To be honest this weeks diary actually starts on Friday afternoon.
I get a load of 3m chip wood for a mill near Inverness.
This load has been " forwarded " from farther in the forest , to a loading point near the main tar road.
This practice has become more common in the last year , trying to limit damage to the forest roads by road going trucks.
We now have some trucks fitted with CTI ( central tyre inflation " to allow the tyre pressures to be lowered and in theory
limit the damage to the road.
The truck i am loaded by does not have that , but has super singles fitted to the front and larger drive axle tyres ,
massive low pressure tyres on the trailer.
This beast is a 8x8 and was bought second hand to do this job ( hence the white paint job).
I am loaded and it is decided to drop the trailer in the forest instead of pulling it back home.
I find a flat area and drop the trailer , the ground seems hard and it has been nice dry weather for a couple of weeks.
Monday-
Over the weekend the weather has taken a turn for the worse and it has chucked it with rain.
I have had a phone call over the weekend telling me i am no longer going to Inverness with the load.
I have to meet a subcontractor at Fortwilliam and change trailers.
I have “Andys” mobile number and have already arranged a time to meet.
So a 5am start gives me lots of time to get to FortWilliam.
A 20 min drive gets me to the forest and all i need to do is pick the trailer up and head off …WRONG !!!
Due to the large amount of rain over the weekend one of the trailer legs has broken through the surface and it has sunk
on the one side.
Hindsight now tells me i should have put something under the feet ( old enough to know that lol).
I try getting under it , but as my TAG does not have any lead up ramps , the edge of the 5,th wheel is going to hit the
air and electrical connectors !!.
I remove the wing tops to avoid them getting damaged and get the unit in at an angle ,the chassis is now under the front
of the trailer neck.
Not wanting to damage the paint i " find " a bit of timber off a gate and put it between the unit and trailer.
Then i manage to raise the suspension an with a lot of winding in the low gear i get the trailer high enough ( swearing and
sweating also included 
).
Finally i am ready to go !.
Sunday had been very windy and i come across a few casualties in Glen Coe.
The portacabin was well off the rd.
Lots of fiberglass and a roof lead me to think a luton van or 7,1/2 tonner was over here !.
A matter of opinion on whether this the best place for a camper van ?
hopefully no one was hurt.
At last i make FortWillaim and change trailers.
Andy is in his bed and has a laugh when he hears why i am running late !.
Soon i am turned round and have a better run to the fish processing plant on Loch Fyne.
As i only have a part load , i am quickly tipped and on my way,
I head back to the forest and am told i am loading for the chipboard mill at Cowie.
As Donnie is loading me , i take some pictures. Walking past the trailer i hear a " Hissing" sound !.
A quick check shows i have a puncture **@8 !!!.
Lucky white heather anyone ■■
The loader has an air line and we manage to blow the trailer tyre up and i take off out the wood, passing another truck
waiting to load.
My plan is to try and get to the " Rest and be thankful " and meet one of out mechanics with a tyre.
A couple of checks on route and i manage to get there with the tyre still up.
Our tyre fitter arrives ( well he is general dogs body lol) and we change the puncture.
With this done i once more head for cowie.
My load finally gets there and is put into the on site chipper.
Its a total beast of a machine and will chip 28 ton,s in under 20 mi
With this load of i am told to head back and manage to make the village of Luss.
It is a very quiet place to park and is well off the main road.
my view of Loch Lomond for the night.
Tomorrow can only be better .
Tuesday -
Today i am loading near Inveraray , 10 Min’s for my house.
The ramp up to the loading point is quite slippy this morning , glad i have a tag for this.
The turning point gives me a laugh !
I don’t think this will stop a truck ■■
Its a long way down if you don’t stop !!
Like wise the hill above is very seep for the forwarder drivers to work on , rather them than me !.
When i get turned i move back down the road and " Colin " starts loading
He has just got his new loader and has found his way with it very quickly.
It is a newer version of the one his brother " Donnie " has to load us.
The big crane makes life much easier, no need to reverse the trailer off the road to get loaded now.
I get a load of 3.1m logs for the sawmill at Dalbettie.
Once loaded i make a quick detour home.
Nice to get breakfast and a shower in your own house.
The run to Dabettie is uneventful and when i arrive i find another lad , local to me has just tipped.
After he has swept the bark off his trailer , we have a quick chat and he heads off.
I am tipped onto the log deck by the lebherr , the logs have little bark on them and are very slippy… i keep well back
while taking pictures.
I phone the office before i weigh out and am told i am reloading out the mill.
I weigh out and go to another part of the sawmill to reload.
My load is booked at the timber merchants for the next morning , so the rest of the day is very laid back.
A nice easy run to Fife , and i park a couple of miles from my drop.
Wednesday-
Long lie today , 6.45 start and i am at the delivery point by 7.
The forklift driver arrives for 7.30 and i have the load already unstrapped and ready to go.
I am tipped and ready to go by 8.30.
Another phone call to the office and i am off to get my next load.
I am only going 30 Min’s along the road to load concrete blocks.No need to set the timber pins back up .
I arrive at the brick yard and there,s only one truck in front off me.
I soon get the load on and netted down.
I am heading north to Inverness with this load.
A peaceful run to perth and then up the A9 …If ever a road needs upgraded this one does.
This load is a stock transfer to another brick plant and i arrive shortly after a down pour !
Lots of changeable weather this week.
The lad on the fork truck soon has me tipped , i phone in case i am reloading from here.
No reload from here today …that would be too handy lol.
I am heading farther north from here.
We have been running tubs of salmon from Farther north to the processing plant on Loch Fyne.
As i head north from Inverness towards Ulapool , the weather improves and i really enjoy the drive.
With so little traffic you could be the only one on the road at times.
When i reach Lochinver , i find " Wee Jimmy " already there.
His new M.A.N has just recently gone on the road.
We sit and talk for a while and finally the "well boat " arrives with the salmon in 2 big tanks.
The lads get the bins ready for the night time harvest.
I have already dropped my trailer and head for my bed and leave them to load it through the night.
Thursday-
I waken at 4 am and pick up my loaded trailer.
As i am the last load it turns out i have only a part load …result !.
I head off and once more i am the only vehicle on the road.
One of the few places you can switch the lights onto full beam and not have to dip them for over an hour.
I make it to the start of Glen Coe in 4 1/2 hours and get parked and head for the bunk for half an hour.
The alarm wakes me and after a cup of coffee, i set of again.
Once tipped at the processing plant , it,s another load from Inveraray.
Shower time and drop the dirty washing ( much to my wife’s delight lol).
The forwarder is hard at work gathering the cut logs and taking them to the loading area.
My load is spread about ,a bit of a gather up !
I have to reverse to the end of the loading area , it,s very slippy due to the rain.
As i am getting my front bolster on , another truck arrives, he gets tucked into the turning area allowing me
to pass when loaded.
I move forward to get the rest of my load on.
I am loaded for Dalbettie again and head off.
I manage to get to the outskirts of Dumfries in my time and have to park up.
Friday-
The rain has turned the mill at Dalbettie into a bog !.
I join the Que of trucks and get my belts off ready to tip.
Watching the other trucks , i hope i wont be taken to the bottom stock yard !!!.
The top yard is filled to bursting.
I am convinced there are monsters lurking in the deep mud lol.
I have to wait for a while as they are loading the log deck with other stock and trying to clear some space.
When i finally get into the stock yard , it a bit of a squeeze !.
The crane motors are nose to nose to get room.
Eventually i get tipped and phone in.
I head to the fish food plant and get a load on for tipping Monday morning.
I drop the trailer and get finished for the week.
It,s been a week of up,s and down,s and a few miles more under my belt.
Thanks for looking , NIall.
