Zenfordinner

I hope you get it back

Why is the tree coming down? Wondering about the quality of the wood.

Everyone (I assume) thought it was more or less his first day and it was his first mistake. Yes, I had the impression he had only worked a day or two, a week at most.

Three months is plenty of time to tell, if one is paying attention. Don't you love how things work out in the wash?

That was rather bold of you, perhaps you were simply cutting the wheat from the chaff, as the saying goes; perhaps you are impetuous- I do not know. I admire boldness in many respects, as often people are inhibited to act of their own accord, and make excuses or compromises that are not at one with their inclinations. That said, hasty actions are sometimes regretted. Although, it does not sound as though you have any real regrets, but, perhaps are aware that you may have made a hasty decision based upon an emotional response to a situation for which you are ultimately responsible- in the sense that it is your business and everything comes down to you- and that is why you have requested feedback upon your actions. Personally, I think it shows strength of character to own up to one's mistakes. If the groundie had owned up to the incident, had at least begun to clean up the mess before you arrived, and apologised for being witless, then perhaps (another perhaps) you would have acted differently. Would you have still sacked him? It may be that you have acted on an intelligence that was correct for you and your business. Sometimes, you have to be bold. Sometimes, you have to make difficult choices. Sometimes you have to go with your instincts. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it does not. I say it is done now. The groundie you kept on ought to be spoken with regarding keeping an eye out on what is going on. As to the sacked groundie- perhaps he needed a strong wake up call. May serve him well in the future, as sometimes the more dramatic the lesson the better it is learnt. Are you hot headed? Unforgiving in regards to imperfections within others and yourself? Quick to act without engaging your mind first? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you probably will benefit from having a bit of a chat with yourself about such matters

I agree with ChrisTreeRoot: keep perstering them. When you took out your policy, did the company ask you to specify the items to be covered? If not, I would probably argue that one is a tree business so of course there are chainsaws etc to cover and office equipment is minimal. I would consider mentioning that if they are not going to cover the claim that your next phone call is going to be to the FSA, and mention mis-selling on their part. If I was paying my premiums promptly, as agreed, there is no way I would let this rest until I received a payout. I would also speak directly with the insurance company if the loss adjuster is part of an independent company. A loss adjuster is supposed to help walk you through the claim, not argue you out of it. Speak with the loss adjuster's manager, or any one in a senior position, if she is part of Sun Alliance (take names of everyone with whom you speak and when) And go through your policy, again,with a fine toothed comb. My experience of such things is that you have to be insistant, and keep prodding away, working on the premise that none of the people or companies invloved actually care about you or your theft, only you care,and only you have an interest in ensuring you receive reimbursement for your loss. We had nearly £19,000 of equipment stolen last year, it took nearly four months for us to recoup the amount in full, due to the loss adjuster not doing his job.

Pleased to hear it We still have some of the wood left. The Poplar and Willow is near Marlow, by the Thames. Much of the Willow comes from standing dead or heading that way. Some of the Poplar is semi dry, the most recent addition has a lovely grain and colour to it- although it is mainly in rings about hand width in height, perhaps 30 inches in diameter, I am wondering if someone could not make use of it for something more interesting than firewood. The tree was about 100 feet tall with a glorious crown spread. All in all there is probably seven times the amount of wood one would expect to have after such a fell.

We have a large quantity of Poplar and Willow rings for sale. Collection only. Best to assume the wood is green, with some dead and some somewhat dry. Anyone interested?

Sorry to hear you were both robbed. It is a horrible feeling, and a despicable act to steal the tools of one's livlihood. What do you mean 'a clause says buisness tools are office equiptment, pc, laptop etc'. Never take anyone's word for it, I imagine you have already scoured your policy, if not, I recommend you do so. Loss adjusters, in my limited experience, can be right funny buggers. We had to watch our one like a hawk. Also, if you are vat registered but bought some of the tools, which were stolen, before registering then you can account for that on your claim.

We have a machine good for restricted access, it will pass through an entrance 26 inches in width, which may be useful in London. We can grind out stumps up to around three feet, a bit more for softwood.

Yes, everything in proportion- I admit I neglected to write that as assumed it was obvious. Wood chip is a wonderful additive.

Well done to you! Nothing like doing a good deed to my mind- small acts of heroism make the world a more pleasant place in which to live.

We might be able to help you out. What size stumps, on average?

A little old manure is useful, if you add fresh or too much it adds too much heat, from what I remember. I like fish, blood and bone- a good all rounder, although I do not know how effective/useful it is specifically for trees. A little ash is useful, too.

Lol, not too mention sophisticated , except when coughing one's lungs up

Good advice. Hot and cold alternatively applied can help, too- hot water on area then ice and repeat ad infinitum. Stretching/ warming up the muscles before working can help prevent pulling/straining/tearing muscles. Cod liver oil is for joints I believe, not muscle tissue.

That is positively poetic, Mr. Lofthouse

Taxes, personal & on profit Fuel-one of our biggest operating costs telephone bills

Quite right.

Ladyarb, sorry but have filled that space. If you do not find work closer to you in the next few weeks or so, then pm me and I will see if we can put anything your way. Definitely worth getting some experience before setting up on your own, groundwork first will stand you in good stead. Working alongside experienced climbers will give you valuable tips, confidence, and experience without having the responsibility of a job - which you would if you freelanced climbed straight away. I have not seen any lady climbers this way, saw one other lady grounding once. I do not work on site much these days, but when I was out grounding every day, I found that my being a woman was definitely a talking point, both with clients, general public, and other workmen. Many domestic clients liked that a woman was part of the crew. Working with other men, the only thing worth mentioning is that I always had to prove myself, even if only subtly, in the sense that they had to see for themselves that I worked hard and was quite capable, upon gaining their respect being a woman did not matter, as it were. Probably the most resistant folk I met were a few older men, one on a building site who did not like a whippersnapper female telling him that he was not to drive his digger beneath the tree that was in the process of being felled. He said, like a boy in a school lunch line, "we were here first", but backed off once he saw the look on my bosses face and realised that the tree was coming down and he might be wise to stay out of the way. The most outrageous thing a male client ever said to be was, after coming down a Sycamore, that I should climb in hotpants! He was old enough to be my father, and blushed profusely when he said that. I was fortuneate to learn with a very capable, talented, hardworking craftsman of a treeman. I wholly recommend working for someone who has craft, as you will learn tricks from them that could otherwise take years to figure out, learn or pick up. (I have worked with climbers in the business or 13+ years, who although quite capable had less craft which limited their ability and also made them less safe in certain respects). Also, it certainly makes me feel safer- I have worked with more gung ho climbers, which is alright on little jobs but on large felling, I definitely prefer someone who knows what they are doing. Everyone has off days, but someone dedicated instills a confidence that is encouraging when starting anew. Gook luck to you.

Lol. Mister Ed, Something, something, dark side. Yes, you could be the Summoning Dark, but I bet you are actually a pussycat beneath all the rage

Some say fear is a sign of intelligence; I think fear is a useful tool in the kit of life, as it brings to light possible outcomes, which affords one the opportunity to respond to a situation, to plan for worst case scenarios, have a response ready for an outcome, and (possibly) avoid certain actions that may bring about the actuality of one's fears. Fear wakes one up, which in a possbily dangerous situation is rather helpful. The trick, I think, is to face one's fears so as to overcome them, not to let fear overwhelm you. Fear left unattended can paralyse a person, and possibly bring about the afeared thing- for example, if fear is strong it can affect one's ability to think well, it can have a physical response in the body, such as shaking, sweating, etc. Once you have identified your fears by breaking them down, you can lessen their impact on you, leaving you with a healthy respect. So, for example, using a chainsaw inches from your face is quite a lary thing that takes time to get used to. Knowing that you know how to properly use a chainsaw can help lessen some of the fear- you know how to avoid kickbacks, as much as humanly possible, you know you can work, as much as possible, to avoid being in the plane of a possible kickback, or at least endeavour not to have your neck ready and waiting. You can make sure your chain catcher is in good condion, you can keep you saw sharp, you can use full revs and not pussy foot around. You can keep alert (lovely creatures that they are), which can help a person avoid doing foolish things. There is no shame in being afraid, it is how you act upon it that counts.

Aye, I was thinking of spending the night at our yard to see who turns up. Any split wood gets stolen, bootful at a time, someone recently cleared us out of a lovely stash of Ash. Sods law though, as Dean says, they (whoever they are) turn up after one has left. Someone appears to have cleared out their pond and decided to leave it on a pile of soil scraped up after some bright spark dug a big hole, the winter before last,to bury some wood they had left at the edge of our yard. (If it is not one thing it is another, honestly )