Sorry Norman, I am only a Spring Chicken compared to Yourself, Harry and Chris, I didn’t start driving lorries until 1968 
. You were right about the health though, the warm weather is great for the arthritis, I should of listened to the older fellows like Harry and not worn damp gloves when I was roping and sheeting 
. Chris will know all about those long red rubber chemical gloves, once they got wet on the inside they would take ages to dry and you couldn’t stick them underneath the cab heater waiting for them to dry out 
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I worked with lots of different people over the years, coal merchants, mushroom merchants, pallet merchants and like yourself the ones that I could never understand were the wind up merchants 
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mushroomman:
Sorry Norman, I am only a Spring Chicken compared to Yourself, Harry and Chris, I didn’t start driving lorries until 1968
I worked with lots of different people over the years, coal merchants, mushroom merchants, pallet merchants and like yourself the ones that I could never understand were the wind up merchants
I started civvie driving in 1968 as well Steve so Harry and Norman have got a few years over me.
Yes,those pvc gloves were a pain to get dry and to put them near the cab heater was a big no no because of the fumes off the product you had carried.
I met some wind up merchants as well 
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Correct Chris, they were P.V.C. and not rubber, I wasn’t into P.V.C. or rubber so I am not too sure what the difference was although I have a feeling that somebody reading this with alot of experience might tell us 
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hiya,
Used to park up at Normans formerly Ma Greens at Brotherton on the A1,a guy who worked for a mushroom co stayed there regularly i often wonder if he ever got fed up of other lads telling him he had’nt left anybody “mushroom” to get parked, i never said it to him honest.
thanks harry long retired.
hiya,
What’s all this talk about PVC and rubber, I hope you fella’s realise that i’ve led a sheltered life usually bus shelters and in my case air raid shelters, you’re going to get me all hot and bothered and in my state of health on your heads be it.
thanks harry long retired.
any of you lads rope up when it stopped raining, and you would throw the coil of rope over the load, if there was only one puddle, I bet I would find it, I would curse like hell, it never changed anything, but it would make me feel better! , I would start off with leather gloves, but always end up taking them off, with my bad right hand, I could never tie the dollies, my gloves were on and off like a Jo-Jo, I must be lucky, no problem even with my right hand, always had a piece of rag.
hiya,
Gloves, you’re having a laugh, where’s all the men gone proper drivers don’t wear gloves i used to have hands like rhino hide and the women loved it.
thanks harry long retired.
Harry, that is not cricket, tickling someone fancy, with rough hands, the smooth gentle touch sends them into rapture, and the response is startling?
Now you can see how he got a job on the water board Norman.
Cheers Dave.
hiya,
Women actually like rough hands, but dirty finger nails are a big no no, just ask any lady and they will confirm that.
thanks harry long retired.
I have got hands as smooth as a babies bum, but they have been immersed in lanolin, glycerine, sulphuric acid and soya bean oil for several years 
I do not like dirty nails, or teeth, they say you don’t look at the mantle piece, when you are poking the fire, but what a godsend, when you have a beutiful one! ha ha ha
hiya,
Wheel Nut used to drag a lot of hydrogen peroxide around at one time always had white teeth and cyrstal clear hearing.
thanks harry long retired.
Me thinks you and wheelnut are a couple of slippery customers, ha ha ha, and smooth movers, with all that liquid are you a bottle blonde harry.
hiya,
Norm, i would describe myself more shaven headed thug, have plenty of thatch but chop it down to the wood, by choice, can’t be doing with all that combing and looking in the mirror stuff, but am growing my winter coat at the moment but never let it get long enough to need a bug rake.
thanks harry long retired.
Well Yule Brenner done well out of it Harry, so why not you? , or Kojac, who loves you baby! ha ha ha.
hiya,
Funny you should mention Kojak Norm my old lady keeps a jar of lollipops in the cupboard for the grandbairns and i’m always getting my leg slapped for stealing them, wish i’d been mentioned in his will though, been able to buy my own.
thanks harry long retired.
Harry you do surprise me, I would never have thought of you being a sucker, .
hiya,
A few gaffers tried to take me for a sucker Norm, but they had little success i usually had the last laugh.
thanks harry long retired.
Harry, back to clubs, I remember going into a workingmens club in stratford London, and a seven year old girl, got on the stage, and sang, I said she will become a star, five years later in 1960, she did, and I got her record, and in 1983 at blighty nightclub farnworth, I saw her again, and spoke to her after the show, and said about the time in London, she gave me her autograph in my hgv licence, and I still have it, who was it, Helen Shaperio, for twelve, she had a deep ■■■■ voice.