Spanish customs

At reference 1, I mentioned the probability of various antiquated working practises still alive and kicking at Royal Mail. Prompted by a city working correspondent, we now move from the fringes of the public sector, to the full-on private sector, as exemplified by British Land (developer), Sir Robert McAlpine (builder) and JLL (tenant to be). I had to look JLL up, but it seems that they are a high end real estate operation, headquartered in Chicago.

Our correspondent has been taking an interest in the large hole in the ground to be seen from his window, with the street running behind the cranes from lower left to middle right being Eldon Street and the hole in the ground being the 1-2 Broadgate development - involving the demolition of a block put up just 35 years ago. Which seems terribly wasteful, but presumably the heritage people did not get into a lather about such a young building. No ancient inscriptions, no ancient corpses or anything else left of interest.

The point of present interest is the two cranes. Why would one plant two tower cranes so close together?

Zooming in, we find that we have a whole new working practise in the making. When I had anything to do with tower cranes, more than fifty years ago now, the idea was that the crane driver clambered up the ladder which runs up the middle of the tower at the start of his shift, say 08:00, carrying his cold tea and sandwiches for his breaks. He then came down again at the end of his shift, say 18:00. On his days off he scored some double time by doing something called 'greasing the cables'. 

But the go-ahead workers at McAlpine's (once famous for the public house ditty about McAlpine's fusiliers and their well filled hods), have now organised things so that the tower cranes are put up in pairs, sharing a special cage between them. Now, when driver of crane No.1 wants to get up to his cab at the top, he gets the driver of crane No.2 to do the necessary with the special cage, clearly visible in the snap above. No more clambering up cold ladders on cold and frosty mornings.

Going further, with twenty four hour working, if they get the timing of their shifts right, no crane driver ever need climb again.

I understand that the drivers are negotiating with McAlpine's about the provision of a remote control unit in the cage itself, which would be much more convenient and efficient. We understand that McAlpine's are presently stalling with some waffle about health and safety, so we await developments with interest.

PS 1: The ladders, running in twenty feet stretches between platforms, are just about visible in the zoom above.

PS 2: in my Treasury days, one used to hear the locution 'Spanish practises'. With reference 4 explaining its applicability to Royal Mail. It also points out that people of Spanish extraction living in this country find the phrase rather offensive. But then, maybe there are Spanish locutions that British expatriates find offensive. If they bother to learn enough Spanish, that is.

PS 3: following notice of the dog food people about a fortnight ago now, at reference 6, I am still getting one or two advertisements a day in my gmail. Presumably all tuneable, as some people are still at it years after my last purchase - for example, Eden, the Christian books and bric-à-brac people - while others drop out relatively quickly. Presumably all visible from the Google HQ.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/12/shapps.html.

Reference 2: https://www.buildington.co.uk/buildings/1709/ec2-london/1-2-broadgate/one-broadgate.

Reference 3: https://www.us.jll.com/.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_practices.

Reference 5: https://youtu.be/dWQKxsF5i5E. For a rather fancy rendering of McAlpine's fusiliers.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/12/boarding-houses.html.