what's it like?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CCFF99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03978671esnimw.png"> <div> <B>mercury-couriers ... your reliable courier </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" ><B>     </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>...what's it like?..........</B></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#336699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03ac83b3.png"> <div> <B>tel.  0114 236 2447</B></div> <div> <A HREF="default.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mercurycouriers ... your reliable courie"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="our services"><U>our services</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="to contact us"><U>to contact us</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="about us"><U>about us</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="out and about"><U>out and about</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Observations"><U>observations</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="for sale"><U>for sale</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="links"><U>links</U></A></div> <div> established 1986</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="08d78740.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="116" ALT="mercury couriers logo" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><B></B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCFF99" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="555" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 34 ><NOBR><div> <B>...mercury-couriers.........</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>what's it like?</B></I></FONT><B>..........</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="582" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 122 WIDTH="576"><div> <B><IMG SRC="07c94730.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="115" ALT="What's it Like" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="576"><div> <B>You may well ask!</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 283 WIDTH="576"><div> Since starting to serve our clients back in 1986, we have always used two little slogans:-</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>"Packages Person To Person ----Fast"</B></div> <bR> <div> and</div> <bR> <div> <B>"Your Reliable Courier Is Ready To Go"</B></div> <bR> <div> The first imparts its sense of urgency keeping us moving rapidly between collection and delivery addresses, no time is wasted, the second implies our state of readiness and reliability, meaning that when we agree to do a job then we do it, immediately, unlike many of our competitors we do not say yes we can when we can't, and then try to find another courier to do it for us.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 387 ><NOBR><div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="546" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="05aee5e0.jpg" border=0 width="238" height="350" ALT="Cleaning" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH="258"><div> <B>December 1987 Washday Blues</B></div> <bR> <div> BMW K100RS</div> <div> with a "self fitted" rear fog lamp.</div> <bR> <div> Keeping machine and equipment clean is a job in itself.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 191 WIDTH="576"><div> When you operate a service like ours, and the telephone rings, you never know where you will be asked to go, any destination on the UK mainland we say, and we do mean what we say! Our main business tool is a motorcycle, a motorcycle which must be kept in a serviceable condition at all times. That phone rings and you pull on your leathers, collect your sandwich box and hot flask, roll the motorcycle out of the garage and stow your gear. You climb aboard, press the starter button confident the engine will fire up first time, check your instruments and lights and you're off. Pulling out onto the highway astride your trusty machine, settling down into the saddle ready for a long ride, it may be Leeds, London or Lands End and then of course back again, only the caller knows where you'll be asked to go!</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 354 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0923f5c0.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="348" ALT="Immingham Docks Grimsby" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 132 WIDTH="576"><div> <B>May 1997 BMW K1100LT</B></div> <bR> <div> "Don't cast a clout 'till May is out"  goes the old saying, here I am at Immingham North Dock still clad in a Winter Rukka over suit having brought some vital parts from Birmingham for the engine of the ferry Endeavour in good time before she embarks for Rotterdam.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 191 WIDTH="576"><div> Riding a motorcycle, up on two wheels in a state of balance is a very special experience. On a large machine it's so easy to make rapid progress, tweaking the throttle to ease past the traffic whilst requiring just a small portion of the road. The motion in balance, the rapid acceleration, the thrill of cornering and being out in the air stream all combine to bring to the rider a magic which is unique to motorcycling. Leaning into the bends at the correct angle for the speed and rate of turn becomes an automatic reflex which ensures that all forces present on the machine are equalised to allow its safe passage around the curve, unlike the four wheel driver, a motorcyclist feels no side thrust on cornering. This magical state is rather like flying - without leaving the ground!</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="080e35e0.jpg" border=0 width="483" height="350" ALT="Cases BMW K1100LT (K100)" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> November 1997 - Cranleigh, Surrey.  Photograph by courtesy of Brenda Hutty</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <B>With Margaret on our BMW K1100LT - finished in Mystic Red</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 210 WIDTH="576"><div> Being out in the air stream heightens the riders' senses to the odours of town and countryside, speeding past a bus stop through a sudden haze of ladies' perfume, the cool scent of a forest on a damp November morning, the wisp of cigar smoke escaping from the sealed cab of the Jaguar you're following, the stink of diesel oil from that dangerous watery trail around the roundabout, the heady nasal dazzle from the oil seed rape crop, the sweet cherry logs burning on the woodcutter's fire, wet mud and seaweed in the harbour at low tide, the smell of seasoned wood surrounding the timber yard you're passing, the ozone from a darkening sky before the rainstorm, oh and that fish and chip shop, now that must be worth a stop - but only if the job's done and you're on the way back home!</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 384 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0933f7a0.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="378" ALT="Birmingham Sculpture" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 ><NOBR><div> <B>November 1999  Reclining Lady</B></div> <div> (almost) on the bike in Chamberlin Square - Birmingham.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 191 WIDTH="576"><div> We are fortunate to operate from Sheffield, a major city yet so compact, sitting on the very edge of the Peak District National Park with it's beautiful scenery. The Dark Peak with its grit stone moorland and roaming sheep flocks, and The White Peak with its dry limestone walls subdividing the fields within each farm. Fortunate also to live in the United Kingdom, with its variety of countryside, a coastline that's never very far away, so many historic towns and lovely villages and probably the greatest network of (ordinary) roads in the world. Although our roads are not always in good condition, and we do an awful lot of complaining about them, never the less they  present a network of numerous alternative routes, so prolific that it is impossible for an individual to travel them all in a lifetime!</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 393 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0943f830.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="387" ALT="Lavenham, Suffolk" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 56 ><NOBR><div> <B>February 2000 BMW K1100LT</B></div> <div> A wet afternoon in the appropriately named Water Street, Lavenham, Suffolk.</div> <div> The white building on the far right is part of The Swan, a famous old coaching inn.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 384 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0953f7a0.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="378" ALT="Millennium Bridge Newcastle" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 113 WIDTH="576"><div> <B>September 2001 Newcastle - Millennium Bridge Over The River Tyne</B></div> <div> The new tilting bridge for use by pedestrians and cyclists wishing to cross between Gateshead and Newcastle.</div> <div> The supporting bow nicely compliments the arch of the road bridge behind.</div> <div> The yellow cranes are working over the site of the new Sage Centre and the building to their left is the Baltic Mill which is being coverted for different occupants.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 115 WIDTH="576"><div> Awareness of the prevailing weather conditions is essential to a motorcyclist's safety, particularly in winter when it is useful to be able to judge air temperature from its chilling effect on the cheeks, extra care being necessary when the face detects that chill of freezing air, watching then for any signs of ice on the road. Riding in fog can be an unnerving experience, long journeys in dense fog can cause a feeling of disorientation which may effect the rider's sense of balance.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 390 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0963f800.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="384" ALT="Lorry Fire M25 Motorway UK" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 95 WIDTH="576"><div> <B>December 1999</B></div> <div> A load of Walker's Crisps getting an extra roasting on the M25 anticlockwise at junction 27 the M11 slip off. I just got past before the driver stopped the traffic for fear of exploding fuel tanks, the police were progressing through traffic on the clockwise carriageway to get back to the scene.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 306 WIDTH="576"><div> A rider's safety is not only influenced by his skill and degree of concentration, much courier work is undertaken in wet weather with poor visibility or even after dark, here good lighting can make a major contribution. Manufacturers will only install the lighting to meet regulations and much can be done to improve on this minimal requirement. The first essential in today's traffic is to fit a rear fog lamp, strange that the manufacturers of motorcycles are not required to fit them. My current machine has a home-made lighting bar which utilises Rubberlight fittings flushed into a piece of rectangular section plastic tube, strengthened by a length of circular section plastic foul pipe (which serves as a carrier for a  drawing tube), all fixed to a poly carbonate base plate which is easily bolted to the rear carrier frame. The wiring terminates into multi pin plugs allowing rapid disconnection and removal. This arrangement houses rear fog lamps, extra rear lamps and indicators as well as reflectors, and has been used now on four motorcycles. Finding suitable materials with which to make add on equipment is not easy, and I can often be found standing gazing at the stock in yacht chandlers, cycle shops and DIY establishments trying to decide whether or not an item would suit my requirements.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="578" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 356 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="055fc5e0.jpg" border=0 width="252" height="350" ALT="BMW K100LT Lighting Bar" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM><NOBR><div> <B>April 1996 BMW K100LT</B></div> <bR> <div> complete with my home-made</div> <div> lighting bar and</div> <div> integral drawing carrying tube</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="582" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 152 WIDTH="576"><div> On long journeys in dirty weather the helmet's visor becomes coated in traffic film, to minimise delays to progress in these circumstances I have my visor wash. At the press of a button a powerful jet of water laced with screen wash shoots towards my face and flushes the grime off my visor, no need even to slow down, in fact it works best at cruising speeds as the soapy film is quickly dispersed in the wind. I believe my visor wash may be unique, I haven't come across any other rider having one. I have used it now on all my BMW K series machines.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 341 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0983f4f0.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="335" ALT="Visor Wash" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 369 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="099c26b0.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="363" ALT="Helmet Visor Wash" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 WIDTH="576"><div> <B>September 2001 Visor Wash</B></div> <bR> <div> keeping a clear view without having to stop!</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 152 WIDTH="576"><div> Being a self employed courier calls for a great deal of commitment and dedication, as I have already mentioned, when the phone rings you could be asked to go anywhere, and it may be blowing a gale and raining horizontally - oh and your dinner is cooling off on the table. "Yes we can go to Bristol for you, be with you to collect in 20 minutes, expected delivery 3 hours from leaving you". This means you will be on the road for the best part of seven hours, and you pick at your lovely meal whilst pulling on your leathers and over suit before setting off into the cool evening air!</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 391 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0973f810.jpg" border=0 width="575" height="385" ALT="British Energy East Kilbride Scotland" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 188 WIDTH="576"><div> <B>December 1988   Three Heads With Fishes</B></div> <bR> <div> Sculpture at the offices of British Energy, Peel Park, East Kilbride in Scotland.</div> <bR> <div> I have a great feeling of sympathy for these fellows, I'm often seen wearing a similar expression when trying to find an ellusive address!</div> <bR> <div> September 2003</div> <div> Thanks to Jim Maxwell of British Energy NT Support Team, for e-mailing us to say the sculpture is actually called "Nuclear Fission", - get it ?  </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 95 ><NOBR><div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="555" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 63 ><NOBR><div> <B>...mercury-couriers .................................</B></div> <div> <B>......................................</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>a passion for motorcycling</B></I></FONT><B>...</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 179 WIDTH="576"><div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="out and about"><U><B><IMG SRC="07ebd990.jpg" border=0 width="189" height="153" ALT="Next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>