Hello all,
Thought I would post about my grand day out .
Started off from home and arrived at the yard nice and early so as to see if i had a motor available or as per usual hang around for hours and lo and behold to my surprise, I had the choice of 3 !!! Practicaly unheard of !
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So I spoke to boss,
“can I take one of the Mercs ?”
“Nope” was his extensive reply.
“Any particular reason ?” asks me,
“Yes, one is going out in half an hour and the other has condensation in the air tanks and you have not got time to drain them”,
So, two hours later, after not having enough time to drain the air tanks 
I get my motor:
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It still did not have a full load so i decided to get a picture of the shunting vehicle for all you enthusiasts:
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Apparently its been there for years, and quite a few people have made substantial offers to buy it and get it restored !!!
Anyway, while i was waiting for the last few items for my load, i spoke to one of the other drivers, who advised me to check my spring clips on the trailer, what a good idea thinks me, so off i toddle, checking all the straps :
However, one of them bit back, and i learnt a valuble lesson of keeping your head out of the way while trying to reclip it :
To say it hurt was an understaetment, there were a few choice words, one of the lads who was in the yard took me to the med room where I was patched up,
Note that the huge head is normal 
Its the swelling round the gob which hurts and still does 
Basically, what happend, was i tightend the strap and leaned into it to lock it, i thought it had clipped but to my surprise it had not and it opened up at a fair old rate of knots resulting in the above painful experience !!!
I finally get on the road after having tapped the address of my drop into my sat nav :
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I arrive at tewkesbury, an hour or so later…in the wrong bloody location , thanks to tom tom. I phone Bensons and explain the problem,"not a problem mate, it happens all the time for some reason"says the TM. He explains where I need to be and off I go. Ten minutes late and Iam there.
I get my bay number and proceed to take seven shunts to get it on a bay you could land a sodding Jumbo Jet on !!! :
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I spend the next hour with the entertainment of a digger knocking the living daylights out of a building :
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The unloading is finished and its time to go home so along the M5 i pass these big old boys:
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I get back to the yard in good time with an extremly sore face and my pride some what dented, but again its all part of the learning curve, and i was pleased as this only took me two shunts
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And I know, the more experienced amongst you will be tuting about the space between the trailers, but i dont mind as we all had to learn at some stage
And hear endeth my day 
