Right, here we go, as the above states, somewhere just outside the M25, oh, ok then, Harlow DC.

All names will be omitted to protect the innocent, vulnerable and just plain incompetent.

So, after 4 very welcome days off, well 3 actually because some fool decided to go in on Sunday on overtime, another day begins, an 09.30 start, which from my point of view is not too bad considering my allocated start time is 10.00am but Tesco being what it is can move it up to an hour either side of this and they do with alarming regularity, anyway, I like to get in about ½ hr early so I can have a couple of coffees and a smoke before my shift actually begins and to do this it means leaving home by 08.40 and doing battle with the masses of 4x4's and other vehicles embarking on getting the kids to school.

Once the battle to compete for road space is done it's a breeze into the car park and the daily game of "hunt the parking space' nearest the path to the turnstiles. That done, a brisk walk into the Dc and into the Transport Office, first swipe in (will it work today, since it thinks that I have been at work constantly for 8 days and haven't ever swiped out) no, sorry, still will not let me swipe in, they promised it would be put right by Tuesday, Oh, well, no change there then.

A cheery "Good Morning' to the Transport Clerks and the TTM, oops, long faces, things are not going too well obviously, so I will give the humour a miss this morning.

"Can you sign me in on the sheet please, the Decams still not letting me swipe in" that sorted its off to the smoking room for the morning fix of nicotine and coffee and to await the barely audible voice of the window clerk on the tannoy calling me for duty at 09.30.

A few coffees and ciggies later, friendly banter with colleagues, a look at the watch, blimey, it's 10.30 already, have I missed the call? Better take a wander up to the transport office. No, no paperwork bags on the counter so I assume nothings going on yet, a quick word with the TTM ( Transport Team Manager) and it appears we don't have any keys, so, no keys, nothing to drive equals more coffee and more smokes.

By Midday I have become just a tad bored, have become hyperactive due to excessive caffeine intake and only slightly concerned that my scheduled 10 ¼ hr shift and finish time of 19.45 is looking just a little suspect, another trip to the transport office reveals nothing so its back to the canteen for dinner.

I have now accepted my fate, its going to be a long day, finally at 14.00 I get the call, "

Biffer ( well, not really but you know where I'm coming from) your notes are ready in transport." Here we go, what's in the bag then, Oh dear, this is not good, a double hitter, one in west London and one in North West London. "Excuse me, what time does this get me back tonight?" Erm, lets see "20.15" Yeah, right, you're having a laugh.

Off we go then, have keys will travel. Tacho in, new Isotrak2 logged on ( tells Tesco exactly where you are at any given time) vehicle checked and its go find the Trailer time, bay 62, its still there, no messing, couple up to it, check it over, all seems well so its time to go. Now there's a thing, ABS ( controlled braking system) warning light has not gone off, only one thing for it, take it round to the garage, fill out a defect form and let them fix it because until it is fixed it will not be going anywhere. Luckily it was just the connecting ABS lead that was faulty so it was a quick 10 minute job and by 14.55 I was leaving the depot and it wasn't scheduled to leave until 15.16.

Now, leaving the depot at this time puts you just in front of the rush hour traffic and seeing as I wasn't scheduled into Portobello Road Metro until 16.59. The traffic is not too bad at all, A10, M25 anti-clock wise, A1, A41 to Brent Cross, North Circular to Hanger Lane, A40, off at Shepherds Bush, Notting Hill Gate and arrival at store at 16.30.

This store is one of the stranger set ups, you cannot see the store, you cant go round the back, all there is an entrance between a row of houses with flats above the entrance, so you have to back in off a busy road, with lots of traffic and parked cars either side of where your trying to back into ,So its park on the side of the road, after the bus stop and walk into the front of the shop to get the staff to open the shutter ( which wasn't there last time I went but was really, its just that they had got round to fixing it) and stop the traffic to allow me to back in. Once I had got onto the bay I happily announced I was going for a 1/2hr break ( don't worry folks, I know it seems a long time from 09.30 to 16.45 but I was on POA, period of availability, from 09.30 to 14.00, so no laws were broken).

9 cages were unloaded and by 17.40 (after a couple of smokes outside the vehicle because you can't smoke in them anymore) I was on my way to my next delivery, which was the other side of London and I was scheduled there for 18.30. What? Who does this scheduling? Have they never heard of Traffic?

Once again the traffic was not to heavy and I made my way out towards the West way ( A40) and Marylebone Road, then came the highlight of my day, a phone call from our very own "The Guvnor' just asking me if I knew what the result of the union meeting at Harlow today, as much as I enjoyed the chat, hands free obviously, I missed all the lovely ladies walking down the road and coming out of the Tube Stations, anyway, Back to Topic please, the traffic was still fairly light and I made reasonable progress, Euston, Kings Cross, Pentonville Road, Islington, Holloway Road, Seven Sisters Road, South Tottenham and finally arriving at Lea Valley Extra at 19.03, surprisingly only 33 minutes late, only to sit outside the gate for 15mins before I phoned the store and asked Customer services to find someone to open the gate, duly opened I backed up to the bay and went in search of the backdoor man, I gave that up as a bad job and decided it was time for another 1/2hr break and made my way up to the canteen, where low and behold, I found the missing backdoor man.

It was 20.00 before we started to unload (I should have been home by now) and after taking off 15 cages it was time to load the cardboard and trays. I like this part, you can have some fun. No sorry, your trays are not stacked as per the colour codes, you have plastic mixed in with the cardboard, your dollies are stacked on cages or are not stacked in type etc, luckily everything was fine and by 20.45 I was pulling out and heading back to Harlow.

I like driving at this time of day because most of the traffic has gone and the roads have

quietened down and you can make good time, so it was North Circular road, M11 nth, off at Junction 7 and back to the RSU ( Recycling Unit) to unload the cardboard etc and reload with empty cages back to the DC, I eventually pulled back into the Dc at 21.49, diesel the trailer and unit, drop the trailer on bay 75 and park up, fill out the Tacho, log-off from Isotrak and wander back into the Transport Office, giving the Window Clerk who gave me the job in the first place, the evil eye and adding the comment " I told you the run would not be back by 20.15" That's a 22.30 finish then, just enough time to have a quick coffee and another smoke before booking off, Deja Vous, I think.

Today has been a reasonably good day, no hold ups, no road rage, just the normal inefficiency of Tesco and 2 3/4hrs overtime.

I hope I haven't bored you all too much but sometimes the job can be boring and I have just come straight home from the above and sat down and written this, its now 01.05 and time for bed, ready for an 11.00am start Weds.