17th May 25. Quick Collection day

As I've said often. I don't work on Saturday.

But today's job was prompted by a job I received late yesterday from my customer in Aylesbury. Who needed a car collection from Rotherham on Monday.

So a quick scan through the apps to find a job to get there or close.

I found one . So a rush job to get to Waltham Cross to collect a car to leave early Monday and delivery to Chesterfield.

I took the earliest train possible to get to the dealership in Waltham Cross for 9.00am

Wasn't the smartest move as I forgot to factor in the sales team meeting. This lot have on a Saturday. I also forgot to factor in how helpful everyone is. I had asked the previous evening. If someone could please, pretty please. Charge the car for me overnight. Yes it was a Vauxhall Mokka EV.

On arrival the car was still on the forecourt. Looking like it hadn't moved for a while. I already had to wait until the sales meeting was over.

So, imagine this. You work in an industry that's failing, for a brand that's failing even more. In one of the worst performing Vauxhall dealers in a huge group. (I know I briefly worked there. Very briefly. It was awful)

And on what should be your busiest day of the week. If your sales team do their job and make appointments for the weekend. And you decide to have the longest sales meeting of the week. Taking from 9.00am to after 10.00. customers can just wait???

I take the car and try and find the nearest fast charger points. In doing so, I find one in Waltham Cross itself. In a public car park. I Hook up the charger and take a walk. I have about 40 minutes to kill.

It's a pretty enough place. But little to see. There is a small market place selling fruit and vegetables. With your typical market stall holders. White haired, 40 cigarettes a day, wirey elderly women. Who have been out on these streets for far too many years, each over tanned facial crease, just adding to the smile or frown. Depending on the customer. The actual quality of the fruit and vegetables leaves a lot to be desired . Just like the frosty service, some are getting. A further walk finds a church and a few wall murals. Obviously made to show how the history of the place. Like a lot of London now. All trying a bit too hard to be 'east end'

Unrealistic wall mural

Pie & Mash shops selling their plates of 'Cucina Povera ' for £25 a hit. Same the world over, I suppose.

Pie and Mash. North London style

Poor people's food has been hijacked by the middle class and their celebrity chefs now. Who put a "Pan fried hens egg" on the menu. That, when I was a kid was a simple fried egg and chips eaten only because pay day was a long way off for my dad. My mum still makes this today if asked.

And yes I mean chips. Not "Hand cut triple-cooked Pont Neuf potatoes finished with a proprietary sea salt blend and white wine vinegar" Yes, I've actually seen this on a menu. Some people really do need a reality slap.

So after a sobering 35 minutes walk I went back to the charging point to find a queue waiting for it. Probably a load of planet saving middle class vegetarians, off to buy crap fruit and veg at the market stall and get spat on by the witches.

Rapid charging

Being a Saturday. As you can probably gather. I had too much time on my hands to delve into the world of Waltham Cross. Time, which I really should be spending at home.

So I hurriedly disconnected the Mokka and got out of there and onto the Nearby M25 as fast as possible. The Saturday traffic getting busier but not yet causing the London orbital motorway to snarl up. So I got to the A41 junction quickly and made my way home in about 50 minutes. And relaxed into my weekend.