Week Beginning 9th November 2025
A week in the life of Dan the Cherry Picker Man
Welcome back to another episode of Roof Tops and Pit Stops, where the rooftops are high, the cherry picker is loyal (most of the time), and the weather… well, it’s November in Britain, so you already know.
This week had everything, rooftop gardens, machine testing, soggy socks, community DIY, postponed jobs, family time, and even a heroic victory in local hockey. Let’s get stuck in.
Sunday – A Rooftop Garden in Derby
The week kicked off in Friary Close, Derby, where I arrived expecting a quick fix of a few slipped slates. Simple job, I thought.
But once I got up there, I discovered an entire dead-ivy ecosystem sitting between the roof and the parapet wall, basically a rooftop allotment nobody asked for.
It was a battle, clearing rotted vegetation, ripping out old ivy that had woven itself under the slates, brushing, blowing, repairing, patching. The roof really needs a full re-roof, but I gave the customer a solid temporary fix.
A messy start to the week… but a satisfying one. Jobs a fish.
Monday – Machine Testing in Milton Keynes
Today I swapped rooftops for Elite Access in Milton Keynes.
Tom at Elite showed me the ropes on buying second-hand cherry pickers, brilliant bloke, full of knowledge, and happy to help me film a buyer’s guide for YouTube.
I also got to test the EasyLift R180 and the EasyLift RA-21. Both superb machines and great fun to put through their paces, even though the weather was miserable and filming in the rain felt like trying to make a documentary inside a car wash.
Still, a cracking day overall. Machines tested, videos filmed, no breakdowns (from me or the cherry pickers). Result.
Tuesday – Gutters, Liners, Surveys, and a Community Fix
A proper mixed-bag Tuesday.
First stop: The Park Estate, Nottingham.
Tight access, wet grass, lots of boards down, and a full replacement of an old cast iron downpipe and hopper, plus a cheeky gutter fix. Customer happy, me: soaked.
Then over to Annesley to meet the lads from Village Stoves and drop a chimney liner. Nice parking, smooth job, and only a chimney re-flaunch to add to the notes.
Next: Cedar Road to help a tenant with a Velux window that was absolutely knackered. I got it partially shut, not perfect, but at least their attic wasn’t acting as an air conditioning system anymore.
Then came a run of surveys: two in Nottingham, one in Mansfield, one in Rainworth.
And to top it all off?
A quick community job in the local park, reattaching a wooden piece someone had knocked off a pergola. The smallest job of the day, possibly the most wholesome.
Wednesday – Rain Stopped Play… But Not Completely
I was meant to head back to Old Stores Cottage in Elston to repair and re-flaunch chimneys, a job linked with a future stove installation.
But it rained. And rained. And rained.
And I’m good, but I’m not “climb a chimney in a monsoon” good.
So instead, I adapted:
Picked up air vents from Wrights Roofing in Bulwell, then headed to Cambridge Street in Shepshed to install one in a roof. Wet but successful.
After that, I went to Calverton to help a mate who’d done a lovely chimney job earlier in the year. The customer was getting water down the flue, and I discovered the terracotta mushroom pots were funneling rain straight inside.
A quick CT-1 seal later, problem solved, job done, and I even finished early. Lovely stuff.
Thursday – Sunshine and a Full Chimney Day
With the weather behaving for once, I finally made it to Elston to carry out a full suite of chimney repairs.
Three chimneys, one cherry picker, lots of mortar, and a healthy amount of sunshine.
The front chimney got new pointing, a new vent, and a brand new flaunching.
The middle chimney got brick replacements, deep repointing, and a recommendation to ditch an old TV aerial.
The end chimney got reduced by three courses and topped with a fresh concrete flaunching.
A big job, but a good one. And the sunshine helped.
Friday – Storm Claudia vs. Cherry Picker Man
Today was supposed to be a big moment:
Meeting Samuel, a tree surgeon from Lincolnshire with a Hinowa 2010 he’d kindly offered to let me test and film for my Search for the New Machine series. We were also planning to survey St Vincent’s Church in Caythorpe.
But then… Storm Claudia arrived.
The rain was relentless, the wind was miserable, and every cherry picker dream I had dissolved into grey drizzle.
So instead, I hung up the Dassy Gravity jacket, headed home, and enjoyed a day with Hannah and Wren.
We did the Tesco shop, then wandered around The Range in Sutton-in-Ashfield admiring Christmas decorations.
Honestly? Not a bad way to spend a Friday.
Saturday – Tennis, Hockey and a Quiet Family Day
No work today, just family life.
I took Robyn to tennis, then spent the day with both girls while Hannah went out to coach her development squad in hockey.
Now, for accuracy:
Hannah’s team loses a lot not because they’re rubbish, but because she coaches the development squad, where all the new players start before moving up to the second team once they improve.
So they lose players constantly, but today… they WON.
A big moment, and fully deserving of a celebration.
The rest of the day was calm, quiet, and exactly what a Saturday should be.
Thanks for Reading!
Another week of rooftops, pit stops, machine testing, family moments, and plenty of British weather.
If you’d like to follow more of my work, adventures, or cherry picker reviews, you can find me here:
🌐 Website: www.dji-uk.co.uk
🎥 YouTube: @dan_cherrypicker_man
🎵 TikTok: @dan_cherrypicker_man
📸 Instagram: @dan_cherrypicker_man
👍 Facebook: Dan the Cherry Picker Man
🔍 Google Business: dji high access services – Google Search
🛒 Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/danthecherrypickerman?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_0H3MM4YGDVAPRTXQJAYV_1
Sponsored by Granite Workwear – Keeping the Cherry Picker Man Weatherproof
A quick shoutout to Granite Workwear, who keep me kitted out in gear tough enough to handle British weather, rooftop jungles, storm-soaked Wednesdays, and the occasional unexpected gardening session on someone’s chimney.
If my jackets and trousers can survive dangling from a cherry picker in Storm Claudia, wrestling ivy on a Derby roof, or crawling across a pristine lawn without upsetting the customer…
you can bet they’ll survive anything you throw at them.
Check them out here: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/
Because if your workwear isn’t Granite-tough… you might as well be wearing pyjamas.
