Weather... or not!

Your up late, aren't you meant to be studying your new routes.

I was on my lunch break.

For gawd's sake ... don't start a list of posting regrets ... we could be here a while !

I thought it was funny too.

Rog

 Had a 4am wake-up for a 0555 start, and I wanted to be at work a half-hour early at least, so 0430 departure for 0510 arrival...  this is not my old job, not at all. Kokkola city/town has decided they wanted 9 new/revised routes and the company I was working for (and now work for again - they phoned me remember!) won the contract.
 This is a big change in Kokkola, and on top of it all there is a new computer-tablet "in the cloud" ticketing system.

 There's just too much to learn all at once. I am used to dealing with one bus at a garage of three buses, and 'one' shift/route - and now there are about 18 shifts for 9 new routes, and we are expected to know them all (or it is hoped that we know them). The timetables/shifts are complicated enough, but for me I have had to learn all the routes end-to-end and not really knowing Kokkola that well. It's one thing to know where the bus station and railway station is, and the shops... but there are a couple of dozen schools and you need to know exactly how to drive to them, how to turn there, and how to exit.
 On Monday I have to go to one right next to the bus garage and asked three experienced drivers - they have never had reason to go to it (it's a special job, lots of kids are being shifted to a school whilst their own are being rebuilt or transferred) so couldn't tell me - well, we drove there in our own car after my work day around 5pm - and now I know what it looks like and how to get there and how to drive away. You have to remember some of these buses are (f*ing!) HUGE and you don't want to go round banging into overhanging trees and knocking wing mirrors off parked cars.

 Pirkko came along today as a guide. Whilst I was driving she was confirming what I thought I knew, checking the timetables, timing points, routes, ticket-machine 'switching points and codes'. I was managing the driving itself, along roads I haven't driven a bus along before. There is a pattern but it takes a while to start to recognise it. Also, there is general confusion amongst the drivers (and boss) of how the routes actually run; it's getting hammered out.

 I have asked dozens of questions and I'm glad I have as I have gained really useful knowledge.

 This morning there was mayhem as my bus I found inside the garage with one parked behind it - this latter vehicle wouldn't start, not even with charging cables. Turned out a new driver had fiddled with a starting-prevention system. Even the older drivers didn't know this - or even where it is located when told afterwards. Also the bus next to mine wouldn't start. Luckily yesterday as I was leaving work I asked about what to do if my bus won't start, and was told about the spare bus and how to find out which one it was, so I immediately switched to that, but had to work out how to open the bloody front door which was locked from the inside (well, through the back doors, as it happens!).
 Then there's the electronic destination blinds systems - a few different versions; I don't know how these poxy things work, and you need a list of codes, and where the hell is the list (not on the bus, that's for sure!). And how to find the two sets of ticketing systems (old one running alongside the new one until end of year).

 The spare bus didn't have holders for the new ticketing equipment, so off I set without any tablet, and that was a relief as I could concentrate on the route and timetable nuances without sodding about with tickets. As it happens, I had 2 passengers in the first 4 hours! It seems that there are actually very few adult passengers anyway all round the town, shifting school kids seems to be the main dish.

 Anyway, I couldn't sleep well so thought I might as well get out of bed and check through today's work step-by-step again. I'm glad I did because I got through the day without mishap.

 Now it's the weekend and tomorrow another go at the second firewood cage - I have a cunning plan for its base and am anxious to see that in place.

 Mon-Wed 'schools shifting' which is easy (well, when you know what you're doing), Thursday more town 'point work', and then I think I have 2 weeks 'schools shifting' which is a relief, as driving 41km each way to work is a challenge/drag in itself.
 Bit of a shock to be suddenly in the thick of things after not having driven a bus for 10 weeks - and with 8 weeks off in Mar-Apr-May when schools were closed due to Covid-19.

 And that's another thing - apparently now increasing in Finland after the borders were relaxed, and government now wanting to make face masks obligatory in shops, public transport, etc.  I think shares in firms that make face masks would be an investment where you won't miss out!  Quarantine 2 weeks for anyone returning to Finland from the UK - 3 months in prison for not complying.*

*unclear right now, but seems to be the fervent imagination of some politician... nothing about this on the Border Guards' pages (updated 10th Aug).

Regrets? He has a few but, then again to many to mention...........

Well,I'm knackered.Packing 31 years into boxes in hot weather...
Can't believe how much we're chucking especially when we got rid of loads when we redid the kitchen/ bathroom/ redcorating 4 years ago !
If I could transfer my kitchen & the solid oak fireplaces to our new place-I would !

When we first moved aboard we had a garage sale every weekend for a couple of months with a hard core that came to each one hoping the already cheap prices would be reduced.
We had this covered because our neighbour had agreed to take certain items to the charity shop and anything else went into a skip and treated to a caress with a big hammer.
Phil