waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 32,624
Thanks Bob, I'm OK, like dealing with some crazy old uncle!I also had to deal with a couple of people trying to steal off the stall at one point, and while this was going on, I'd got Barry The Ted rambling rubbish in my ear!
I hope you are finally resting after your hectic day, Jack!!
I'm having a nice HH day, carrying my Stag HartsHead!! I just cleaned it up after a marathon of opening packages, and cutting cardboard! Glue everywhere!!!
After a good stropping it's cutting paper cleanly, and fit for prime pocket time!!!
My HH reminded me I haven't posted it for a long time, and it deserves a little of the limelight here!! One of your crowning achievements, Jack!!
As Ray is recovering from an operation on his foot, I knew that Tool Man would be on his own, so I went down extra early to provide support. It's hard standing on your own, because you can't leave the stall to go and get a coffee, or to answer a call of nature. Unusually, Tool Man had a knife on the stall, but sold it just before I got there 
I helped him set up, and then went to buy coffee, asking him if he wanted a doughnut, which he told me he absolutely did not want. I hadn't had much for breakfast, so I bought 2 doughnuts, only for him to demand one, and then complain that it wasn't the type he preferred! 
After eating the doughnut, Tool Man went to get his regular Spam, bacon, egg, and mushroom sandwich, and a couple of hours later, around 10am, I went to get a snack from the Tunisian stall, offering him half, but he turned his nose up at it. I looked after the stall for 20 minutes or so, while Tool Man had a wander round the market, and we were visited by several of the regulars, including Otley Mick, LCC Mel, Special Needs Scott, Barry The Ted, and Danny Dinner-Service. The weather forecast had been for heavy rain, but the sun came out intermittently, and the weather was quite pleasant throughout the morning. Just before noon, I offered to buy Tool Man some chips for lunch, but he said he had to go to the market office, two minutes walk away, so I said I'd go and get the chips when he came back. Tool Man had set up on Ray's stall, as well as his own, so watching both stalls, and dealing with the customers, and their various antics, as well as the antics of the regulars, was very demanding, particularly for one person, and made all the more so because Tool Man had declined to tell me the prices before he left. Forty five minutes later, I was concerned that he might have become ill or something, and I had customers wanting to buy things I couldn't price. I rang his mobile phone, which went unanswered. Half an hour later, he sauntered back towards the stall, with a fresh haircut, munching on the first of 2 large pork pies he had bought, (the second of which was despatched shortly afterwards). Despite the lack of pricing, I had about £100 for him, which is more than he often takes in a day. However, it was now too late for me to have lunch, without it stopping me eating later, when I have to eat before 4.30pm. I carried on dealing with his customers, most of whom refuse to accept that it is not MY stall, while Tool Man polished off the second pork pie. He then said he urgently needed to go to the toilet, and left me running the stall again. It was a very busy period again, and I took about £140 before he eventually returned 45 minutes later! 
I helped him count up his takings for the day, which beat all his previous records 2-3 times over, and told him he can buy the chips next week - for once! 
I am absolutely worn out! I had a glass of this Sicilian lemonade after my pasta, found it tastes even better with a good splosh of rum 
