Colin
Retired.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2017
- Messages
- 1,663
- Reaction score
- 2,541
- Location
- Huddersfield.
- Hardiness Zone
- 7
- Country
Hi,
Thanks alp. Clive was indeed a character and his death was saddening because he was still quite young. I've no problem putting my mugshot on the forum because now at 70 I'm not so much interested in what I look like but more interested in preventing bits falling off.
Thanks Fagiolino. I was taught to be tidy as a child in school and during my apprenticeship in the coal mine if I wasn't tidy I was made to be tidy and the engineers in the mine could play rough at times so being tidy is now natural to me and I like it. Due to my apprenticeship in such an hard environment it made me decisive and very independent; I was also taught to think for myself and not to accept anything as perfect even if it had been done a certain way for the last 100 years; I'm forever looking to improve wherever I can.
My old chum Clive was a one off and often had me in tears of laughter; here's a little story to cheer up a miserable day.
Years ago before promotion I worked in loading bays with Clive loading over 500 heavy industrial electric motors onto trailers each day; I would be on the trailer whilst Clive ran the high speed overhead crane using pendent controls in his hands. The bay doors were wide open and I had my back to them; I watched with some curiosity as Clive leaned over onto the trailer and picked up a short length of insulated wire laying there; Clive was wearing a shirt with short sleeves the shirt having a breast pocket; I watched Clive put a small neat coil on one end of the wire then place this in his ear the other end tucked into his short pocket; Clive then turned his back on me to collect another motor.
Between the loading bays were metal landings to walk on and in the middle of the four bays was the charge hands office; as usual our charge-hand Irvine was sitting on top of the electric heater in the office watching us work it being mid summer. Just then an elderly guy walked past me on the metal landing between trailer and office; Clive was now approaching the rear of the trailer with big motor on the crane then Clive stopped to greet this guy who was a customer come to collect a motor which was a common occurrence.
I clearly heard the guy say to Clive "I've come to collect a motor". Clive replied saying "sorry you'll have to speak up because I'm a bit death?" The guy spoke up but Clive still couldn't hear him? After about four attempts the guy was now shouting at Clive who finally said; "Oh you've come to collect a motor; you'd better have a word with the charge-hand in the office but you'll need to shout because he too is quite deaf."
I watched through tearful eyes as the guy went to the office door and shouted so loud at poor Irvine that Irvine jumped about a foot into the air in shock; by now I was sitting on the trailer deck unable to stand crying with laughter; Clive however had a deadpan expression on his face looking so innocent; of course both Clive and Irvine had excellent hearing but the short length of wire indicated Clive was wearing an hearing aid. It must have taken me hours to regain my composure and my chest ached for ages.
Clive left me with fond memories of him; he wasn't only a grafter but he was a lovely person to know and I'll never forget him. This story is added in his memory.
Kind regards, Colin.
Thanks alp. Clive was indeed a character and his death was saddening because he was still quite young. I've no problem putting my mugshot on the forum because now at 70 I'm not so much interested in what I look like but more interested in preventing bits falling off.
Thanks Fagiolino. I was taught to be tidy as a child in school and during my apprenticeship in the coal mine if I wasn't tidy I was made to be tidy and the engineers in the mine could play rough at times so being tidy is now natural to me and I like it. Due to my apprenticeship in such an hard environment it made me decisive and very independent; I was also taught to think for myself and not to accept anything as perfect even if it had been done a certain way for the last 100 years; I'm forever looking to improve wherever I can.
My old chum Clive was a one off and often had me in tears of laughter; here's a little story to cheer up a miserable day.
Years ago before promotion I worked in loading bays with Clive loading over 500 heavy industrial electric motors onto trailers each day; I would be on the trailer whilst Clive ran the high speed overhead crane using pendent controls in his hands. The bay doors were wide open and I had my back to them; I watched with some curiosity as Clive leaned over onto the trailer and picked up a short length of insulated wire laying there; Clive was wearing a shirt with short sleeves the shirt having a breast pocket; I watched Clive put a small neat coil on one end of the wire then place this in his ear the other end tucked into his short pocket; Clive then turned his back on me to collect another motor.
Between the loading bays were metal landings to walk on and in the middle of the four bays was the charge hands office; as usual our charge-hand Irvine was sitting on top of the electric heater in the office watching us work it being mid summer. Just then an elderly guy walked past me on the metal landing between trailer and office; Clive was now approaching the rear of the trailer with big motor on the crane then Clive stopped to greet this guy who was a customer come to collect a motor which was a common occurrence.
I clearly heard the guy say to Clive "I've come to collect a motor". Clive replied saying "sorry you'll have to speak up because I'm a bit death?" The guy spoke up but Clive still couldn't hear him? After about four attempts the guy was now shouting at Clive who finally said; "Oh you've come to collect a motor; you'd better have a word with the charge-hand in the office but you'll need to shout because he too is quite deaf."
I watched through tearful eyes as the guy went to the office door and shouted so loud at poor Irvine that Irvine jumped about a foot into the air in shock; by now I was sitting on the trailer deck unable to stand crying with laughter; Clive however had a deadpan expression on his face looking so innocent; of course both Clive and Irvine had excellent hearing but the short length of wire indicated Clive was wearing an hearing aid. It must have taken me hours to regain my composure and my chest ached for ages.
Clive left me with fond memories of him; he wasn't only a grafter but he was a lovely person to know and I'll never forget him. This story is added in his memory.
Kind regards, Colin.
