Week Beginning 17th May 2026
There are some weeks where life seems fairly predictable.
This wasn’t one of them.
By the end of this week I’d travelled across Italy, toured a spider lift factory, tested a brand-new machine, reflaunched chimneys, admitted to getting an access decision wrong, removed chimneys, cleared industrial gutters, completed my longest run yet and somehow still found time for Harry Potter with Robyn.
Normal week then.
Parma, Pizza and Preparing for Platform Basket
The week began in Italy with a family day in Parma alongside Hannah, Robyn, Wren, Granny Ralph and Grumps.
The day involved wandering around, parks, sightseeing and, in the interests of cultural research of course, consuming large quantities of Italian food.
Pizza, ice cream and various local delicacies featured heavily.
By this point I’d reached the stage where I was no longer eating because I was hungry. I was eating because saying no to Italian food felt disrespectful.
Later that afternoon we jumped in a taxi and moved over to Castelnovo di Sotto much closer to where the next day’s excitement would begin.
Platform Basket had kindly organised accommodation for us at Hotel Poli, and after checking in we headed out for dinner where once again Italy attempted to defeat me with portion sizes.
A local gelato afterwards completed proceedings.
Tomorrow was the day I’d really been waiting for.
The Big Day: Visiting Platform Basket HQ
Monday felt slightly like Christmas morning.
We were picked up around 8:30 and taken to Platform Basket headquarters in Poviglio, in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy.
The first person we met was Carlo Molzini, Managing Director of Platform Basket, and we spent some time sitting down and chatting before beginning the factory tour.
We were shown around by Hamza, Matteo, Mattia, Francesca and Enrico, before later being joined by Anurban and Mohammed, distributors representing India and Morocco.
One of the things that struck me immediately was how international the whole day felt.
One minute I’m normally in Nottinghamshire reflaunching chimneys or diagnosing leaks. The next I’m discussing spider lifts with people from across the world.
The factory tour itself was fascinating.
Seeing machines assembled from the ground up gives you a very different perspective compared to simply operating them.
Afterwards we headed out for lunch where Platform Basket treated us to local cuisine before returning to the factory for one of the highlights of the entire trip:
Testing the first ever Platform Basket 3014 machine.
Most people visit Italy for Ferraris or vineyards.
I went to test a spider lift.
And I was perfectly happy with that decision.
Later that evening Enrico took us out for dinner and by the end of the day I felt genuinely looked after. Platform Basket felt much more like a family than simply a company.
Planes, Trains and Returning to Reality
Tuesday was largely a day of travel.
Breakfast at Hotel Poli was followed by transport to Milan Airport courtesy of Platform Basket and the hotel before flights and travel eventually brought us back to Stansted London.
From there it was back to Nottinghamshire via Farnsfield to drop off Granny Ralph and Grumps before finally reaching home in Bilsthorpe.
One minute I was eating gelato and touring a factory in Italy.
The next I was mentally preparing to climb back into the cherry picker.
Reality returns quickly.
Retford, Broken Tools and Machine Mart Missions
Wednesday began back in work mode with a large chimney re-flaunching job in Retford near the railway line.
Everything went smoothly.
The chimney didn’t cause problems.
My tools did.
After several years of faithful service, my mixing paddle finally gave up halfway through its working life.
It had mixed enough concrete and mortar to deserve a retirement package.
After returning to Bilsthorpe HQ and swapping into the van, I headed over to Mansfield for emergency shopping at Machine Mart.
Replacement paddle acquired.
Tyre inflator acquired.
Disaster averted.
From there I headed into Newark inspecting problematic industrial gutters and tracing internal leaks before surveying chimney removals in Averham.
I somehow still made it back in time to collect Robyn from school.
Still officially my favourite job.
Educational Roofing Insight: Why Cherry Pickers Aren’t Always The Answer
Thursday brought a useful reminder.
The day started with a chimney re-flaunching job in Leicester that I had quoted remotely.
On arrival I quickly realised I had overlooked something important:
The access arrangement wasn’t suitable.
More importantly, it wasn’t safe.
Although frustrating after travelling over an hour, safety has to come first.
A cherry picker is an incredible tool, but it isn’t automatically the right solution for every situation.
Sometimes scaffold is safer.
Sometimes larger machinery is required.
And sometimes the correct decision is admitting the original plan was wrong.
A wasted journey hurts far less than a bad decision.
The work has now been re-quoted with scaffolding in mind instead.
Knowing when not to proceed is every bit as important as knowing how to complete the job.
If specialist access is needed, our cherry picker services can often provide a solution: https://www.dji-uk.co.uk/cherry-picker-hire
Gutter Problems Across Nottinghamshire
After Leicester I headed over to Gedling where most of the day involved gutter clearance at an older persons sheltered accommodation complex.
Before leaving I also tackled a blocked downpipe at a nearby block of flats.
Then went to Newark, where blocked gutters had been causing leaks inside a warehouse and my customer understandably wanted the issue sorted quickly.
Blocked gutters can create all sorts of hidden problems:
Overflowing water
Damp issues
Internal leaks
Masonry damage
Many problems only become obvious long after the gutters stop functioning properly.
If your gutters haven’t been checked for years, our gutter clearance services can help: https://www.dji-uk.co.uk/gutter-clearance
After work it was back into father duties and football practice with Robyn.
Chimney Removal, Running Progress and Harry Potter
Friday involved a chimney removal in Chesterfield alongside Tomek.
We removed a small chimney and slated over the opening left behind before getting back to HQ around half two to reset the truck and prepare for tomorrow.
Then came school pickup and helping Hannah while she carried out PTA duties selling ice pops.
Saturday began slightly differently.
An 8km run.
My longest run so far.
Not long ago I’d have laughed if someone suggested I’d voluntarily run 8km before work. Now apparently I own specialist running shoes and bone-conduction headphones.
Life comes at you quickly.
Afterwards I headed over to Fiskerton near Southwell to drop a chimney liner before switching hats yet again and tackling maintenance in our rental property next door.
Apparently finding a decent plumber can occasionally feel harder than finding access for awkward roofs.
After B&Q and Currys runs for supplies and new running headphones, the week finally ended with something a little calmer:
Watching the final Harry Potter film with Robyn.
Not a bad ending.
Locations Worked This Week
- Parma & Castelnovo di Sotto, Italy – family time and Platform Basket visit
- Reggio Emilia, Italy – Platform Basket factory tour
- Retford – chimney re-flaunching
- Mansfield – Machine Mart supply run
- Newark – industrial gutter investigations and warehouse leaks
- Averham – chimney surveys
- Leicester – chimney access assessment
- Gedling – sheltered accommodation gutter clearance
- Chesterfield – chimney removal
- Fiskerton – chimney liner work
- Southwell area – property and maintenance work
Do you have concerns about your roof, chimney or a persistent leak?
We offer:
Targeted Roof Inspection — £100 + VAT
Full Roof Condition Survey — £250 + VAT
Surveys are available within approximately 1.5 hours of North Nottinghamshire.
For customers further afield, remote photo quotations are often possible.
Find out more: https://www.dji-uk.co.uk/roof-surveys
About the Author
This blog has been compiled and published by Danny Iwanejko, documenting real-world roofing, chimney and specialist high-access work carried out across Nottinghamshire and beyond. Through DJI High Access Services, Danny combines practical roofing experience with specialist access solutions while documenting the reality of life as Dan the Cherry Picker Man.
Workwear sponsored by Granite Workwear:
https://www.graniteworkwear.com/?afid=danny
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By the end of the week I’d learned that life can swing very quickly between international factory tours and emergency Machine Mart trips — and somehow both feel perfectly normal.
