Great Western Coffee Shop

No, it has to be a cherry picker these days, apparently.  From the Lancashire Telegraph (http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/blackburn/8492774.Blackburn_council_workers_amaze_shoppers_with_cherry_picker/):

Reminds me of the early morning of 31st August 1997. I was working as the Night Manager at the Forte Posthouse (now Holiday Inn) in Taunton.

This was the night that Diana, Princess of Wales sadly passed away following the car crash in Paris. Somebody at head office was on the ball and sent an internal memo, around 5am, to all Forte hotels asking that any flags on the premises be lowered to half mast.

We had three flag poles in the car park, two with Forte branded flags and a third Union Flag. Myself and the breakfast chef (that day's Duty Manager) were able to bring the Forte flags down to half mast with no problems, but the Union Flag had been tied to the top of its pole.

Initiative on I my part (misplaced as it turned out) was to get a ladder and climb to the top of the pole, with Chef steadying the bottom of said ladder, to untie the errant flag. What I'd failed to consider was that a ladder with round rungs placed against a round flag pole is not the most stable of things. I got to the top of the ladder and was busily untying the flag when the ladder decided to do a 360 around the pole and crash down onto a parked car below, right through its windscreen. I was left 25 feet off the ground and got some nasty friction burns on my palms as I slid down the pole.

Myself and the Chef gave up the job and instead waited until the hotel's maintenance man came on duty and used the small cherry-picker that was normally used for window cleaning to finally get the Union Flag down to a respectful half mast.

So, not only did I very nearly break my neck the day Diana died, but I also got a written warning and the Hotel had to pick up the tab for a replacement windscreen for a 3 series BMW.

I'm sorry BNM... But that cracked me up completely...! I nearly spluttered my coffee all over the keyboard...!!

Would you like me to PM you an application form for a Darwin Award...???!!! ;D ;D ;D

Hes not dead yet.
Darwin awards arnt they for death by stupidity?

Ok... I'm going to look a total dipstick now... My post above was ment for the cherry pickers or ladders thread...!! :-X :-\ ::)

I'm going to walk away now and pretend i never said a word...!!

... which is where I have now moved it: no problem!

CfN.  ;) :D ;D