Another half term 2025
Another half term has passed, and now I can confidently confirm that there is a noticeable pattern in the number of orders I receive as well as the amount of pennies I manage to make in a typical evening. Currently, I work approximately 3 hours in the evenings after my day job, and during this time, my take-home earnings generally range between £30 and £40. It's worth noting that this is achieved with what I would consider average effort. During the holiday periods, however, my workload typically increases to about 6 hours each evening, allowing me to earn around £70 to £90. When I refer to average effort, I mean that there are certain evenings when I can afford to be quite selective about the orders I choose to accept. I pay close attention to various factors, such as whether the order pays over £1 per mile, whether the pick-up location has a reputation for taking a long time, and whether the delivery will take me away from areas where I could potentially receive more orders after completing the current one.
The weirdest thing happened during this half term, I kept noticing someone in the most random and unexpected areas around the picturesque Lincolnshire countryside. I was in the midst of completing my final delivery of the day after a particularly long and tiring day of Ubering, and I was on my way to drop off an order of KFC to a village house. As I navigated the winding backroads on my route, I suddenly began to detect a peculiar odor in the air that was reminiscent of damp soil or freshly turned mud, but with an unusual sweetness accompanying it. It was like the smell of clothes that had been left out in the elements for many long years or the scent of roadkill on a scorching hot day, yet somehow, it felt different in an inexplicable way. The intensity of the smell was so overpowering, however, that I initially assumed it must be emanating from the surrounding fields.
I pass people all the time, obviously, and unless someone appears to be actively trying to get my attention, I normally don’t pay any notice. However, I was just on the outskirts of town when that unmistakable smell hit me once again. For some reason, there was a sudden sense of dread that washed over me, similar to how one might feel after narrowly avoiding a car accident. I glanced around, and I spotted someone standing against a farm gate, facing away from me, seemingly lost in thought as they gazed off into the expansive fields, but when I made my return journey, there was no one there, and the peculiar smell had vanished completely. I found it baffling how this very short, uninteresting, and otherwise uneventful moment could leave such a lingering impression on me.
I started to find, after that brief and undeniably strange encounter on my side, that I would see this person virtually EVERYWHERE I went. It was almost as if they were lurking around just waiting for the opportunity to blend into the background wherever that distinct smell lingered. I noticed, curiously, that I never caught a glimpse of this person's face, they always seemed to position themselves so that they were standing with their back turned towards the road or they would be walking past, hidden behind a hedge or some other obstacle that would obscure my view, leaving me unable to clearly see their identity. This mysterious figure seemed to appear in the most unexpected places, often out in the middle of nowhere. Now, I am fully aware that this whole situation just sounds like the beginning of some chilling online creepypasta. Given that I spend a significant amount of my time listening to podcasts and similar content, I feel it has weirdly made me more hyper-aware of strange occurrences. However, I keep reminding myself that it’s most definitely nothing to worry about.
Anyhoo, I digressed a bit there. It's truly much nicer when the weather is more pleasant to be out delivering. There are so many factors that improve with the nicer weather, such as the people you deliver to who are typically in a much better mood. This often translates into a higher frequency of tips, which is always welcome. I still find myself unable to use my push bike, and that’s rather annoying for me, but I have noticed that I am nowhere near as tired in the evenings as I used to be.
