Saturday, January 31, 2009

Van man

Been a bit busy since the New Year kicked in.

I have to admit that for the first time for a considerable number of months I am actually starting to enjoy work again.
I am out and about, not tied to the 'box' for hours an hours and pretty much left to my own devices once I have been given a job to do.

Since breaking free from being office bound I have even spent assorted shifts in the back of an OP van.I did a fair amount of this sort of stuff earlier in my career and despite comments from my younger colleagues such as 'oh no..we'll have to get one with a ramp' or 'make sure its fitted out with extra grab handles' it's the same as I remember it.

Unfortunately the TV might give the wrong impression of what the inside of an OP van looks like.It is not fitted out with the latest computers,flat screens or high tech imaging or listening equipment. The average van contains, if you are lucky, a chair (usually a dodgy one pinched from the office) and...er....thats about it.
You bring the rest with you, warm clothing, a radio and a plastic bottle in case the bladder doesn't hold out until you get relieved.

In fact the only difference that I can see about OP vans is the amount of paperwork and hoops you now have to jump through to get one authorised.

Sexy it ain't, but I'd rather be doing this than batting off weary E mails,getting mauled over 7 day supervision and VCOP figures or not hitting whatever target SMT were looking at this month.

I am now off to M and S to get a new set of thermals as my old ones don't fit anymore......oh dear.... maybe I am getting old.