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Long Distance Driving – Knowing When to Take a Break!

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by Dakota Hudson

If you thought that rules for the amount of time you can be behind the wheel of your van only applies to drivers of large vehicles, such as lorries and articulated vehicles, then you’d be mistaken.
Whilst you might not need to fit a tachograph to your van, there are some rules that you should take on board. Otherwise, you could face a fine of up to £300 or even a bit of time behind bars if you are the cause of an accident and you have gone too long without a break or have exceeded the hours that you may legally drive.

In the UK, there are two sets of rules that govern how long between breaks you can go: the EU Rules and the Domestic Rules. For drivers of goods vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, the Domestic Rules apply. These rules differ slightly depending on whether you work as a van driver for a company or you are a self-employed van driver.

Why do we have rules of the road?

Why do we have these rules in place in the first place? Simply put, they make our roads safer, not just for the driver concerned but for everyone who uses our roads. According to the AA, driver fatigue is responsible for one in five of the accidents that occurs on our major roads, so a few small rules that help make everyone safer are surely a small price to pay.

Below you’ll find a rough guide to the Domestic Rules, how they apply to you in your role as a van driver and some tips on how to stay safe and within the law whilst out on the road. For full details of these rules head on over to the government website here.

If you use your vehicle as a goods vehicle then you must not exceed 10 hours driving per day. A word of caution here: you are also governed by the amount of actual duty hours per day which must not exceed 11 hours. This is actually counted from when you clock on and clock off if you work as a driver for a company. However, if you are self-employed then the time is only calculated on the actual time you are driving.

All hours must be recorded on a weekly basis either manually on a record sheet or by using a tachograph.

Driving exemptions

As with all rules there are some exemptions, for example if you are required to respond to an emergency such as a major disruption to public services (e.g. electricity, water or telecommunications). Disruption on our roads, railways, airports etc would also be a reason for a relaxation of the rules, as would being active in preventing serious damage to property or where there may be a danger to life or health of either humans or animals.

Curiously, certain professions are not bound by these Domestic Rules; these include doctors, dentists, vets, maintenance, installation, cinema and broadcasting and also all 999 emergency vehicles. If you are an AA or RAC mechanic or are in the army, you are not affected by these rules.

One more point to make regarding exemptions and the 11 hours of daily duty is that if your actual driving is not more than 4 hours within a week, then you are not restricted to just 11 hours total duty per day. However, there is a caveat to this exemption that should you exceed the 4 hours in one day, then the 11 hours daily duty will kick in for that entire week.

What, no specific rules about taking breaks?
Strangely though, there are no specific rules laid down to cover breaks during your 10 hours of driving per day except that you must have adequate rest. How many breaks and how long you should stop for is entirely at your discretion and everyone will have different needs.

We suggest that you follow Rule 91 of the Highway Code that recommends drivers should take a minimum of 15 mins break every 2 hours or so. The best way to do this is to get out of the driving seat and take a stroll, or a comfort break. Just moving about and getting some fresh air can help to relieve fatigue. Also consider getting a bite to eat or at least refresh yourself with a drink such as a coffee from a road side cafe.

The rules change again if you use your van to carry passengers, where you must take a break of a minimum of 30 minutes after driving for 5 and a half hours.

8 Ways to Cheer Up a Colleague

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The difference between success and failure is a great team – that’s why it’s so important to treat your colleagues as a family and help them cope with difficult periods in their lives.

But how can you help somebody other’s bad mood, problems, and bad luck? What should you do if your colleague is stressing about a deadline, going through a breakup, or is worried because of boss’s reprimand?

Try these 8 simple ways to cheer them up in any situation and turn any frown upside down:

  1. Just Ask Them If They Want Your Help

Before taking any actions, make sure that your colleague is ready to accept your help. Though being rather obvious and simple, this rule is often being neglected that leads to major negative consequences.

Remember that every human being is unique and the way they cope with stress also differs a lot: some will welcome your advice or positive team quotes, while others will want to handle the situation on their own.

So… the first thing to do is to get the permission to cheer them up. Just ask your colleague: “Can I help you?”, “Can we talk about it?”, or “What would you like me to do for you?” and the solution won’t be so blurry anymore.

  1. Leave Them a Little Note

Give a mini makeover to their boring desk and put a cute bouquet of flowers on it, or leave a note with a lovely working together quote to show how important they are for you, or just draw a funny smile on a post-it-note.

No matter, how big your “note” is, it surely shows how much you care and how important they are to your office family.

  1. Have a Chuckle

“Laughter is the best medicine” – people say, and they’re totally right, as numerous surveys have already proved the beneficial effect of laughter on physical and mental health.

Help your colleague to have a good laugh when going through their hard times, as it does heal. Use puns, jokes, sarcasm, funny teamwork quotes, or set a joke contest between yourself and your colleague to help them crack a hearty smile.

  1. Ask Open-Ended Questions and Be a Good Listener

Sometimes it’s enough just to speak out to feel a huge relief. If your colleague is not a people person and can’t share their feelings freely, that makes a situation more complicated.

In this case, asking open-ended questions is the way to enable the flow of ideas – you don’t really need to talk a lot, just show your interest and listen carefully.

  1. Share a Walk

Besides numerous health benefits, walking also is a great stress-relieving and meditative activity. So, don’t miss this opportunity to cheer up your colleague by sharing a relaxing walk and a friendly talk, especially since it’s absolutely free and doesn’t require any extra preparations.

Also, consider going to the cinema or theatre, hanging out in the club or eating out in the park, drinking coffee at the café or going shopping – make sure that you chose the activity they enjoy and act.

  1. Give Them a Hug

A simple hug and a friendly smile can break the ice and make another feel much better. Hugging is especially helpful when you don’t have the right words.

Moreover, a recent research shows that hugging causes the release of oxytocin, a chemical known as a natural stress reliever.

  1. Involve Other People

Tell other colleagues some good things about this person – in other words, spread a good rumor, make people talk about them positively.

Join to those “gossips” and tell your colleague that you’ve heard Jacob telling Mary he likes the way they dress.

This atmosphere of good rumors will definitely cheer your friend up.

  1. Motivate Them with Powerful Positive Team Quotes

Wise bosses often begin or end a huddle by sharing a working together quote ‘cause they know that it’s a very effective way to cheer up their workers. So, just do the same thing – share an influential quote to inspire your upset colleague and give a little push.

Here are some awesome quotes from world-known successful people that will support and motivate your friend:

  • Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles. – Charlie Chaplin
  • Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. – Helen Keller
  • The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. – Phil Jackson
  • Making mistakes is better than faking perfections. –
  • If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. – Henry Ford
  • The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison. – James Cash Penney

How To Start A Kitchen Garden

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Mini Peppers

by Delicia Warren

Having a kitchen garden is a great to utilize the extra back yard space and also save some money by growing your own food. This gives you more control over the ingredients you use in your food preparation and offsets some of the grocery shopping expenses.

To get started, you need to have gardening tools such as a spade, gardening gloves, Backpack Pump Sprayer, hoe and a wheelbarrow. It also important to create time in your schedule to attend to your garden otherwise your plants will die due to neglect.

Before you start, here are a few kitchen gardening tips to help you.

Choose a suitable location
Your kitchen garden should get a good amount of sunshine so avoid the side of your house where the shadow falls and near tall trees that will also compete for nutrients with your garden plants in addition to casting a shadow over them.

Soil type is also key as you want soil that drains well, that is it doesn’t drain too fast or hold water for too long, so loam soil is ideal. You’ll also need to make sure that the soil is healthy enough to sustain life so adding compost to it will continue to nurture the soil and grow healthy plants.

Choosing your crops
You need to research on what the plants you want to have in your garden need in terms of weather conditions, water, soil fertility and sun light. Unless you are setting up a glasshouse, go with plants that naturally thrive in your climate.

The best way to choose plants for your kitchen garden is by looking at your domestic demands. Plant a crop that you use often in your kitchen like spinach, tomatoes, lettuce and chilies. The goal here is to grow food for your family consumption.

Planting your crops
Once you have made a decision on your choice of crops, the next step is to prepare the garden and plant them. With most crops, you have the options of seedlings you transplant to your garden or seeds you plant and wait for them to germinate.

Although the cheaper option, seeds take longer to grow plus there’s a possibility some may fail or get eaten by rodents.
Whichever option you choose though, ensure that there is enough spacing between your plants. Do not squeeze in too many plants in a bid to increase your yields. This is usually counterproductive since the health of your plants will be poor due to high competition for water and nutrients and some might even die.

Maintaining your garden
Maintaining a healthy garden is easy if you have the time for it. You need to keep your soil fertile by adding mulch in the form of leaves, cut grass or dead weeds to it. This keeps moisture in the soil, prevents the growth of weeds and maintains the soil temperature at favorable levels.
It also important to regularly water your young plants which don’t have deep roots yet. Water your plants at their roots, not on the leaves.

Gardening Tips to Maximize Your Yield

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Whatever you use to draw your gardening plans, may it be a pencil and a paper or a planning software, you will need to think broadly and incorporate strategies that will allow you maximize your yield throughout the year.
1. Growing high value crops
One of the limiting factors when it comes to gardening is land and therefore this must be utilized carefully to ensure that you reap the maximum. Therefore, you will need to go for crops that will bring high yields, varieties that have been technologically proven to bring high yields. You must consult the experts on the best crops for your type of soil that will take shorter time to give produce.
2. Maximize on what does well
Depending on the kind of soil and the season, go for crops that do better in your place. Yes, you could be in need of a certain vegetable or fruit, but the performance in your area is dismal, therefore, you would better go for the tomatoes that will be produced through nine months than roots that will take almost the same time on the garden with two months of yield. Whatever excels in your garden is what you need to capitalize on because that is what will give you value for money.
3. Balance what you grow
There is no need of having legumes occupy your small garden for the rest of the year when you have three other types of crops that can do well. You will not eat legumes throughout, you need a balanced diet. Look for fruits that will yield some drink/juice, this will spare you the bucks that you have to spend on such when you can grow it locally. Mixed farming techniques will come handy in this case.
4.  Plant perennial crops
Asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes are some of the crops that can last for seasons year round. Once harvesting is done, they are pruned and tendered and in a short time will give produce. Having such crops will minimize on the time taken as you wait for the harvest and therefore you have food throughout the year. The perennials do not require much attention and therefore you will not need to spend much on labor.
5. Try new crops every year
It is boring to keep planting the same crop every other season. Just like, you need change of diet in every meal, it is critical to choose variety. Be innovative and discover a new crop that would work perfectly in your garden and a good supplement on the table. This makes the whole thing about gardening interesting.
Always take good care of lawn around your garden to avoid pests which can later damage your crops. For more on this see Lawn Care Guide.
Creativity is of essence in gardening, you need excellent/ satisfying results at the end of the day and here you must get innovative. Look into farming techniques that will give you maximum yields throughout the year. Mixed cropping for instance, is one of the best tips that one can apply, here you could plant like five types of crops and therefore this will cut the cost of having to buy from the grocery.

Get Your Brain Back on Track: 9 Ways to Focus a Wandering Mind (Infographic)

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I’m not sure if it’s because, as an only child, I grew up spending A LOT of time daydreaming and jumping from one fun scenario to the next or if I’m simply bent toward the habit but I get mentally off track as easily as cheap aluminum foil gets off its track.

I can be in the middle of reading a book and, even if it’s a great book, find my mind suddenly in my flower bed making sure my zinnias aren’t giving my moss roses too much shade. By the same token, I can be in one of my flower beds thinking about something I’d read that morning.

This mind.. I swear… it is all over the place!

The following infographic has some really great tips on lassoing the wandering mind and pulling it back to where you need it to be.

Enjoy!

Courtesy of: On Stride

I love the concept of actually taking a minute to think about something different from what’s at hand… then getting right back on track. I actually did this this morning while reading – I paused between chapters and… you guessed it…. mentally planned one of my flower beds. Satisfied that it’d be both colorful and successful, I returned to my book and was able to give it my undivided attention.

Give these tips a try for yourself and let me know in the comments which is your favorite! Of course, if you have an entirely different method of your own, let us all know about it!

~ Joi (“Joy”)