A Day in the Life of Paul Allen Aged 46 ¾...

Its Friday……its domestics day……. the suns shining……let’s do this!

Friday is always the busiest day of the week for nicenstripy Wolverhampton (and surrounds). We like to make sure that as many of our lovely domestic customers (private houses to me and you) have a freshly mown lawn ready for the weekend.

Its 7am, the kids are up, and the house descends into chaos, so that’s my cue to get off to work. Out on the van I do a quick check to ensure that the fuel cans are full, grass sacks are packed and that we have sufficient strimmer cord to see us through the day. Then a quick review of the schedule for the day and its off to meet Sam at the bottom of the road ready for a very busy day.

The route is always planned so that the first job of the day is always the furthest away from home and then we work our way back to base. By 7.30am we’re on site ready to start our first job. Sam’s already off the van and has goggled up ready to start the strimming while I unload the mower check the fuel level and set to work on the mowing. Mrs Cook pops out to say a quick hello and to tell me that she’ll do a bank transfer as usual.

We carry out another 5 or 6 jobs, of varying sizes before having a quick coffee break at 10.30……its pop master time on Radio 2! I take the opportunity to check my emails, there’s only a couple of enquiries so far today! So, a couple of quick calls and that’s one appointment made for tomorrow to carry out a quote and a message left for the other enquirer.

On we go, another couple of jobs done and we get a call from one of our weeklies, Pam, to say that she’s taking John for a doctor’s appointment and may not be in when we arrive, but the gates unlocked, and the money is in the usual place.

Times absolutely flying by and before we know where we are its lunchtime. As its Friday we have a treat…. fish and chip specials, by the canal in a little village near home. I have another quick review of my emails and check where we are on the schedule and are we pretty much on time. This is also the opportunity to make sure that I’ve updated the niceneasy Office system and checked for more enquiries hoping nicenstripy can service them, another five, but they will have to wait a while as we really do need to push on.

By now its early afternoon and getting warm, so the offer of a cold drink from Mr Pinfold is very welcome. It’s a small one-man job, so while Sam cracks on with it, I catch up on a few telephone calls and plan what needs to be done in the office tomorrow morning.

We’re well and truly on the homeward stretch now just 5 jobs to go and all within a few minutes of base. We cut Mrs Pritchard’s lawn and as its just around the corner from Sam, I tell him to get off home and I’ll see him on Monday. I polish off the final 2 jobs in double quick time and head home myself. Once back, I check that the niceneasy Office is updated, reconcile my takings and check the amount of fuel that’s left in the cans.

Its 4.30pm……. I’m tired…….in need of a shower……but its been a good day…….

I sit on the deck looking at my lawn….it could do with a cut………