Keele services coffee break, bound for Westbury in the morning with a load of cream.
Buzzer:
Good loading in Avonmouth with three fork lifts you were done in no time at all and they had a large canopy for you to get under to sheet if it was raining IIRC Buzzer.
What do you mean " Good loading in Avonmouth " Back in the good old days before most of you were born I was working for Mays Motors… If you were on punishment you did five loads a week out of Shell star at avonmouth. Down from Elstead via A 4 through every town. On arrival you were allocated a railway truck. Load yourself. No help. Rope and sheet. Back to Hamp/Surrey. Find farm. Tip yourself. Back to yard. Wash down. Go home. Start all over again next day. Pallets. What the hell were they.? Mind you I was only about 23. Makes a difference eh?
Regards Charlie 
charlie one:
Buzzer:
Good loading in Avonmouth with three fork lifts you were done in no time at all and they had a large canopy for you to get under to sheet if it was raining IIRC Buzzer.What do you mean " Good loading in Avonmouth " Back in the good old days before most of you were born I was working for Mays Motors… If you were on punishment you did five loads a week out of Shell star at avonmouth. Down from Elstead via A 4 through every town. On arrival you were allocated a railway truck. Load yourself. No help. Rope and sheet. Back to Hamp/Surrey. Find farm. Tip yourself. Back to yard. Wash down. Go home. Start all over again next day. Pallets. What the hell were they.? Mind you I was only about 23. Makes a difference eh?
Regards Charlie
Dear Charlie that explains why you now go every where in your go kart and are totally bollexed, some of this can be put down to the drink problem you also had not to mention the woman you looked after on the way no wonder you are feeling it now, when we were young and foolish we never thought any thing of hard graft we just got on and did it even in my day. Knowing you are old enough to be my granddad, you stated that not me, when you started going on about Avonmouth I thought you were going to say about loading carbon black, I did this load several times and what a mess one got in, could not help it and it took at least three baths to get all that crap out your skin and hair not to mention the truck. Even if the windows were shut tight the dam stuff always found a way in through the cracks. All in all the fert job was a dream and while im’e on the subject a pallet is a wooden frame you stack goods on and this is moved by mechanical means with out using your hands, wonderful this modern technology aint it, cheers Buzzer.
Buzzer ,pallets what pallets Charlie one is correct. hand ball that is what it was, that is what i was talking about ,nansie, pansy ,pallets. you loaded fert from GOOLE handball off a elevator if you got the rows wrong by the and the load was ■■■■ -eyed, only 15 tons then, on your own some men may read this and say what a load of Bo—cks afraid not…
Sorry about you getting caught in Covent, I DID NOT DO MARKETS UNTILL 1980 however I new most, and did most AROUND THE COUNTRY AS MOST FRIDGE MEN DID,Sothampton IN THE STREET, especially LONDON ,Stratford ,then old spit- fields, then Borough, then nine -elms [new covent] then could be BRIGHTON.or the one off the M4 near Heathrow Hestoni think then the Bristol ,Cardiff THEN Birmingham Wolverhampton…etc.
Yes you learned the hard way, getting your gear pinched mind you all markets you had to be on the ball Liverpool [bad] ,Sheffield you tipped your self ,Manchester, Leeds [ Hull 4 STREETS] Also once the fork lifts started to take your pallets away you, could not see who was taking them, because you were getting the next pallet so you could easily loose a pallet then at the end SOME OTHER ■■■■ HAD TAKEN ONE you would get a scribble on your CMR. then later on the office would be phoned ,one pallet short etc. and within the scribble on the cmr would be like a number 9 or 18 whatever and that was you stuffed you had accepted the singned CMR they had a copy. Eventually WE had a card with a insurance assors number who worked nights any discrepancies on the load count ,pallets, boxes damage, crushed .whatever if you did not get a clean signature , you rang him [no mobiles]before you left and told whoever took the goods what you were doing… many times the would ring them ,and you would get your clean signature, sorry Buzzer I could write a book just on the markets and the thieving tricks they used and did…
PDB I do remember doing handball Fertilizer out of Avonmouth as well, they had an extending elevator which you moved back as you loaded. This was set at shoulder height so you caught the bags as they came off, they gave you one man to help but look out if you let yours drop because they did not stop the elevator you just had to deal with it but times moved on to pallets. As you say when doing direct deliveries to a farm they needed to be advised of your eta to arrange help unloading other wise things got very difficult unless the farmer had a good looking daughter, Buzzer.
Buzzer:
PDB I do remember doing handball Fertilizer out of Avonmouth as well, they had an extending elevator which you moved back as you loaded. This was set at shoulder height so you caught the bags as they came off, they gave you one man to help but look out if you let yours drop because they did not stop the elevator you just had to deal with it but times moved on to pallets. As you say when doing direct deliveries to a farm they needed to be advised of your eta to arrange help unloading other wise things got very difficult unless the farmer had a good looking daughter, Buzzer.
Them horrible blue plastic sacks like having a paving slab on your shoulder if they had been on bottom of pile,if it is any consolation the plant at Avonmouth has shut and all the equipment was dismantled and packed off to China! Cheer’s Pete
yes john, you are correct, sorry Buzzer , I hope all them plants went to China. yes I do remember the fert pallets unusual size no good, for anything else and heavy…like when the blue pallets system came in for cold stores, when the loaders used in cold stores used to say “allright john” the pallets are on the front ,as you know if you did not check every one, you would end up with complete load of crap , then the fun started ,ie- driver ! move off the bay now"[driver me] when you put the correct pallets on …ive been told they are good and that is that better than the ones you brought in,it used to go on and on. .until your office would say pull off we will sort it later ,they never did. .you could have the biggest argument in your life ,with some one you have never seen ever before as all you ex and present fridge men know god bless the blue pallet system…john.
Spotted Snapper and the swatter today near Ringsted, direction Copenhagen. Flashed lights but he appeared to be peeling chalots and did’nt see me. Maybe tmrw?
Out with the team today, supposed to be sunny but it wernt and we had mizzy rain but brightened up later. This is our regular coffee break with a pasty of course Buzzer.
Buzzer:
Out with the team today, supposed to be sunny but it wernt and we had mizzy rain but brightened up later. This is our regular coffee break with a pasty of course Buzzer.
Lowford Bakery John??
I’m so busy at the moment with all the work on the old gaff… Am looking forward to catching up on here soon and reading the posts…
On the way back from the builders merchants yesterday I spied this Skoda outside the dealers.
Stopped and took a photo… I asked the jockey what motor was in it. " A 630 but it’s been let off the leash a bit " he says… Lol.
Buzzer:
Out with the team today, supposed to be sunny but it wernt and we had mizzy rain but brightened up later. This is our regular coffee break with a pasty of course Buzzer.
Lowford Bakery John??
I’m so busy at the moment with all the work on the old gaff… Am looking forward to catching up on here soon and reading the posts…
On the way back from the builders merchants yesterday I spied this Skoda outside the dealers.
Stopped and took a photo… I asked the jockey what motor was in it. " A 630 but it’s been let off the leash a bit " he says… Lol.
It wasn’t upside down though…
Sunny side up Balders, got your Irish crash helmuts just got post now, cheers JD.
Café in Warsash mate, nothing in Lowford now.
Will look out for the crash hats JD … Thanks. 
Buzzer:
Wrighty do you know this firm, tidy bit o kit was of my FB page, Buzzer.
Evening Buzzer
Yes A J Edwards a very tidy outfit, mainly a fridge operator but seem to be getting in the tank job a bit more of late. Picture is taken at Mullers dairy Droitwich, I’m back in tomorrow tipping Settle Nth Yorks then loading cream back down to Westbury for sat am tip.
Cheers Wrighty.
Well Wrighty what a good day, had me retests for TB and all clear what a relief that is as you know. On Tuesday had the crush set up all wrong but today we had a long run into the crush and made things much better. The vet was a young Spanish girl who is working for my vets just doing TB tests, no work in Spain and she said the farming is dying out.
The only bad bit today was we had some of your inclement weather snow and we don’t like that we are too soft down south so you can keep that up your end, cheers Buzzer.
Evening Buzzer,
Good news regarding the T B test, always a sigh of relief when you get a clear.
A bit of a steady ride to work this morning we had a dose of your snow, spoke to Alice earlier and she said it was turning to rain so hopefully it will be gone when I get home…
Cheers Wrighty.
This weather don’t make sense, one minute sun is out and walking about in shirt sleeves, the next you need a coat on cos its sleeting. Had the farrier in today to do four and my Mrs did toasted sausage sandwiches and a gallon of tea, then they announced after consumption of said vitals they had had enough and would come back Monday. There wont be any vitals then but they have a new female apprentice starting with large ■■■■■ so suppose I will have to stay here and see if she is any good at the job.
Wrighty I just bought a Einbock harrow from a fella in Chorly not looking forward to that trip,
cheers Buzzer.
Evening Buzzer,
That’s a fair round trip what size are the harrows?, You could do wi giving “snapper” a load upt north and chuck em int back.
Parked up misel at our yard nr Kingsbury on route to Holme on Spalding moor in the morning, then a local into Settle and yam.
