Is been a while since i did my last diary ,so here we go with one from the beginning of May.
Now i have got a new phone i should manage a more updated one.
Monday-
As usual it is a 4am start for me.
I am already loaded with empty fish bins for Portavadie.
As usual this time of the morning is real quiet and i am making good time.
The lack of traffic lulls me into a false sense of security and i find myself zooming round a corner to find these characters sleeping on the single track road.
The warmth of the sun through the day means the road is a nice cosy place to sleep through the night .
The sun is starting to rise and it looks as if its going to be another great day.
I know that Roddy is already at the fish farm ,so i start shouting on the cb.
As i get no answer i phone him, he has one of the spare motors today.
The old FH does not have a cb fitted ,so i wait in a lay by in the forest.
He appears out of the darkness and pulls slowly past me.
The FH is an 02 plate and although it may not be too old in some jobs ,it has been in the woods since day one and is getting very tired.
Once i reach the fish farm it is a quick drop and drive.
The trailer i am taking is all loaded for the processing plant a Cairndow.
Lochfyne is especially quiet today.
I manage 5 mins with my cup of coffee and watch a family of ducks making their way along the shoreline.
Once more i head out the forest road and i am greeted by the sun rising over the tops of the hills.
The kyles of Bute look stunning in the morning light.
I have a relaxing run to the processing plant and soon get tipped .
A phone call to the office and i am off to get a load of timber.
The job is back along Glendareaule and about 3 miles into the forest.
Recently the roads have been getting into a bit of a mess and i meet this chap tracking along the road,
They are breaking away the rock face and making the road slightly wider.
Good job as the drop on the side is enough to put the fear of god up you.
Self preservation means you tend to stay well away from that side of the road lol.
With this trailer loaded i head back to our yard at Struchur and change trailers.
Its a skei trailer this time.
By the time i get back to the forest some of the other guys are back from their first runs of the day.
I meet Norrie on his way out .
I get a load of 4.9m logs for Troon and head away.
The dry weather means the mud on the forest roads has started to turn to dust (or to use the Scottish term Stoor lol).
Another phone call and i am on route to meet Lamont on Loch Lomond for a change over.
There are plenty of handy labys and we manage to get turned round without any problems.
Now its a quick jaunt up the A82 to tyndrum (watching i don’t remove any mirrors or frighten anyone).
I am to load this trailer above the village of Dalmally.
On the way into the forest it turns out i have had my cb screwed down (silly me 
).
I meet Greg and have to reverse till i get a laby we can pass at ( well actually its just a wide bit of forest track).
First rule being if you have your cb off and the other man is shouting , you go back ( sorry mate).
I manage rite into the job and get tucked out the way.
Gavin is loading in front of me ,so i manage a 15 min break.
When he is loaded he pulls up past me to strap down.
No need to hold anyone up.
I am also loaded with logs for Troon and head for home.
Its been a busy day and i haven’t really been anywhere.
Tuesday-
Troon this morning.
Jenkies are busy shifting chips today.
Once tipped i am sent to load fertilizer at Ayr docks.
Its not a full load and the small fly sheet covers it with plenty to spare.
I manage a break over looking the kyles again.
My first drop is in a small farm near the ferry at Colintrive.
Well actually you go past the ferry and down a single track road.
Roddy had told me it was a narrow wee road ,and if an experienced driver like him tells you its narrow ,you can believe it is.
The first part is not too bad ,just your usual single track.
The next corner has to be taken with the unit far out on the right (on the grass ).
Once round this it gets narrower, my wheels are on the outside edges of the tar.
The trailer wheels are nearly on the grass too.
I finally turn into the farm road.
I need to watch the top of my cab on the over hanging trees as i drive up.
It sort of reminds me of a spanish church in one of those old westerns.
I half expect Clint Eastwood to appear.
Unfortunately there is no one around and i have to tip myself with the loadall.
The bags go in the shed and soon i have the dozen bags stacked neatly out the way.
A quick check reveals i have taken 3 bags off from the next drop @###@.
Well, better spotting it now and not at the next farm.
Once i get sorted its time to get out of there.
Easier said than done lol.
A quick call to Roddy confirms my suspicions, i have to reverse along the front of the farm then screw the truck hard round , dragging the trailer over a ditch on the way out
.It will only drop one wheel in at a time he says “Thanks” !!!.
Once over this obstacle i reach the bottom of the farm road and find another one.
Someone has parked a car at the bottom of the road and gone a walk along the beach.
There is not enough room to go past and swing right , the trailer would be through the farmers fence.
I sit with my hand on the air horns and soon a woman comes up the beach,
She is full of apologies and soon i am on my way to the next two drops.
These are soon done and i head to the fish farm.
A load of salmon in the morning.
Roddy has already dropped his load of empty bins.
The forklift drivers soon have the trailer tipped and laid out for tonight’s harvest.
Greg arrives shortly after, we drop our trailers and move out the way.
We park at the top of the hill and walk to the nearby marina.
Only in Scotland can you park up miles from anywhere , but only be 100 yds from a pub lol.
Wednesday-
My load this morning is going to a fish processing plant just north of Inverness.
The run to Dingwall will take me nearly 6 hours today.
So its off with the work boots and on with the trainers.
Its like a tourist trip and i sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Problem with staying in this area all my life is you tend to take the natural beauty for granted.
The morning is shaping up to be another cracker.
As i climb over cladich hill,between Inveraray and Dalmally, the view of Cruachan is stunning.
From Dalmally its a short hop to Tyndrum ,then North on the A82.
As has been discussed this road is narrow,but nice and straight.
I make good time as the road is very quiet.
Looking back as i climb the Black mount , the mist has covered the valley floor.
As i climb higher i escape the mist.
The tops of the mountains have still got a wee coating of snow.
I still run into patches of mist as i go through the glen.
As i reach Rannoch summit once more i clear the mist and enjoy the full beauty of the area.
Strangely i am the only vehicle in the area.
Once clear of Fortwilliam i climb past the Commando memorial at Spean Bridge.
This always brings home how important this area was during WW2 and the sacrifices those guys made for us.
I decide to stop for a break at the side of Loch Ness.
I manage to get squeezed tight into the laby as the ice in the bins is starting to melt and leak out the tops.
The rest of the run goes well and a get tipped and reloaded with another 28 empty bins.
Checking my time i head for home, managing to make good time ,even with extra traffic now on the go.
All is going well till i catch up on some slow moving traffic on the outskirts of Fortwilliam.
Their speed means the auto box starts shifting up and down gears,so i switch to manual.
I come to the first roundabout and stupidly i forget to go back into auto and stall the bloody thing.
No problem , back to neutral and start it again ,Wrong !!!
Bloody thing wont start !!!
Not even a click !!!
Hazard lights on and phone the office,
They phone M.A.N and they don’t have a clue,
Undo the battery and let the computer reset ,still wont go.
I tilt the cab and start looking around.
After a few Min’s and by pure luck , spot a broken wire to the starter motor.
Cab down and tool box out.
I have eyelets to replace the rotten one but the nut on the starter wont come off.
The problem being i cant hold the wire on the starter and turn the key.
So my trusty mole grips are pressed into action.
Wire in place it starts first click.
I decide to leave the grips in place and head for home.
Our mechanic meets me and manages to get the nut replaced.
Thursday-
I leave my empty bins at the processing plant at Cairndow and pick a load of wood for carlisle.
An uneventful run down the m74 and a quick tip at the sawmill.
Once tipped its a short run to the other side of carlisle and reload with tiles.
A nice square load ,very easy to net down.
when i get to Glasgow ,its h&s overload.
we are not allowed on top of the load without entering a netting station.
In all honesty it makes it better to climb on top and i fold my nets on top of the load.
The forklift lifts 2 pallets at a time ,so i am soon tipped.
I head for Loch lomondside and meet up with “The duck”.
He throws a load of 4.9m logs on me and i head for Troon once more.
I manage into paisley tonight.
Friday-
An early start today sees me one of the first at the mill.
I get a good tip and head back for home.
I am told to meet “Martin” and change trailers with him.
The load of fertiliser he has on is going to Campbeltown ,so i will take it as far as our yard in Lochgilphead.
Bit of a pass the parcel.
I take this load to our yard and pick up a load of logs for Monday morning.
Another week has passed very quickly.
Thanks once again Niall
Way too much traffic for me now.