Author: Buck

The spirit of 2020 is lingering on. Normally by this time I’d have done a blog review of the previous year and another, fresh and optimistic one for the next year. You’re spared that at least. Breaking my shoulder just before the new year is dragging 2020 out for all of this month and half of next. I know it’s only a token date with no real significance in the grand scheme of things, but it is a bit of a downer. Sad panda. On the bright side; I had my one week check up and the doctor was pleased with my mobility. I’m starting to be able to let my arm rest out of the sling for periods, but I can’t use it. And the best news, for me, is that this is the first time I’ve been able to rest my hand on the keyboard to type! Blessed joy! How I’ve missed typing with two hands! The other joy is that I looked online, (well, Wendy looked online to tell me not to) and they said there was no reason why you couldn’t, carefully, continue training on a static trainer. I was already going to give it a go, but that was a green light. After 2 days of sitting around counting the seconds, with nothing to do except eat or try to sleep, I was going nuts. Wendy was looking forward to going back to work to get away from my miserableness. By the third day I knew I had to try something. So, after Wendy discovering it was safe, I strapped my arm to my body and had a go on the bike. I text my sister and said “I’m giving it a go. I’m going in! She replied “In sane.” Success! I have to sit upright and put all my weight on to my left arm, but I can train. It doesn’t injure my shoulder and it burns off my agitation and misery. Happy, happy bunny. Some ex druggie, now running fanatic, told Wendy “Well, it’s either that or drugs.” Whoa. That was a bit insightful. Anyway, the upshot is I shouldn’t lose any fitness through this episode and I have a tool to get me through it mentally, so it’s win win. The iffy news is the doctor said my shoulder break was an in funny place. He said there was a 90% chance it would heal by itself, but if not I’ll have to get a plate screwed in. He offered me the plate now, but warned it had potential complications as it’s over a nerve cluster, could restrict blood flow to my arm, and would limit mobility. The only real plus to it being that I know it’s done. I’m going to wait and see if it it heals. At worst I’ll lose another 5 weeks off work then have to have the plate put in anyway. At best it heals, and I start rehab physio. I was talking to a guy […]

I thought I’d taken my kickings for 2020. As my mam reminded me, I’ve already had the plague and been sacked this year. It’s only two days left until the symbolically optimistic fresh new start of 2021. Ha! The last two days it’s finally turned cold. Snow that hasn’t fully melted away, rain, and sub zero overnight. Yesterday I had 04.00 start and that was quite bracing, riding through frozen snow ridges and tiptoeing over ice patches. Today was worse. The ground was a sheet of ice. I normally hop on my pushbike right outside our door, today I pushed it out and across the road before starting. The wheels were slipping out as I was pushing. In hindsight I should have sacked it off then. Asked Wendy for a lift, or walked in. I gingerly started pedaling in, got about 300 yards and the front end slipped out. Somehow, in the second before I slammed into the ground, I had the presence of mind to decide to do a tuck and roll. Usually forearm, shoulder, hip. It was too late to get my hand down so I just went on to my shoulder. Huge mistake. I landed it completely wrong (normally there would be forward momentum, this time the movement was straight down) and the corner of my shoulder took the full impact. Wow, did that ever hurt! Some guy walking his dog came up to see if I was alright. I was really struggling to understand him, my brain was so absorbed with the pain. After a minute or two I realised I wouldn’t be going in to work so pushed my bike back home. Luckily Wendy was starting later today so was still at home. I took my coat and T-shirt off to see if there was any damage. That was enough to have me shouting out with the pain. I rang the agency and told them, then Wendy took me to the hospital. They thought it was dislocated at first, which had me quite hopeful, but then the xrays came back and they said it was a fractured clavicle. I thought a fracture was like a crack in the bone, not a break, so while I was waiting to get transferred to the right department for treatment I rang the agency and told them I probably wouldn’t be coming in tomorrow. That was a tad optimistic, as it turns out. The breaks department showed me the xray. Clearly snapped. Super. They gave me a sling, some cocodomol, and an appointment with an outpatient doctor in a week. The nurse asked what my job was, I said “lorry driver”, “Well, you wont be driving any lorries for a while.” How long? 6 weeks. Well, isn’t that wizard. I’m an agency driver, so no sick pay. I can’t return to running, and I don’t know if I’m even going to be able to train on my indoors bike. AND I’M HAVING TO TYPE LEFT HANDED! The pain just […]

Well, I’ve started my new job. The first day was really stressful, I’d been off for 6 weeks so I was getting comfortable at home, and a bit nervous about going back to work. So it’s a good thing I got this job, no matter what. Also, I was building a resistance to going back to work as I was losing my lorry driving mojo. A lot of driving an artic is in having confidence that you can. As soon as you question that, after a bump or a long lay-off, the job gets a lot harder. And it was all new. New is a bit frightening. Anyway, I had a full week booked, and once I’d learned how to use the agency app (things have changed massively with agencies in the 4 years since I was last with one) I realised it was the same run for 5 days. The first day was a bit of a nightmare, before I got on the 5 shifts. I got messed about, then sent to a tiny yard in Manchester to pick up a trailer. The yard was so tight a manager came out and stood in the rain to watch to see if I smacked anything trying to spin the trailer. You’ll note that word was “watch”, not “help”. That was my first day back on the job. So stressed. After that I had the same run. Over to Warrington Rail Terminal (where Pete, Wendy’s brother works, surprised him) then run over to Birkenhead docks, drop the trailer, back to WRT, then shunt (move trailers around the yard) for the rest of the day. The last two shifts the docks run was cancelled so it was drive 4 miles, then shunt all day. Well, in theory. I was waiting hours before getting anything to move. Easy, boring, money. The first shift was only 8 hours long, then the rest of the week I was on 12 hours with one 12½. I was trying not to lose my training mojo so I was doing 12 hours at work, ride home, up to an hour training on the indoor bike, shower, tea, make up the next day’s rations, have an hour with Wendy, then bed. Which was still giving me less 7 hours sleep. By the time I got to the 12½ hour shift I cracked and skipped training. To be fair, I was having another (increasingly minor- yay!) bout of plague weakness as well. It just made me want to eat everything and do nothing. Today I seem to be good again. So that’s a relief. I was getting worried that it might be all stupid long shifts. The swimming baths have opened again now, but there is no way I could get to them; I would only have been able to maintain my bike training so long before my routine broke down, and I want to get back to running. It all takes time. My first 7 shifts were 8 hours, […]

I think it’s time to be upbeat again. It’s been a bit of weird time, but it looks like I’m moving on, at last. I’ve done all the agency messing about. Registering one day, driving assessment another, site induction (for 2½ hours!) another, them checking my driver card, references, and criminal record. All done. I start work on Monday. After I passed the assessment they rang me up for availability for next week. I just said “all.” They asked what shifts I’d like. Huh? I just thought I’d be on nights. Days if at all possible. What start time window? Wow. OK, 07.00-10.00, ideally, but I’ll take owt. They text me back with two shifts for the whole week within that window. I applied for other jobs, if they can’t get me shifts in peak there’s no point in me being there. They text me again today, would you be willing to start at 05.00? I was willing to do nights, 05.00 is ungodly o’clock, but it’s still days. OK. They’ve given me 6 shifts for next week. Then text me back and asked if I wanted to work tomorrow. (No, because it was insufficient notice for my first shift. I’d got my mind set that I was starting Monday.) Once I’ve done the job a few days and settled into it I’ll try and do 6 shifts/ 5 shifts (legal maximum) until the work runs out in January. This gig gives me some breathing space, has the potential to earn some decent cash, and it gets me back driving and working. So that’s working out nicely. And after the 6 weeks of not working my foot is really loads better. I did that 2½ hours induction, walking about in my steel toecap boots, and it felt like I’d hurt the top of my foot again. It didn’t feel like the movement pain, more like a bruised feeling, but it was in the exact area of the ongoing problem. I’ve ordered some trainer style steel toe caps, to see if that stops it. Also, I forgot to say, the depot is about 2 or so miles from my front door. I will be pushbiking in to work, wearing my normal clothes and a big hi-viz coat, and won’t have to worry about getting all sweaty and needing a shower or getting changed before I can start. Talking of cycling… here is comes… NEW BIKE! YAY! I’ve got my cheapo road bike which I will still be using for riding to work and such but the bike I’ve got on the turbo trainer just doesn’t cut the mustard. It’s a great bike for it’s purpose, which is sitting upright and riding through mud, but I’ve moved on again. I’m going to clean it and get it on eBay. I am orientated towards triathlon now. I need to be lay low over the handlebars, which is not comfy, you have to practice to strengthen your body to hold the position. There is […]

Well, I hung on until the end in the hope that I was wrong, but no, I’m sacked. As that was what I was expecting I got on with the jobs I’d already considered. I won’t be able to afford to continue paying in to the share/save schemes so I cancelled the one that matures next year, and the one after that. I’d read in the terms and conditions that you can carry on paying into the scheme if you no longer work for the company, and I have one that only has 3 more monthly payments until it matures. That one was looking at making a £1,700 profit, so I was keen to keep it going. I rang up to see how I could pay the final payments myself. I finally got an answer (cut off from the ‘phone after 20 minutes, twice from online chat after 30 minutes). No. What? If you’ve been dismissed you are not able to continue payments. 3 payments short. If I’d have walked out on Friday I’d be making a £1,700 profit in March (share maturity.) So gutted. I hadn’t even considered that. I thought I knew what was happening and didn’t think I had anything to lose by sticking it out in the hope I’d somehow, maybe, keep my job. Instead it feels like they are kicking me while I’m down. I found that out yesterday, so I’ve had time to process it. The positive view is I don’t lose a penny, I’ll get all my savings back, just when I might end up needing them. And it’s good that we’ve accrued savings. So, that part of my working life is over. Draw a line under it, have a bit of a sad face, move on. I’ve applied for a 4 on 4 off job on containers at Manchester. I’ve worked for the company before on the agency. They have 5 shift jobs advertised as well, but they want you to max out your hours, so 4 days could be a 56 hours. I’d already applied to the one I really want, £17per hour, days, in Liverpool. Seen another Scouse job and applied for that. Those are full time jobs. I’ve also registered with two agencies. In other positive news, I was suffering with saddle pain on long rides on my trainer. I happened across a review of a saddle, supposed to be the most comfortable saddle for triathlon and tucking into the aero position. OK, let me at it! I’ve been in so much pain at the end of the bike leg of a triathlon I felt like crying. Googled it, £160! For a saddle! No way. I looked on eBay and saw one for £90. Still steep but if it stops the misery… Then I saw another, £40! I put my bid sniper on, but no-one else bid. Got it for £40. Absolute steal. Also training related, I’ve been struggling for 6 weeks trying to get my fancy pants trainer […]