Roof Tops & Pit Stops

Danny Iwanejko

Week Beginning 23rd November 2025

This week has had everything: festive chaos, faulty tiles, chimney liners, roof surveys, a runaway track, and an egg-drop competition that definitely wasn’t in the IPAF training manual. From Christmas lights to chimney repairs across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, it’s been another classic week in the life of the Cherry Picker Man.

Sunday – Operation Christmas Lights (Phase 1 of… many)

Sunday kicked off at 5:00am (because who else willingly gets up that early except roofers and lunatics?), and I spent the first couple of hours working on my review for the Easylift R180. By 7:00, it was time for daddy duties, getting Wren up, changed, and fed.

By 9:30, I was outside shifting vans around on the drive and setting up the cherry picker, because today was the day the Christmas lights went up. And when I do lights, I don’t do things by halves. Oh no.

We’re talking:

  • Lights down the gutters
  • Lights down the downpipes
  • Lights along the ridge tiles
  • Lights on all four hip runs
  • A giant Christmas-tree-shaped display on the side wall
  • And, while I was up there, I installed new permanent LED strip lights too

Of course, I also cleared the gutters and fixed a couple of tiles, because once you’re up there, you might as well. I wrapped up around 4:30pm when darkness rolled in and Robyn arrived home from her friend’s house.

Still to do another day: light up the fences, the greenhouse, Robyn’s Wendy house… and oh yes, install a giant reindeer on top of the shed. Obviously.

Monday – Three Jobs and an Egg Drop

Monday started with a tricky job in West Bridgford, navigating the cherry picker through two narrow gateways, a tight turn, and a long stretch of wet grass to reach an old people’s home. All that effort to uncover a single broken tile causing a leak. Tile replaced. Job done.

Then it was across to North Muskham to help my mate Richard with a chimney liner drop, smooth and easy.

Next stop: Sutton-in-Ashfield / Mansfield, where I helped change light bulbs and fix some fallen plasterboard in an industrial unit being vacated.

The sensible end of the day would have been going home, showering, and relaxing.
But no. At 7:30pm I was back out again, at the Scout hut, running an egg-drop competition from the cherry picker. And honestly? It was brilliant. The kids loved it, no-one got squashed, and morale was high… until one of the tracks came off the cherry picker. Cue an impromptu repair session before I could load it back onto the trailer. Lovely end to the day.

Tuesday – The Nine-Survey Sprint

Tuesday morning sent me to Calverton to replace a chimney flaunching. Unfortunately, the cherry picker couldn’t get anywhere near the house, so it was ladders and roof crawlers like the good old days. Job sorted.

Back at base, I swapped into the van and spent the rest of the day hammering through nine surveys. That’s nine roofs inspected, documented, and ticked off the list. A long day, but productive.

Wednesday – Three Jobs and a Swim

First stop today was Forest Town to install a gas cowl and renew the flaunching. Access wasn’t ideal (narrow path, tight garden), but I squeezed the cherry picker in and cracked on, finishing by 11am.

Then over to Southwell to help a friend’s mum by repointing her chimney and repairing the lead flashing. She was delighted I’d fit her in and honestly, she’s such a lovely lady it was a pleasure.

Oh, and I should probably mention this.
While I was repointing and repairing the lead flashing on my friend’s mum’s chimney, she also asked if I could remove the old aerial that was still strapped up there. No problem at all quick job, off it came.

Fast forward to that evening… my mate George gets a message from his mum saying that her TV no longer works. Turns out that “old” aerial I took down was the one still feeding the bedroom TV.

So yes, the aerial is gone, the chimney looks great, and George will now be buying his mum a Fire Stick for Christmas. You’re welcome, George.

Next up was Halam, where I applied AquaPol for a temporary repair to a leaking bay window roof until the full replacement in January.

Finished in time to take Robyn swimming, one of the perks of an efficient workday!

Thursday – Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Christmas Lights (Phase 2)

Thursday started in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, with a straightforward chimney liner drop for stove installers. Traffic getting there was the hardest part, the job itself was smooth.

Then it was off to Loughborough to install an air vent for a bathroom extractor fan. Rosemary tiles = easy win.

Since everything went well, I decided to take an early finish to continue work on the Christmas light extravaganza. With December 1st fast approaching, the pressure was on. After school, I took Robyn to football, but managed to get several more lighting sections completed.

Friday – The Wrong Road (and the Big Push to Finish the Lights)

Today’s job was supposed to be on Woodborough Road in Loughborough. I was early (as always), but after 1 hour and 20 minutes of waiting for the electrician, I discovered the office had actually sent me to the wrong place. The job was just around the corner on Woodborough Avenue.

A quick sprint round the corner later and I met the Sparky, got the air vent in, sorted the extractor fan, and finished up before lunch.

Home before midday meant two things:

  1. Tesco shop, because we won’t have time this weekend before our trip to London.
  2. One last big push to finish the Christmas lights ready for Monday’s grand switch-on.

Work week done. Lights almost done. London tomorrow. A solid end to a busy week.

Keep Up With Me Online

Stay up to date with the Cherry Picker Man’s latest jobs, mishaps, adventures, and rooftop shenanigans:

Special Thanks to Granite Workwear

And of course, a huge shout-out to Granite Workwear for keeping me kitted out in gear that survives rooftops, rain, rogue chimney pots, egg-drop competitions, and the occasional cherry-picker mishap.

Check them out here: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *