[Anonymouse]

"It" meaning I was dismissed on the 3rd from a job I'd grown to detest anyway, and on the 23rd I started a new job which I much prefer!

No more American-style (100+ kilo) fridge freezers - the heaviest thing we're expected to lift is a pallet! No more handling scrap appliances! Best of all, no more overgrown kids giving lip to their elders and betters, and messing about when they should be working!

There is much more to being an adult than just turning 18. Most of the young lads taken on at that place are not aware of this. One idiot, for example, sprayed a colleague with sanitising gel - which of course is alcohol-based. Poor bugger was stopped by the police on his way home on a random check and breathalysed. Thoughtless or what?

Still, that's all over now. I've been working with a couple of young but ADULT lads who don't mess about but get on with the work, as they should.

The only kicker is the hellish commute...it's in Thurnscoe. I live in Bolton. Urgh. My trainer's looking into this; there's a possibility I could be transferred to the Trafford Park site, a much more reasonable commute. Here's hoping.

But I've discovered the people of Thurnscoe are very very nice! Three times I've relied on the kindness of strangers, and three times I've been helped out!

To explain:

First, on my way home after my successful induction, it started to rain - and I didn't have waterproofs because the weather had been perfectly fine. I decided under the circumstances that I couldn't be bothered cycling from the site to the train station, so I popped into a shop and asked if anyone knew a taxi firm number. A bloke offered to give me a lift! Result!

Then, on my first night, I discovered I wasn't as sure of the cycle route as I'd thought, and I didn't want to be late, so I went into the Dragon House takeaway and asked the young lady behind the counter if she knew a taxi firm's number. She did, and I got there in good time.

Last night the trains messed me around (as I'm sure we all know, this is not unusual) and I arrived in Thurnscoe about 21:30 - but I was due to start my shift at 22:00 and I wasn't certain I could make the distance in time (20 or even 10 years ago I would've chanced it, but now...well). Not to worry, I thought, I'll ring Venture Taxis -

Uh, no, I won't, I discovered...I'd forgotten my phone.

But the Dragon House came to my rescue again; the bloke behind the counter rang them for me, and I got there in time (barely).

I hope these three are typical Thurnscoe citizens!