Friday, December 23, 2005

2 months on

I'm back folks!
Like getting out to work in the evening, it's just a matter of getting out the door. In the case of this blog it's just a matter of logging on. This is the first time I've managed it in two months and only because of a certain sister in law giving me grief about it.
So, what's been happening you may ask? Most days and weeks are just spent earning a crust. Nothing very eventful ever happens so rather than invent stuff for the sake of it I just don't bother.
On the home front my daughter has just broke up for Christmas. My second son has just started work on the checkout in Tesco's since he got sacked from his apprenticeship 6 months ago. My eldest is waiting to start a networking course in the New Year and is just dossing about. My Dads health continues on a stable level but he has lots of hospital appointments weekly and a few which involve a trek into Central London, but considering he was almost dead in April he's in great shape and is even doing a spot of work at 74 years of age! I've just got a couple of things to get to complete my Christmas Shopping and we'll be spending Christmas Day at Dean and Dianne's which is a nice change from the chaos that occurs in my house every year. It's a tradition in my family to do Chops and Chips on Christmas Eve. I've bought an industrial type chip fryer on ebay and am awaiting delivery, hopefully today or tomorrow otherwise I'll have to fry the chips in my wok and that is a right pain in the arse. Boxing day's are spent at my parents house and are usually a good crack. I have to make a couple of Spanish Omelettes as my contribution.
On the work front it's been pretty good in the evenings. I've been to Upminster, Purley, Kenley, Richmond, Twickenham, Harrow, Barnet and lot's of other out of the way places over the last few weeks.
I nearly had a punch-up with the resident beggar in the South Kensington area. He was walking down the line of traffic asking for money. When he reached me I told him to get lost. He called me a fat something or other and I drove off as I was carrying a passenger. When I dropped the passenger off I got the "red mist" and drove straight back to where he was. I jumped out of the cab and grabbed him and shoved him. He was as light as a feather and ended up on his arse about 6 feet away. I was just about to wade in when another cab driver stopped me advising me that if caught I could lose my cab drivers license so we ended up having a slagging match in front of a whole bunch of people and eventually I got a fare and had to drive away but it took me a while to settle down and I had to avoid the area for a couple of hours.
The cab continues to, in my opinion, deteriorate. The suspension is completely non-existent and it must be a really uncomfortable ride for my punters. There's a brand new TXII model with a much improved suspension and I might enquire about it in the New Year. I'm due a 63000 mile service anytime now and I know for a fact i'll need 2 tyres and rear brakes and also suspension bushes. Last month I contacted the finance company to see if I could return my cab but there was still around 2k owing on the finance so that was a non starter.
Tomorrow (or later today) will probably be it for a few days and I will be back at work on Tuesday evening.
So until then may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2006