Bugger.

I’ve had an eventful couple of days.

I was in work yesterday, I got to a drop in Liverpool and reversed onto the bay. The truck was a bit slow to turn so I went in at a bit of an angle, but still well within the guide rails. I missed the bumper on the loading bay, but let it slowly reverse anyway (there are bumpers on the back of the trailer) suddenly I heard a clatter. I got out and somehow I’d manged to hit the shutter door.

That’s it. The third panel down from the top right on the first picture (not the concrete, that was nowt do with me) but it slightly buckled the hinge thing on the inside of the shutter.

I just couldn’t understand it. It’s what you do. Reverse, then pull forward to straighten up. You just can’t hit the shutter, it’s a foot inside the edge of the concrete wall. It took one of their people to work it out. Because their loading bays are on such a steep angle, the top corner of the trailer had lent over the lip of the bay and hit the door.

I got back to the yard and they took my truck off me. I had to do a statement and such and now I’m stood down pending the outcome of their review. When they told me to hand my keys in I thought I was sacked for sure. The agency lad reckons it will probably be a day out with the driver trainer then back on shift. If not, if they do sack me, Sainsbury’s are taking on on the agency. Bummer start times, but stacks of money.

Seeing as I’m off I did shock absorber. The one that was on it had leaked all of it’s fluid and I was pogo-ing over every bump. Bloody horrible to ride. It was a pain in the arse of a job, but I got it done. Swapped the crappy aftermarket shock for the original one that came as a spare with the bike.

While I had everything off I took the opportunity to refit the original height things, to lower it back to standard height. A good day’s work. I’m happy with that. I took it for a spin and the shock works fine, I can get me feet down at the lights now it’s standard height, nothing fell off and I didn’t die. Oh, and it totally was the shock that had blown, not an engine oil leak, so, a good result. Now I just have some concerns about the clutch. Nothing pressing, but the clutch plates sticking on start up is a worry. For now the tip to free them up (a few blips of the throttle) is working, but I would like to sort it. Hmmm, just re-read the fault finding article fully. There is still something to test before I start cracking open the engine. It could just be down to low clutch fluid or the system needing bleeding. That would be good. I’ll look tomorrow.

I didn’t do my run today. It took me until gone 15.00 to get finished and test it out. By then I was clarted in oil, sweaty, knackered and sore. So sore. I’ll make up my miles tomorrow. It’s the first week of a 24 week plan to Frankfurt marathon. I want to try and stay consistent. Obviously if I am sacked and have to do midnight starts at Sainsbury’s my sub 3 aspirations will go out of the window. I’ll be knackered and sad, but very minted. And a lot of Sainsbury’s agency jobs have been advertised as temp to perm. It would be nice to have a wage I could rely on.

Interesting times. Meh.

Buck.