The clocks went back this week, which means darker evenings, chillier mornings, and (apparently) a higher risk of flat tyres. Between graveyards, clock towers, weddings, and a hangover-fuelled tyre marathon, it’s been another full-on week in the life of the Cherry Picker Man.
Sunday – The Calm Before the Chaos
The clocks changed overnight, which technically gave me an extra hour in bed, not that it mattered much with ten-month-old Wren staging a 2 a.m. teething protest. We’ll let her off though; she’s cute and she’s got gums to blame.
Once I’d shaken off the lack of sleep and found some caffeine, I headed out to fix some slates and chimney flashings on Woodborough Road in Nottingham. Sundays are ideal for that sort of job, fewer cars and fewer people to annoy. Unfortunately, someone decided to park right where I needed to set up, so that plan went out the window.
Instead, I drove over to Trent College in Long Eaton to make the most of the morning by filming some extra shots of the Platform Basket 2095 for my review videos. I wrapped up around lunchtime and spent the rest of the day at home with the family, a decent way to ease into the week.
Monday – Graveyards, Gutters, and the Great Tyre Escape
It was an early-ish start to reach Abbey Fields in Kenilworth by 9 a.m., meeting Luke the architect and a few council folks to survey a weather-worn monument. The catch? It was located in the middle of a graveyard. So there we were, carefully navigating the Platform Basket 2095 down narrow paths between headstones, spooky season came early.
After freezing my fingers off and successfully finishing the survey, I stopped by Wright’s Roofing in Leamington Spa before heading to Fallow Hill, where I spent the entire afternoon clearing out the gutters on several three-storey blocks. They were absolutely caked in rubbish.
To cap off the day, one of my trailer tyres decided to explode on the M69. Thankfully, the hard shoulder was wide enough to let me change it safely, though not without a few choice words. Oh, and thanks to the clock change, it was the first evening this side of summer that I drove home in the dark. Winter’s definitely on the way.
Tuesday – Déjà Tyre
Out the door by 6:30 a.m. and heading for Promax in Barnsley to return the Platform Basket 2095. If I’d kept it any longer, I think they’d have made me buy it and as much as I’ve enjoyed testing new toys, I’m not quite ready to let go of my trusty 1890 Pro just yet.
Of course, the cherry picker gods weren’t going to let me hand it back quietly. Somewhere along the route, another trailer tyre blew out that’s two in two days! I’m getting so used to changing them I could probably do it blindfolded (though I wouldn’t recommend it).
After sorting the tyre and arriving just before eight, I caught up with Alan and Mark, the cherrypicker engineers at Promax. We chatted through the pros and cons of the 2095. Mark, as usual, kept me laughing with his stories of hydraulic disasters and mechanical miracles.
Then it was straight back down to Trent College for 9:30 a.m., where I loaded up the cherry picker again to clear gutters on The Elms, a tall three-storey building. Once those were done, I swapped hydraulic power for ladder power to finish the rest of the site, a solid day’s work with no more tyre drama (for a change).
Wednesday – The Ladder Marathon
Another day at Trent College, and by now I was starting to think they should give me my own parking space. The morning was spent wandering the site with my ladders, clearing all the gutters that didn’t need the cherry picker. It’s a good workout, that’s for sure.
After lunch, I switched back to the spider to clear the gutters on top of the dining hall, and once I was done, John the painter jumped in the basket so he could reach some high fascias and first-storey windows for painting. We made a good team, I drove, he painted.
Before heading off, I caught up with Seb, the maintenance manager, to plan out what we’d tackle on the final day. By the time I packed up, I’d definitely earned a sit-down.
Thursday – Clock Tower Rescue
When I arrived at Trent College this morning, I was greeted by a beast of a machine: a JLG 660SJ mobile cherry picker, parked up and ready to go. The task? Reach the clock tower and deal with some very loose slabs and crumbling brickwork before gravity did it for us.
Things didn’t start smoothly, I spent a good half hour trying to get the machine moving, only for Seb to turn up and make it work in seconds. I swear machines behave better for him.
Once we got going, it was a full day spent repointing the brickwork and removing the dodgy slabs that looked ready to take flight. We had a bit of a faff with the weight limit, couldn’t get back up once the basket was too heavy, so we had to juggle mortar and materials between chimneys. Still, by the end of the day, the clock tower was much safer, and I was more than ready for a solid night’s sleep.
Friday – Wedding Bells, Forgotten Dresses, and YouTube Milestones
It’s Friday and Halloween! Normally, that would mean I’m up to my usual tricks, scaling rooftops and chasing down spooky chimney problems. But not today. Instead of donning my harness, I’m dressed for a wedding, it’s my sister-in-law’s big day, which means the cherry picker stays parked while I play chauffeur.
The morning started smoothly enough, I drove my wife and daughters to the venue so they could get ready with the bride. However, just as I was about to head off, disaster struck, my wife had forgotten her bridesmaid dress. She’d packed everything else (honestly, I think she even had space for the kitchen sink), but somehow the most important item didn’t make it into the van.
So, back home I went to fetch the dress before returning to the venue, a round trip I hadn’t budgeted for, but one that earned me some serious husband points. Once the dress drama was resolved, it was time to collect my wife’s 94-year-old gran, who’s an absolute legend. She’s sharp as a tack and full of banter, so we had a good laugh on the drive over.
The rest of the day was spent making sure my kids didn’t cause too much chaos, easier said than done. The evening Cubs hike I was supposed to help with was quickly abandoned after discovering the free bar courtesy of Granny Ralph. Let’s just say I overindulged slightly and decided a late-night countryside walk with 20 cubs might not be my best idea.
To top it all off, today I hit 3,000 subscribers on YouTube! A massive thank-you to everyone who’s been following along with my rooftop antics. I’m genuinely proud (and slightly fuzzy-headed) about this milestone, a cracking end to a hectic but memorable day.
Saturday – Tyres, Tyres, and More Tyres
Thankfully, I didn’t have any jobs booked today, which was lucky because I wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders after the wedding celebrations.
The day’s unexpected task list began when I found a flat tyre on Hannah’s van. No problem, I thought, until I grabbed the jack from the Hilux and discovered its tyre was also flat. To top it off, the spare was flat too. You really couldn’t make it up.
So instead of a quiet recovery day, I ended up making a trip to Mick’s Tyres in Mansfield to get everything sorted. By the end of it, all tyres were back on, pumped up, and ready for action, just in time for work on Sunday. It took longer than it should’ve, mostly because everything’s a bit harder when you’re nursing a hangover and wishing the world would stay quiet.
The Week in Review
This week had it all, graveyards, clock towers, forgotten dresses, blown tyres, weddings, and a shiny new YouTube milestone. Not exactly a quiet one, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here’s to more rooftops, fewer flat tyres, and maybe a little more sleep next week.
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👕 Workwear sponsored by Granite Workwear — keeping me looking sharp enough for weddings, but tough enough for clock towers.
