Chris Dawber - Write A Book - "Job Done"

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This is a book from a window cleaner we all know well from his YouTube videos. Chris Dawber (aka Wagga) says he began to write this book out of bitterness. Bitterness at all the hard work and failure he has endured in his life, but as he progressed through his book, he began to realize how many experiences he could share with others. This is largely an account of an ordinary man searching for a place in life and trying to find out just who he is. Much of what Chris did was borne mainly out of fear, fear and failure. This was to lead Chris into all sorts of adventures and situations that he could not cope with, let alone have the ability to carry out with any competence. From cleaning toilets to Royal Naval Aircrew, Merchant Seaman to Psychiatric Nurse and even a window cleaner, a life lived to the full, he regrets none of it. This led to many humorous and some dangerous situations, many of which he sought to escape by Running For Home. A book, written with honesty and sincerity - this book may help anyone to come to terms with their lot in life! Just to remind you... Chris in action..

A few snippets from Chris...

I was cleaning windows for over 20 years until I changed my system over to what is called WFP (water fed pole) where ladders are not required. In all this time I never once fell off. There were some very close shaves though. Several times the ladders slipped a bit then stopped. Once a rung snapped but it was the last but one, closest to the ground, so I just fell backwards onto the grass without injury. Once when my wife was working with me, I climbed onto a roof to do a window above a porch. I had muddy boots and as I got to the window I slipped, began to slide back down the roof on my bum, my progress only halted by the plastic gutter into which both feet went. This flexed alarmingly and I was terrified and called out to my wife to catch me if I fell, which sounds hilarious now. Somehow I managed to get back to the ladders"

Some customers have been the same ones since I first started window cleaning in 1986 up to 2011 as I write this. Many became friends and many now know my name. Sadly several have died and I can remember most of them and hear their voices. One of my customers was actually murdered. My wife and I would talk to her every time we cleaned the windows. Then one day the whole of Aycliffe Village was crawling with police but I did not know at the time what was going on. It was only several weeks later whilst we were watching Crime Watch on TV that we realised what had happened. We had no information so we did not ring up Crime Watch but in hindsight, we should have done. Its just that I had felt that the police had been incompetent in not talking to me when they saw me in the village cleaning windows. It was as though I was invisible or something. Some years later, I asked a detective who’s house I cleaned, how the case had gone since I had an interest. I mentioned that no one had thought to interview me and my wife and surely the forensic team had found the ticket that I had put through her letter box. It was the very same stamp I used to make the ticket that he got in his letter box. I said “Surely you found my ticket?” The next time he saw me, he knew my name and appeared to know quite a lot about me.

One morning a few years back, I had just started work when an elderly woman came out of the house next to the one I was cleaning. She was obviously in distress and shouted that her husband had collapsed. She was on the phone and the emergency services were talking to her when I entered her house. I found her husband Francis, aged 78 collapsed on the floor of the kitchen. He’d obviously fallen against the wall and was sat up. His eyes were slightly open and I could not see any movement whatsoever. My worst fears began to set in as my training in the forces kicked in once again. The first thing I did was check for a pulse, first on his neck and finding none, on his wrist. At first I could not believe that there was no pulse so I checked over and over again. I said to his wife, “there’s no pulse”. The emergency services asked her to tell me to start CPR. I knew what I had to do and dragged Francis into the hall where I began to try and breath some life back into him.

I opened his mouth and breathed into his. His chest rose. He had been sick and I could feel bits of vomit in my own mouth. I didn’t feel sick though, that would come later when the adrenalin wore off. I pumped at his chest, counting as I went, then back to giving him air. It seemed to go on for ages. When would the ambulance arrive. On and on it went, some colour returning to his face but I was getting no response. Still no pulse. On and on without success.

Then the paramedics burst in and took over. Their professionalism really showed since they did not just brush me aside but instead asked me to help carry him into the living room where there was much more space. Then said its okay, "we’ll take over now."

I stood in the doorway watching as they did all they could to bring him back but the monitor stayed resolutely blank. They began shaking their heads. I knew it was over but still could not accept he was dead. I sat in the kitchen where his wife made me a cup of tea. When the doctor arrived he pronounced Francis dead. The tears rolled down my face, but one of the paramedics consoled me by asking if I had done this sort of thing before. I said I had been in the Navy. He nodded knowingly.

If you feel that this book would interest you or you have enjoyed or learned from Wagga's videos, please shake your pocket & give something back. As Chris would say... "Job Done!"