made quicker by the fact that the logs are so slippy that they just fly off the trailer
I have the skelly, so no pins to move and no back load, I head for Renault at Bellshill — 5 1/2 hours later I get out with a new AIR drier fitted.
Phone the office and am asked to head for Inverarden just outside Crianlarich where Colin will load me in the morning for Fort William — I park high up in the forest, on a cold and windy night — Night heater on tonight
Thursday
I waken and pull back the curtains its horrible out there wet n windy, I sit with a coffee and look out at the weather thinking this is summer ■■?
Colin arrives dead on time we head to get loaded - I get into the loading point, and need to reverse into a turning point — with all the rain last night and that is still pouring down now the mud gets the better of me I’m stuck !!
Colin manages to throw about 8 ton of 3 meter pulp onto the front of the trailer and this gives me enough weight over the drive axle to get me some grip — I get turned and Colin takes the timber off that he has loaded — as I’m going to be loaded with 4.9 meter logs.
Colin grabs up all the 4.9’s that are there and tells me I only have 21 ton on …. He phones in and is told to put 3.7 meter logs on to make up the weight……
Loaded eventually I head down the tracks to put my belts on — and am soaked in the process….
A run up through Glencoe sees me into Fort William
A quick tip
After rounding up the odd stray log
and I head back for Inverarden, I get held up for a while as this boat heads up through the Locks at Banavie.
I head back into the forest — a few motors have been in now and things are really chewed up - up to the loading point I go spinning in the mud the whole way — I keep the power on and get through it — Colin throws a load on the front of my trailer and I get ready to turn — I look down the track and see the height of the middle of track — about a month ago I ripped the sump out of the motor here — since then the motor has been lifted by about 4 inches but I am still very wary of it …. I inch forward to get into position to reverse back…… I make it and the sump is still in one piece…
Colin starts to load and the logs are flying around — these fish are hard to keep a hold of — one decides to make a bid for freedom and batters off my rear light cluster — Its still on - just !!!
I run down to Irvine across the A82 between Crianlarich and Tarbet — almost a good run but met a bus on probably the narrowest bit — but it was straight — we both get ourselves tucked hard into the verge pull the mirrors in and pass with about 2 inches spare.
I pull into Irvine there is a queue (in the afternoon !!!) I wait my turn having a natter with the other drivers and I eventually get tipped
I phone the office and find out what’s next, Peter asks me if I could run to Lochgilphead pick up a loaded trailer for Carlisle, reload in Carlisle and tip that at Bishopbriggs and go home? OK is my reply and I head off……
Thinking about this next job, I soon realise — NOPE won’t have enough driving time to do it — short by about half an hour — I phone Peter and explain he says that I can just tip it Monday morning — I park up just outside Luss on the side of Loch Lomond at 13 hours exactly …. No 15’s left. And give the inside of my motor a good clean out as all the mud from the day has now dried.
Friday
I run up to Lochgilphead time is of the essence today — I have a good run up wink wink, into our yard,
I fill up with fuel, whilst doing that I get the trailer I’m picking up sorted out ready to just hook under it — no point wasting minutes driving around the yard, I hook up to it and notice that the light cluster that had been arguing with the log has not survived the run up from Luss to Lochgilphead — So I pull over to the garage, and park the motor on the wash bay and wait for mechanics to come in, I kill some time giving the motor a wash, eventually repaired I head for Carlisle
A very quick tip, easy seeing it’s Friday afternoon and the guys want to go home
I now head for Bimsons to pick up my load for Monday — and then head for home.
I pull into the yard and park up, spend the next half hour or so emptying my motor as I’m off on holiday to Majorca for the next 2 weeks 
;beer’
Total hours this week 69.5