Jens Ole Mortensen

Allan is his name, aka. Futte. But all my friends probably know him best as Futte, I've called him that since he was little, and if I say Allan to my friends, they'll ask: Who, Allan? and I'll answer: Futte, and they'll say: Ohh.

We had a period where we worked a bit on the old Ferguson, just like I told about when I was little, where I worked on lots of Fergusons together with my father. But it wasn't for fun, like this project, it was because it needed to be used at the factory to move things. We had converted it into a kind of forklift or a tractor with forks at least, and they couldn't always withstand it in the long run. So occasionally a new one had to be fixed.

The pictures are from my old workshop at my parents' home, many years after I moved out. My son has spent a lot of time there, together with his grandfather.

After several years as a blacksmith and welder, I took a full-time 9-month course at welding school. There I obtained a welding certificate and became certified in virtually all common welding disciplines and material types.

Shortly after, I started as self-employed. I began in an old, uninsulated shed, where I manufactured brackets for a paint facility at Centrum Windows in Struer – and then I was off and running. After that, I contacted the carpenters, masons, and factories I had previously worked for and offered my services as a blacksmith.

Initially, my "company vehicle" consisted of an Opel Kadett station wagon, my toolbox, and an electrode welder. Over time, the business developed, and I hired employees. When the company was at its largest, we had 9 employees including myself, distributed between workshop, office, and three company vehicles.

A subsequent crisis in the construction industry made it difficult to maintain income, and eventually the capital ran out. The company had to close. It became a challenging period, but after receiving debt relief, I got the opportunity to make a fresh start.

Since then, I have had great focus on financial management and stable operations, and in 2009 I started my IT and consulting business – but that is a story for another time.

After I stopped working as a blacksmith and self-employed contractor, I took a forklift certificate and crane certificates for both small and large truck-mounted cranes as well as mobile cranes. I had already taken driving licenses for both truck and trailer while I still ran my blacksmith business, because I also did occasional repairs on trucks.

For a few years, from around 2004 until late 2007, I operated truck-mounted and mobile cranes, first in a crane company and later as a crane operator at a precast element installation company. With around 200 nights away from home each year, I gradually grew tired of not being able to pursue leisure interests such as shooting and getting my hunting license, and eventually you start to feel like the "guest of the week" in your own home.

Because I had also traveled a lot, first as self-employed and later as a journeyman blacksmith and certified welder, I had reached a point in life where I no longer wanted to live out of a "sports bag." There is often waiting time when you work as a crane operator, and during those periods and in the evenings, when I was in a hotel room, hostel, or a site hut on a construction site, I spent my time reading about computer technology and IT. That was probably where my interest started, and I gradually began fixing computers for others when I was home on weekends.

After that, I started to change direction and began working in the mink industry, where I quickly came to work more or less with IT and technology. That became the beginning of the end of my work as a craftsman in construction and industry.

My father had received a motorcycle in a trade, around 2012 or 2013, and I think Futte and I may also have done a bit of secret practice riding motorcycles. However, I was well aware that it was neither a sensible nor a sustainable long-term solution, and not a particularly good example for my son. So I decided to get my motorcycle license, because it was actually very enjoyable.

In 2014, I got my motorcycle license, and it has given me some really great experiences. I rode with the guys from the motorcycle club and with friends I met through our shared interest in motorcycles.

In 2017, I went to Poland twice during the year to visit my friend, who has lived in Poland for several years. I have also done many rides with my son. At first, he rode as a passenger, and later he got his own motorcycle license.

We also made a number of projects together. Among other things, we built a custom motorcycle that he wanted to use for relaxed rides down to the harbor to get an ice cream.

I have also been on rides around Denmark with my wife. But around 2021, I decided it was time to stop riding motorcycles for a while. I had ridden many thousands of kilometers and had not had as much as a scratch.

At the same time, we had renovated the house where we live and were still in the middle of restoring it, so I felt there was not enough time for everything. I had also obtained my hunting license and had started clay pigeon and rifle shooting, so my time was spent in many other places as well.

So in the end, the motorcycle was sold. But who knows - maybe my wife and I will ride motorcycles again one day.

In 2020, during the coronavirus period, I had also moved from Struer to Stoholm, and while we were starting the renovation of our house in Stoholm, we also got married.

After we were married at the town hall in Nykobing on Mors, where our children attended, we ate at a cafe by the harbor in Nykobing. It was a really good day, despite hand sanitizer and face masks everywhere.

As everyone knows, behind every man stands a great woman, and that is true here as well.

We are a dynamic duo, and over time we have done many projects together. It works really well when we work together, because we each have our strengths and know who is best at what.