Leave home at 7.30 and drive across the New Forest, avoiding the donkeys, horses, cows, sheep and tourists, to get to work for 8am. The year on a tree nursery pretty much follows the same course: Spring is planting the new trees and getting rid of the old stuff that isn't saleable (big bonfire!) Most of the summer is spent looking after the trees, making sure they grow nicely, pruning them, weed control, propagating new ones (budding and grafting), and doing any jobs that need doing around the place - the tree nursery is part of my boss's 300 acre estate - I seem to build a lot of gates for some reason! In the autumn we are generally just getting ready for the winter: stock taking, clearing up, and more propagation (hardwood cuttings this time) And then winter rolls around and we get busy. Every day is spent with a spade in your hand, digging up the trees, taking them down to the yard, bagging them up for individual customers, and then loading them onto our 2 trucks ready for the delivery drivers to take out the following day. Winter is hard, cold, knackering, and has the potential to be miserable if it's a very wet one. But the days go quickly, and we are a good - if rather small - team. For the last 2 winters I have moved across to delivery driving, as I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for the winter digging! So being a bit still summer, and a bit start of autumn, today I have been getting on with the stock take. Tomorrow we will go back to summer-style propagation for a change (knife skills ). There's only 5 of us who work out in the fields (2 more in the office, plus the boss), but it's a bloody nice job and I think I appreciate the changing of the seasons, the weather, the endless horizon with no walls around me ...and I can't imagine doing anything else
My apologies. I should have known better than ask my wife what you use cinnamon for and expect a proper answer. I just asked her what she puts on egg custards and she said- Nutmeg!
My hrs are varied, between 40 and 80 a week plus on call. Mixture of emotions stress and laughter but I still believe I can make a difference. Last couple of years I've been working with exploited girls.
Self employed chartered surveyor so set my own workload and hours, usually start after I've done the school run and finish before school pick up. Working from home means I don't commute, spend most of my time on the computer writing reports plus occasional property inspections as well as all the admin that goes with working this way. Plenty of time to spend with family and walking the dog during the day.
Heating engineer (plumber) mainly commercial ,boiler houses & plant rooms mainly Bit of a mercenary really sub contract.not always for the best money but the more interesting jobs Finding it harder,the older & fatter I get ,I must say
Set off for work about 7.30 and usually arrive 30 seconds later if I've had no hold ups getting across my Sussex farmyard (sometimes deer are crossing!). Get to it looking after my flock of organic free range hens. The working day varies from really horrible smelly jobs fixing stuff inside the sheds, to really nice like today, outside mowing. Life is dictated somewhat by the farm and my livestock as of course that has to come first. Usually try and pack up by 5 or 6pm but only if everything is ok.
I leave home at 8.30 and walk the boy to school, then continue the mile-ish walk to work. I then sit at a computer, broken up by going to meetings, until 2.55 when I leave for the return walk (which is usually a run-walk as I never leave on time!) to school, getting home at about 3.30. At about 6 I sometimes go back into work for meetings or work from home later in the evening. I work in local government (don't linch me please!), not in a controversial department like planning or housing though - I'm what some people call 'back office', but I prefer 'back bone'. I write the rules and make sure everyone sticks to them. The team I manage is responsible for the decision making processes, looking after the councillors, the Mayor and the civic office, managing corporate complaints, and various other random things. It's hard work and constant cuts over the years mean the workload is ridiculous, but I get to work flexibly around school times, so I can't complain too much!
my work starts when I get home from work... tidy up, get changed out to garage, come in, get washed make tea, have tea sit through coronation street, wait till wife nods off, then wash dishes tidy up get old togs back on and go out to shed, work in shed till 11 ish, shower, have cup of tea, watch some crap telly, till dozing off then go to bed .. get up go to work fill in some time there, come home and repeat.
Mines up at 7:20 down stairs to open up (I'm a caretaker/ and work in despatching reference materials during the day) After opening up the building, back upstairs for a coffee then I start my day in despatch, basically packing up samples and checking paperwork for customs clearance, regular breaks which I take in the flat, and get to see my wife and little lad regularly thru the day(we homeschool our boy) finish in despatch at 5, lock up when everyone has gone. I do a fair bit of over time with maintenance on this old property, the hall where we live/work is 150 years old, so there's a fair bit of maintaince on it, the last few years we have been restoring the old orchard too, it's been left for 70+ years to do its own thing.
I go to school I play, have lunch 1 1/4 hrs. More play in the afternoon. Then home. In between I might do a bit off work and observations.