Davies Int. Southampton. With photos (Part 1)

[john_west]

wrighty:

Buzzer:
Well a very wet one today that’s for sure, finished clearing the muck out of the barns 12 loads to me mates farm, 1 to the mole man and 3/4 still on the trailer for my veg plot all loaded with my wonderful little Avant loader would not be without it, just waiting for “Wrighty” to turn up now to power wash and deep cleanse but cant see that happening any time soon Buzzer.

You’re right Buzzer not much chance, but I could do a bit of grain drying for you. Loaded it last night near Forfar and dropped it at Coventry this afternoon, 5 metres tall and 3metres wide.

Cheers Wrighty.

You must have been moving into the middle lane at every bridge at that height!

I absolutely hated wide loads. Wiggle about to see what was behind you. 1980, we loaded 10’ wide wooden boxes from Dammam port to Riyadh.

Thousands of tons of cement for Riyadh also came in. The Arabs used to load sixty tons of cement in bags on 1418 long nosed Mercs that overhung the trailers by several inches.

They would manage maybe 50mph with a Pepsi can jammed to hold the bonnet up to give an extra couple of inches of cooling airflow. The road to Riyadh at that time was single carriageway, with grooves in the road (caused by those 80 ton gross Mercs!) which meant you could travel almost the three hundred miles without touching the steering wheel.

Ah, but overtaking! Pull hard to get out of the grooves, as a right hand drive Scania, using the forward facing mirror at the left of the cab to make sure nothing was coming! Lock into the other lane’s grooves. Pull hard to get into your own lane again. Job done.

Back to following that Merc for miles and miles. Always something coming the other way. Eventually a long clear section. Heave over to the left. Just alongside him, cab to cab, glance to the right. Indian driver, not an Arab.

Swung together by the grooves. My 10’ wide box slides into his bagged cement, pulls forward and tears free about a ton of cement, this is released into his cab through the open window!

He pulls onto the desert. I consider carrying on but there are about 20 of his chums behind us. Do the decent thing and pull over. He looks like a flour grader and his cab is an ocean of cement. He blames me, I say it’s not my fault. He asks how he will explain this to his boss. I give him 600 Ryals- about £100.

Since he is not going to give that to his boss, and it represents about 2 weeks wages to him, he smiles, shakes my hand and says ‘no problem.’

When I got back to Dammam, one of our crew, Geoff Collins, a harder man than me, currently a Middlesbrough multi millionaire, says ‘I’ll tell you what he’d have got from me John. The back of my trailer, disappearing in the distance!’

Happy days,

John.

[buzzer]

John remember the tramlines on the motorway Turin to Milan very similar and they had a machine that moved very slowly heating up the lane removing a scrape and adding a bit more tarmac and relaying all in one pass but it never lasted long in the summer heat, Buzzer.

[charlie_one]

Buzzer:
Well it has arrived and is erected our new 17 reg greenhouse and a picture Charlie for your perusal, just got to tranship the tommy plants in at the weekend, Mrs D said she would like a table and chairs in there so had to put her straight, then did me rounds checking cattle first the big steers they were happy as larry did a head count as always then the same check on the calves in the other field all well today.

Very nice Buzzer.similar to mine except yours is about three times as big. Automatic vents

Also a potting she’d built in. You spoil Mrs D. But she is worth it. Having put up with you for

all these years! I’m going to have a word with the members of the gardening club. I want one!

How are the toms doing. We’ve just signed a contract with Waitrose to supply our tigress toms.

Can Horry give us a quote for transport?

Regards Charlie

[buzzer]

charlie one:

Buzzer:
Well it has arrived and is erected our new 17 reg greenhouse and a picture Charlie for your perusal, just got to tranship the tommy plants in at the weekend, Mrs D said she would like a table and chairs in there so had to put her straight, then did me rounds checking cattle first the big steers they were happy as larry did a head count as always then the same check on the calves in the other field all well today.

Very nice Buzzer.similar to mine except yours is about three times as big. Automatic vents

Also a potting she’d built in. You spoil Mrs D. But she is worth it. Having put up with you for

all these years! I’m going to have a word with the members of the gardening club. I want one!

How are the toms doing. We’ve just signed a contract with Waitrose to supply our tigress toms.

Can Horry give us a quote for transport?
Regards Charlie

Charlie have just come in from picking30lb of beans, the toms are on the plants and we move them in to there new home at the week end. As for a quote for haulage of your toms we may have a problem there as we do not have any temperature controlled wheel barrows in our fleet of vehicles, best of luck with that Buzzer.

[buzzer]

Nearly forgot to post this which I took this morning through the blind’s of my Dentist’s window in the waiting room which believe it or not is in Spring Road in the middle of Southampton, not a care in the world just bathing in the sun and he or she has a brother or sister and a mum and dad who get fed by the house next door, the receptionist did not like my idea of shooting it either, Buzzer.

[bewick]

Buzzer:
Nearly forgot to post this which I took this morning through the blind’s of my Dentist’s window in the waiting room which believe it or not is in Spring Road in the middle of Southampton, not a care in the world just bathing in the sun and he or she has a brother or sister and a mum and dad who get fed by the house next door, the receptionist did not like my idea of shooting it either, Buzzer.

Haloo ! haloo! we’ve got a hunt on in S’ampton ! I’ve “done” 24 Grey squirrels in our wood in the last 18 months, the ■■■■■■■■ wreck the birds nests so I declared war on the little ■■■■■ ! Got a “Gold star” award off the South Lakeland Red Squirrel Society Cheers Dennis. PS have you got a decent terrier if the ■■■■■■■ go’s to ground under the next door neighbours shed Buzzer ?

[buzzer]

Fancy shooting those poor little scuggies or tree rats as they are known down here, remember when I was a lad on a Saturday a group of older men with guns would go shhoting squirrels as there was a ten bob bounty on there tails IIRC, they also had an aluminium clip together pole which had a claw on the end and this was used to push the drays out, gently at first so only a couple came out at a time, they stood little chance with six or so guns popping at them. Then they would push the dray right out if they could, don’t think it was done for the money just a bit of fun on the weekend. My pet hate is Magpies as they prey on the smaller birds nests and destroy the eggs or the young but they are very coy, once shot one in me paddock but just winged it and could not believe about fifty of my chicken set about it and finished it off, quite some site cheers Buzzer.

[charlie_one]

Blimey Buzzer. I didn’t realise I was a little older than you.

When I was a young man I used to get sixpence a tail and free cartridges.

Regards Charlie

[bewick]

He’ll be there at 5 am in the morning Buzzer so can you see he isn’t kept hanging about and get it lifted off ! The rest of his load is for Midsomer Norton booked in for 9 am. Cheers Dennis.

[petecud]

Bewick:
He’ll be there at 5 am in the morning Buzzer so can you see he isn’t kept hanging about and get it lifted off ! The rest of his load is for Midsomer Norton booked in for 9 am. Cheers Dennis.0

As opposed to 5am in the afternoon, eh Dennis?
Pete

[oiltreader]

Nice wee toy Buzzer .
Oily

[buzzer]

Oily that’s fine when the sun is out which aint much down here lately and even less for Wrighty sorry but got used to a cab now with aircon. Dennis never had a problem getting up in the mornings when needs be in fact if I am going anywhere I like to be there before everyone has even thought of rising, beat the traffic rush and all that and worse nowadays as our roads are chocka all the time.
Charlie you are more senior than me by a country mile so don’t sound so astounded by that fact, nowdays I do get tired if I have had a busy day but just got me LGV licence issued for another year, what a palarva that is too £90 quid for a medical ten for pictures, mind you got six this time so im’e ok for the next five years on that count and I wonder if they notice its the same mug shot, cheers Buzzer.

[bewick]

Nice clean shot of the fleet Buzzer, no nonsense livery ! You must be very proud of that turnout , gotta be better than sat up on “the box” with four Knackers in hand. Cheers Dennis.

[mikey1964]

Oh what a gay day, larry Grayson would be proud of the mention as would Everard. Some younger readers will now be lost! “shut that door”

[wrighty]

Evening Buzzer

Well there was a slight break In the weather on Saturday and we managed to ■■■■■■ another 24 bales of silage, clip some hoggs and mow mi lawn so a productive weekend.
A busy start to the week with concrete panels and straw, now parked up at Castle Douglas waiting to load a machine in the morning then load at Dumfries then down the road aye it’s all go…

Cheers Wrighty.

[buzzer]

HO2 taps definitely on today but found a job in the dry fitting on a new topper in the barn ready for a bit of action, been looking for a while but all seem to be about 2 1/2 grand second hand and blades worn also belts at least when you get summit new you are not going to have all those problems so bought a brand new one, after this walked “Woody” round both lots of cattle this afternoon although peeing down it is warm and the grass is growing still but the quality will fall off as we move towards autumn, Buzzer

[bewick]

Buzzer:
HO2 taps definitely on today but found a job in the dry fitting on a new topper in the barn ready for a bit of action, been looking for a while but all seem to be about 2 1/2 grand second hand and blades worn also belts at least when you get summit new you are not going to have all those problems so bought a brand new one, after this walked “Woody” round both lots of cattle this afternoon although peeing down it is warm and the grass is growing still but the quality will fall off as we move towards autumn, Buzzer

That’s a nice looking bit 'o kit ££££ Buzzer ! I always liked to have my land topped off nice an early, my Pal who’s land surrounded our depot used to do “The Honours” on my fields and one of my drivers ( ex Farmers son) used to harrow and roll as well as top dressing, I used to have a bit of gear my-self to pull behind a little David Brown tractor with a fore loader ! The tractor belonged to “The Firm” and was mainly employed keeping the yard surface in good order filling in pot holes etc. Cheers Dennis.

[buzzer]

Dennis funny you mention yard surfaces as in the spring I went to look at some Angus cattle privately for sale, well the yard were a mess except for a row of concrete sleepers laid like a road on a small area, I said to the fella aint you heard of ready mixed concrete and sharp as you like he retorted we got Wiltshire concrete and asking what that was he replied chalk my boy laid right goes down well but slippery as an eel when wet, cheers Buzzer.

Ps. Dennis my philosophy in life was always look at the out door on a rainy day when making a purchase at the in door, always worked for me.

[bewick]

Buzzer:
Dennis funny you mention yard surfaces as in the spring I went to look at some Angus cattle privately for sale, well the yard were a mess except for a row of concrete sleepers laid like a road on a small area, I said to the fella aint you heard of ready mixed concrete and sharp as you like he retorted we got Wiltshire concrete and asking what that was he replied chalk my boy laid right goes down well but slippery as an eel when wet, cheers Buzzer.

Ps. Dennis my philosophy in life was always look at the out door on a rainy day when making a purchase at the in door, always worked for me.

[5thwheel]

mikey1964:
Oh what a gay day, larry Grayson would be proud of the mention as would Everard. Some younger readers will now be lost! “shut that door”

You will have to get the driver out of the way first,he’s either going in or getting out of the cab!!!

David