Oh no, it's the MDD Christmas Present list 2020.

We'll take it as read that vaccinations and being able to work are the top two requests for Santa. Meanwhile, let's see what else our forum members are likely to get.

Wayne.
A set of fluffy dice for his delivery van. A pair of trousers with big pockets to hold all the Xmas tips his grateful customers will be giving him. Ho, ho, ho. :(

Benny
A crate of lager, and a trip to the Charity shop, so he can be badly dressed, as befits his desire to be a Togger.

DJDJ
An instruction book for the ludicrously complicated and expensive kit he hasn't yet used in anger. Have you mastered it yet? :daft:

MattyDJ50
A proper van and a proper trolley, so I can help him load out without him moaning it's in the wrong order to go in his dinky toy. :p

Over to you, folks. Let me know who I have missed off my list. :o

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

Wayne.
A set of fluffy dice for his delivery van. A pair of trousers with big pockets to hold all the Xmas tips his grateful customers will be giving him. Ho, ho, ho. :(

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Sadly both of the above are sackable offences :o (I kid you not)

However, for our whimsical friend oop t'North.....hmmm



Attachment 18895

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Sadly both of the above are sackable offences :o (I kid you not)

Attachment 18895

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I can understand the fluffy dice being banned, but seriously, are you forbidden from accepting tips from grateful customers?

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Originally Posted by Pe7e

I can understand the fluffy dice being banned, but seriously, are you forbidden from accepting tips from grateful customers?

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Yup

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Originally Posted by Pe7e

I can understand the fluffy dice being banned, but seriously, are you forbidden from accepting tips from grateful customers?

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Yup

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Hmmmm. But surely nobody could gainsay them donating to a charitable cause? :whistle:;);)


Mayhap one such as The Fenland DJs Real Ale Fund? :)

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

Hmmmm. But surely nobody could gainsay them donating to a charitable cause? :whistle:;);)


Mayhap one such as The Fenland DJs Real Ale Fund? :)

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There's no wriggle room, no excuses.

Every customer could be a "mystery shopper" being paid to report back to HQ. I'll say no more than that because this is on the public forum and walls could well have ears ;)

I'll have a 2022 diary... still not convinced there'll be much need for a 2021 diary sadly!

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

I'll have a 2022 diary... still not convinced there'll be much need for a 2021 diary sadly!

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I'm beginning to think likewise. I think it's going to be late summer before we're allowed to do anything like what we used to do, and talking to a young lady that's just booked me for her 2022 wedding, she's of the same mind.
Getting lots of interest for 2022 at the moment. I think if anything, 2021 is going to be a mop-up of those 2020 weddings which are allowed to happen.

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Yup

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same at asda as well.....

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

We'll take it as read that vaccinations and being able to work are the top two requests for Santa. Meanwhile, let's see what else our forum members are likely to get.

DJDJ
An instruction book for the ludicrously complicated and expensive kit he hasn't yet used in anger. Have you mastered it yet? :daft:

Over to you, folks. Let me know who I have missed off my list. :o

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I have updated software twice and reformatted my hard drive in anticipation, :)
Any new parts for the Van ??? :p

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Originally Posted by DeckstarDeluxe

same at asda as well.....

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It's the same with ALL the online supermarkets (although some of our stores will allow drivers to accept gifts so long as the local management are made aware of them on return).

Are you driving green and white vans around Neil?

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Originally Posted by djdj

Any new parts for the Van ??? :p

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Just about to pay the invoice for two new heavy duty batteries, drive belts, and a couple of switches and sensors.

Can hardly see the keyboard for the tears in my eyes. :cry::cry::cry:


PS. I admire your enthusiasm. The controller I bought from you all those months ago has not yet left the shelf in the cupboard where I put it. :o

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Originally Posted by Imagine

It's the same with ALL the online supermarkets (although some of our stores will allow drivers to accept gifts so long as the local management are made aware of them on return).

Are you driving green and white vans around Neil?

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I am indeed, sooner the lockdown is lifted the better is all Im gonna say....

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Originally Posted by DeckstarDeluxe

I am indeed, sooner the lockdown is lifted the better is all Im gonna say....

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I don't know what you could possibly mean. It's the dream job, isn't it? :whistle::whistle::whistle:

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Originally Posted by Imagine

I don't know what you could possibly mean. It's the dream job, isn't it? :whistle::whistle::whistle:

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But of course. You get to drive a whacking great van round the countryside all day, listening to the radio, and everywhere you arrive, they welcome you like a long lost son, cos they're so glad they can eat again. Beats the crap out of paddling round a farmyard knee deep in unmentionable, mending things that should have been pensioned off years ago. :(

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

...they welcome you like a long lost son, cos they're so glad they can eat again.

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You sir, win the internet for today!

The reality of the job (and I know Neil will agree......)

* Turn up at silly 'o' clock AM (or half way through the afternoon to finish at silly 'o' clock PM). You're still tired and battle-worn from the previous day's shift.
* Do a quick on the spot MOT on the shed you've been assigned to drive for the shift which may or may not be road legal (sore point and often dubious as I'm not a qualified mechanic).
* Load said van if it hasn't been done already (OK....I'm lucky where I'm based in that it's normally fully loaded and ready to roll once the above is done)
* Visit 20+ customers who may or may not have had a positive test (they rarely let us know until it's too late)
* Haul 1cwt of shopping (it's apparently only a week's worth for a family of three....innit?) up a long gravel drive and then up one or more flights of stairs to their first floor door....all whilst wearing a nappy on your chops which is so effective you can still smell your own farts!
* We have a set time per drop, which dictates how long we spend at each customer....timed from the moment we stop the engine, jump into the back of the van, find the shopping, get it to the door, have it unloaded and restart the van. A customer who decides to take their time to finish a phone call/coffee/dinner before opening the door throws the entire shift off balance! We smile, grin, and chat with them...always knowing that we had to be at the next drop 5 minutes ago.
* Apologise profusely because they've had their Merlot subbed with a Shiraz, or the loaf of bread they've been subbed doesn't fit in their toaster like the one they ordered does (first world problems and all that)
* Fret that the customer may be breathing virus on you, or that the warm air coming from their house may contain aerosols (remember, the nappy we're wearing on our face lets smells though...we can smell the Glade candle you've got lit or the herbal tobacco you've been smoking!)
* Cower apologetically at this time of year because they're trying to give you a well deserved couple of quid tip to get a hot coffee or breakfast because we really can't accept it and can be sacked on the spot for doing so.
* Return to van, sanitise like hell and move to the next drop, forever worrying if the telematics on the van are going to catch you speeding, harshly breaking, harshly accelerating or idling the van to keep warm on your break. All of this in the knowledge too that the on-board cameras can see where you are, what you're doing and how you're doing it!

But, you've also got it in the back of your mind that you spent 1 minute too long chatting to the last customer and that you'll now be behind for the rest of the shift.

Trust me, I'd rather be in a farm field at times (and I'm NOT kidding). This online groceries lark is blimmin' hard work and this year I've gained total respect to those that do this as their life's ambition in more ways than you'll believe!

**side note....the above is a fictitious scenario and in no way related to my normal day's work. It's written in humour and is supposed to be read as such ;)

Thank you for cheering me up, after reading your post I have come to realise my situation is not nearly as bad as I once thought it was :D

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Originally Posted by Pe7e

Thank you for cheering me up, after reading your post I have come to realise my situation is not nearly as bad as I once thought it was :D

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Most of us have a lot to be thankful for, believe me. Others may not be so lucky. :(

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Originally Posted by Imagine

* Fret that the customer may be breathing virus on you, or that the warm air coming from their house may contain aerosols (remember, the nappy we're wearing on our face lets smells though...we can smell the Glade candle you've got lit or the herbal tobacco you've been smoking!)

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If it helps, I've been wearing the U Mask for the last few months.

Not only is it incredibly comfortable, but in Italy, it's classed as a medical device. So one of the few masks that can protect you, rather than just protecting the other person.

It's not cheap, but for me the benefit was I don't need to wash/clean/throw it away - it works for around 200 hours and then you replace the filter.

https://u-maskstore.eu/

When we get back to DJ'ing, if we need to DJ with a mask on, I'll definitely be wearing this for when guests come up wanting to ask for a song (the idea of someone wanting to spit in my ear whilst requesting a song makes me shudder!)

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

When we get back to DJ'ing, if we need to DJ with a mask on, I'll definitely be wearing this for when guests come up wanting to ask for a song (the idea of someone wanting to spit in my ear whilst requesting a song makes me shudder!)

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Mask? Mask? :confused: Listen son, when we restart, I'm hitting the road with Chobham Revisited.* Perspex screens eight feet tall, electric fence wire at ten feet, and if any persistent Karens get too close, the razor wire decorations should cope with that! ;) If the pernickety blighters have the temerity and affrontery to ask for requests, they can text the buggers in, blimey we are in the 21st Century after all. :D:D:D



* Search for it. WW3 nearly broke out. :riceandrob::handbag:

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

If it helps, I've been wearing the U Mask for the last few months.

Not only is it incredibly comfortable, but in Italy, it's classed as a medical device. So one of the few masks that can protect you, rather than just protecting the other person.

It's not cheap, but for me the benefit was I don't need to wash/clean/throw it away - it works for around 200 hours and then you replace the filter.

https://u-maskstore.eu/

When we get back to DJ'ing, if we need to DJ with a mask on, I'll definitely be wearing this for when guests come up wanting to ask for a song (the idea of someone wanting to spit in my ear whilst requesting a song makes me shudder!)

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The same masks I wear. Sometimes hard to get (out of stock) but it's the mask most F1 teams use and they sell their own branded versions, e.g: -

https://www.mclarenstore.com/gb/en/m...40-orange.html
https://shop.mercedesamgf1.com/gb/en...160-black.html

I also have a few of https://www.virustaticshield.com/ which are good but they get loose quickly and are, again, quite expensive.

I hope they're good Gavin - I've taken the plunge and ordered one.

I don't have to wear one officially being that I'm classed as an outdoor worker, but over the past couple of weeks am wearing the company issued cloth "nappy" all day, every day and it's not a comfortable experience (steamed specs, too much going on behind the lug holes with glasses and hearing aids let alone the straps of a mask).

Other than a visor (which let's face it is only going to protect against a full on cough or sneeze), I've yet to find something I can wear without discomfort and anxiety triggers.

We'll see what it's like when it arrives

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Originally Posted by Imagine

I've yet to find something I can wear without discomfort and anxiety triggers.

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If I could work out which buttons to press, there'd be a picture of a Burka up here now, with the suggestion that it would be an improvement aesthetically. :p:D

Merry Christmas, Wayne.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

If it helps, I've been wearing the U Mask for the last few months.

Not only is it incredibly comfortable, but in Italy, it's classed as a medical device. So one of the few masks that can protect you, rather than just protecting the other person.

It's not cheap, but for me the benefit was I don't need to wash/clean/throw it away - it works for around 200 hours and then you replace the filter.

https://u-maskstore.eu/

When we get back to DJ'ing, if we need to DJ with a mask on, I'll definitely be wearing this for when guests come up wanting to ask for a song (the idea of someone wanting to spit in my ear whilst requesting a song makes me shudder!)

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Well, it arrived today :)

I can't believe how comfortable it is for starters! Not had to wear it for a shift yet (it'll get its first outing on a 9 hour shift tomorrow), but I can see just from "practicing" around the house with it for the past hour that I'm going to get on with it :). It's sooooo soft behind the lug-holes that I can see I'm no longer going to ache in that department.

It's damned expensive (the replacement filters are HOW MUCH!?!?!?), but if it does what it says it does on the tin regarding reducing exposure the way cases are sky-rocketing over here at the moment, it's going to be worth every single penny!
200 hours should last me for several weeks. I only wear it "on the doorstep" (I'm not one of the many muppets I see driving around ALONE with a mask on), which averages 8 minutes per drop across 20 drops per shift, so that's around 1,500 "drops", or 75 day's work. Works out to roughly 25p a day according to the back of my fag packet, not including the initial investment of the mask itself.

Is it me, or is avoiding Covid becoming the new Whamageddon? :daft:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Well, it arrived today :)

I can't believe how comfortable it is for starters! Not had to wear it for a shift yet (it'll get its first outing on a 9 hour shift tomorrow), but I can see just from "practicing" around the house with it for the past hour that I'm going to get on with it :). It's sooooo soft behind the lug-holes that I can see I'm no longer going to ache in that department.

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I'm pleased you are happy with it. I got my wife to purchase one too, and she is pleased with it.

I'm always nervous about recommending things that are expensive - it's a lot of money if someone is disappointed, but I'm glad your initial feeling is similar to how I feel about it. And in this weather, it's a good face warmer too!!

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

I'm pleased you are happy with it. I got my wife to purchase one too, and she is pleased with it.

I'm always nervous about recommending things that are expensive - it's a lot of money if someone is disappointed, but I'm glad your initial feeling is similar to how I feel about it. And in this weather, it's a good face warmer too!!

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Oh dear :(

Much as I've loved this thing for the past 6 months or so, I've just gone to buy a replacement filter and it appears that U-Mask is no longer a thing :o

Seems their certification was a bit "iffy" reading between the lines and they've been stopped from selling them. Hey-ho, just when I'd found one that worked for me

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Oh dear :(

Much as I've loved this thing for the past 6 months or so, I've just gone to buy a replacement filter and it appears that U-Mask is no longer a thing :o

Seems their certification was a bit "iffy" reading between the lines and they've been stopped from selling them. Hey-ho, just when I'd found one that worked for me

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Oh no!

I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to find the replacement filter for my wife... only to find today I didn't actually order a replacement for her...

Hmmm now to break this news to her! :o

I hope they get some replacements filters back in stock soon - the thing works perfectly for me.

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

Oh no!

I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to find the replacement filter for my wife... only to find today I didn't actually order a replacement for her...

Hmmm now to break this news to her! :o

I hope they get some replacements filters back in stock soon - the thing works perfectly for me.

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Reading in different places, they won't be available ever again. One example... https://thesportsrush.com/f1-news-u-...an-government/

It would seem that the certification for them was done by somebody not qualified to do so and the Milan government have actually forbidden any further sales whilst an investigation is ongoing. It appears reading various help groups and forums about the situation that the certification was so dodgy, a paper mask would actually be safer to use (there's a lot of people threatening legal action at the moment after being told they were one of the safest things out there in their marketing spiel).

It's a shame because for me and what I do for a living, it just worked. As far as I'm aware, I've not actually caught anything whilst wearing it either, and I've been in the front line actually delivering to confirmed Covid positive households.

I've been hunting around all morning and can't even find a filter that comes anywhere near to fitting the shape of the main mask.

The search continues....

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Reading in different places, they won't be available ever again.

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:Censored:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Imagine

Oh dear :(

Much as I've loved this thing for the past 6 months or so, I've just gone to buy a replacement filter and it appears that U-Mask is no longer a thing :o

Seems their certification was a bit "iffy" reading between the lines and they've been stopped from selling them. Hey-ho, just when I'd found one that worked for me

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On their website, suddenly they have masks available again for fulfilment from 24th May with lots of disclaimers that it's not a medical device, isn't PPE, etc etc.

No sign of the replacement filters returning yet, but it's a positive sign... I'll be keeping a close eye on the replacement filters returning.

** Update **

Good news - it's on pre-order for dispatch on the 24th May...

https://u-maskstore.eu/products/u-mask-model-2-2-refill

My order is in!

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Originally Posted by rth_discos

** Update **

Good news - it's on pre-order for dispatch on the 24th May...

https://u-maskstore.eu/products/u-mask-model-2-2-refill

My order is in!

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Hallelujah - so's mine....the current one's getting a little bit floppy now.

At the end of the day despite the disclaimers, it's better than just a couple of bits of cloth, it's damned comfortable and it appears to have stopped me from catching anything thus far, despite being in direct contact via work with more people than I'd care to remember who'd been tested positive at the time. It also works with asthma and with the help of this cloth from Amazon, doesn't fog my glasses up.

The one and ONLY complaint I have with these things (in fact ALL masks that have filters) is that I have to staple the filter to the shell of the mask to keep it in place. Mine actually spends more time slipped down over my chin (whilst driving) rather than over my face (whilst needed), so the two tend to separate a lot :(

Ordered mine too, new mask and a refill :)

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Originally Posted by Imagine

The one and ONLY complaint I have with these things (in fact ALL masks that have filters) is that I have to staple the filter to the shell of the mask to keep it in place. Mine actually spends more time slipped down over my chin (whilst driving) rather than over my face (whilst needed), so the two tend to separate a lot :(

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I noticed on the refills page it now says: -

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A non-slip nose strip (the Clip) is also provided - to be invisibly applied between the filter and the cover, to make U-Mask even more adherent to the face and preventing it from sliding.

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Which I don't think they had before?

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Originally Posted by Marc J

Ordered mine too, new mask and a refill :)


I noticed on the refills page it now says: -



Which I don't think they had before?

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OK, it arrived today. It has a metal strip across the nose (which presumably means you can shape it to the profile of your nose!)

It doesn't stop the filter coming away from the mask bit though! Now where did I leave my stapler?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Imagine

OK, it arrived today. It has a metal strip across the nose (which presumably means you can shape it to the profile of your nose!)

It doesn't stop the filter coming away from the mask bit though! Now where did I leave my stapler?

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Not a fan of the new filter design. I never had a problem with the original slipping, maybe because I don't talk to people much! Whenever you watched someone wearing one being interviewed (usually F1 drivers) anything more than a few words would need them to be constantly repositioned.

Maybe I'll try removing the metal strip, it seems to be fairly well fixed on though. It does make the whole thing tighter, the reason I liked these masks were because they didn't pull my ears out, but the new design does seem to be tighter. Maybe just needs a stretch...