Week Beginning 7th June 2026
There are some weeks where you spend most of your time fixing roofs.
This wasn’t one of them.
This week involved a 31km endurance run through Sherwood Pines, a week working with a Hinowa 26.14 spider lift in Leicester, an evening guiding Cubs around the village using tracking signs, a long-overdue gate-building project at DJI HQ, a trip to CMC UK in West Sussex, and more time spent in the car than I care to think about.
Throw in a birthday celebration, some family time and a few evenings watching Pirates of the Caribbean, and you’ve got another classic week in the life of Dan the Cherry Picker Man.
A Week That Started With 31 Kilometres
Although this blog focuses on Monday onwards, it’s worth mentioning how the week started.
On Sunday, Hannah and I took part in the Rainbow Run at Sherwood Pines. The challenge was simple: run as many 6km laps as possible within six hours.
By the end of the day we’d completed 31 kilometres.
A few months ago I’d have thought that sounded ridiculous.
Now it somehow seems normal.
The event was brilliant, the scenery around Sherwood Pines was beautiful, and spending the day running through the forest with Hannah was a fantastic way to start the week.
After collecting Wren and heading to Granny Ralph’s for Sunday dinner, I felt ready to tackle whatever Monday had in store.
A Week With the Hinowa 26.14
Monday saw me heading down to Leicester, specifically Sanvy Mill, where I was meeting jeff from Paramount Platforms.
The reason?
A shiny new toy.
Well, not technically mine, but close enough.
Paramount had delivered a Hinowa Lightlift 26.14, which I would be using throughout the week while assisting Harry with remedial work on a tall commercial building.
The objective was to install trims and apply silicone around windows that had been suffering from water ingress.
After a thorough handover from Jeff, we got stuck into the work.
The first thing that struck me was how capable the machine felt.
Many people associate spider lifts with roofing and chimney work, but they are equally valuable for glazing repairs, façade maintenance and leak investigations.
Over the following three days, the Hinowa became my office.
Tuesday: Leak Prevention and Cubs Tracking
Tuesday saw me return to Leicester to continue work on the windows.
With the machine already set up and everybody familiar with the task, the day ran smoothly.
The windows were sealed, trims fitted and progress continued nicely.
That evening it was time to swap the harness for my Cub Scout neckerchief.
Our activity was tracking.
One group of Cubs set off around the village leaving tracking signs behind them while the second group followed the trail.
I spent the evening escorting approximately fifteen Cubs around the village, eventually ending up on the local park.
Everyone had fun.
Nobody got lost.
Success.
My daytime job involved preventing water getting into buildings.
My evening involved preventing Cubs disappearing into Nottinghamshire.
Wednesday: A Machine Handover Mix-Up
Wednesday was my final working day at Sany Mill.
The plan was simple:
- finish the work
- clean some gutters
- hand the machine back to Paramount
Unfortunately, I managed to get one small detail wrong.
The collection date.
Entirely my fault.
The machine wasn’t actually being collected until Thursday.
This created a slight problem because I already had other commitments arranged.
Thankfully Michael, the facilities manager at Sanvy Mill, stepped in to save the day.
He kindly agreed to handle the handover and look after the keys and remote control until Paramount arrived.
What a star.
The silver lining was that I suddenly had some extra time with the Hinowa.
I used the opportunity to capture additional footage, take drone shots and gather material for an upcoming review video.
Back at DJI HQ later that afternoon, I found contractors installing CCTV around the yard and premises.
Naturally, the answer to reaching awkward locations was a cherry picker.
So I spent part of the afternoon helping them gain access.
Thursday: Rain, Gates and Birthday Celebrations
Thursday began with a trip to Chesterfield.
Not for roofing.
Not for access work.
But to take my daughter Summer for her driving theory test.
It’s funny how quickly children grow up.
The original plan after that was to head to Clipstone and finally complete a chimney re-flaunching job that had already been postponed once because it was too hot.
This time it wasn’t too hot.
It was too wet.
The rain simply didn’t stop.
So the chimney had to be postponed again.
At this point I’m beginning to think that particular chimney and I are destined never to meet.
With Plan A abandoned, I returned to DJI HQ and continued building a set of gates I’ve been meaning to tackle for far longer than I’d care to admit.
Like many tradesmen, I seem remarkably efficient at fixing everybody else’s property while somehow avoiding jobs at my own.
The gates are now nearly finished.
In the evening, we headed over to Cosmo’s in Derby to celebrate Summer’s 17th birthday.
Unlimited buffet food after a day spent working outside in the rain felt like a pretty good deal.
Educational Insight: Why Access Equipment Matters
One thing this week reinforced is the importance of choosing the right access equipment for the job.
The work at Sanvy Mill involved:
- window repairs
- leak prevention
- gutter cleaning
- façade maintenance
All on a tall building.
While scaffolding can often be the right solution, there are many situations where specialist spider lifts provide a safer, faster and more cost-effective option.
Being able to position a machine precisely where it’s needed often makes investigations and repairs significantly easier.
This is particularly true when dealing with difficult-to-diagnose leaks.
If you’d like to learn more about specialist access solutions, our cherry picker services can be found here: https://www.dji-uk.co.uk/cherry-picker-hire
Friday: A Very Long Day in West Sussex
Friday started painfully early.
The alarm went off and I was on the road by around 5am.
Destination:
CMC Lift UK in West Sussex.
CMC had recently received the impressive S30 machine and were keen for me to have a look.
However, I was particularly interested in comparing the S20 and S23 alongside Rob Darbyshire.
We spent the day examining the machines, filming content, discussing design features and exploring the practical realities of living and working with each platform.
Manufacturer brochures tell you what a machine can do.
Operators tend to be more interested in what it’s actually like to live with.
The day was fascinating.
I learned a huge amount.
I gathered enough content for multiple videos.
I also spent roughly seven and a half hours sitting in a vehicle.
By the time I got home around 10pm, I was absolutely exhausted.
But it was the good sort of exhausted.
The sort that comes from spending a day learning something new.
Saturday: Rainbows Hospice and Pirates of the Caribbean
Saturday was a much shorter day.
I met Andy the electrician at Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough.
Our objective was straightforward:
Replace eight car park lamps.
The purpose was simple too.
Good lighting helps keep visitors, staff and residents safe.
Andy and I have worked together often enough that we know exactly how each other operates.
Despite spending plenty of time chatting, we still managed to complete the work by around 11am.
Back home, I spent some time reviewing footage from the Hinowa 26.14 before heading out for the weekly Tesco shop once Wren had finished her afternoon nap.
No matter how exciting the week becomes, Tesco always seems to make an appearance.
That evening, Robyn and I settled down for another Pirates of the Caribbean movie night.
After a week involving spider lifts, machine reviews, endurance running, Scouts and long-distance travel, it felt like the perfect way to end the week.
Locations Worked This Week
- Leicester (Sanvy Mill) – Window leak remediation, gutter cleaning and access work
- Nottinghamshire villages – Cubs tracking evening
- Bilsthorpe – CCTV installation support and gate building
- Chesterfield – Theory test taxi service
- Clipstone – Planned chimney work postponed due to weather
- Derby – Summer’s birthday celebration
- West Sussex – CMC Lift UK machine review visit
- Loughborough – Rainbows Hospice lighting replacement
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 here: 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, specialist access work and life on the road as Dan the Cherry Picker Man. Through DJI High Access Services, Danny combines practical roofing expertise with specialist high-access solutions while sharing the realities of running a family business.
Workwear Sponsor
This week’s workwear endured a 31km run, three days hanging out of a Hinowa 26.14, a day comparing spider lifts in West Sussex, rain-soaked gate building, Cubs tracking and an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Remarkably, it still looked more professional than I did by Friday evening.
Workwear sponsored by Granite Workwear: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/?afid=danny
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By the end of the week, I was reminded that some of the best weeks aren’t necessarily the busiest. Sometimes they’re the ones where you learn something new, spend time with good people, and still manage to make it home for movie night.
