John Hancock

Good-point Matt, I can see why you made that comment. If Tom did have C1+E I would give it some real thought as to whether to take him on full time or not. I’d love to put him through the training but budgets are very tight these days here in L/A land. I’ll have a vacancy on the team in about 4 weeks and he’ll be welcome to apply, along with every one else. C1+E was listed as desirable but I now consider it to be an essential, as the team must be able to go-out independently without me.

No it isn’t. Two years ago I made the conscious decision to go with the apprentice scheme. I want to take young lads in and prepare them as best I can for real employment – Is that not an investment in people? If I took on every apprentice I wouldn’t be able to fund the wage bill and 4 Arbs would be laid off. Far better to keep a rolling stream of apprentices coming, doing what I can with them and then hopefully, they’ll have a better understanding of trees works and be better prepared than most full-time students...

Totally agree with you, luckily being local authority we can climb instead of just felling in one – In this case it was far more important to give Tom the experience of a small take-down. It was probably the most enjoyable day he’s had with us! Such a shame he cant tow the chipper, otherwise I’d take him on, a tip for all you younger guys – invest in your C1 +E, it’ll be well worth it!

I’m still waiting for a reply from the landowner regarding friendly farmers with a field. I thought the college was a good idea (and very cheep!) It also had a bar….!

Haha, they were in the truck - they all know where they are......

In a word, no. I’d want to know why the highways authority and the planning department are not talking to one another. Sounds to me there is a communication thing going on and should the brown stuff hit the fan, they might be looking for an escape-goat (which could be you!) I’d wait till your client has two letters, from both parties confirming they’re bith singing from the same hym sheet.

Your right there brother! Eat, sleep and breath the blasted twiggy green things – there’s no getting away from them these days!!

Cheers buddy, would you believe that took the whole evening to sort out!

This is my first go at a slide show, so bare with me….. We had Tom Barnes (our apprentice) climbing today – Think he rather enjoyed himself! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLqSA_4_0u0]YouTube - Tom Oak[/ame]

Don’t ask technical questions like that Steve! Lol Just trying one more thing…..

I’ve been working on a slide show using Windows Movie Maker. How can I get the finished show transferred onto here? I’ve tried the U-Tube route but this doesn’t seem to work!

I could watch these guys all day!! Respect.

Jesus mate, my heart dropped when I read that paragraph, after all that you’d been through before too! It’s a sad fact that people in general these days are more selfish than in previous generations. Our grandparents probably went through bad patches but they stuck with marriage – and I think they were better for it! Just hope this tread doesn’t open up old wounds for you mate. When I first read this thread (before my post) I was very, very low – I even had the old thought of ‘trying to push an Oak over with the Discovery’ come back for a while. That’s when I decided to post and yes, it helped. Glad it’s looking good again for you buddy, keep smiling

I’m tickled-pink that it found you so quickly. Whoever sent it could have just written ‘Scotland’ under the first line and it would have found you ever quicker!

It’s a bit of a no-brainer, that one Steve my boy. It feels good talking about these problems and yes, its good to get it off your chest. We’re amongst friends here on Arbtalk – Its such a shame we cant just stroll out the house, walk down the road and all meet in our local. It would be the busiest and most vibrant village pub for miles around!! Our industry can be a lonely one sometimes and I’m conscious of not wanting to off-load baggage on members of my team. Arbtalk is the success it is today because we don’t feel isolated anymore, we’re part of a thriving community, sharing knowledge, wisdom and many-a-new idea! I hope the stress thread will be kept alive and that people wont deviate on it too much – Its there to help people as and when they need it… ….Now then, back to my imaginary pub – My round, what’s everyone having….?

Thanks David, that means alot buddy! I've just come back form my little country pub, I was sat there next to a lovely warm fire, and I felt calm, relaxed and content with life (first time for a very long time!) Maybe this is a turning point for me, maybe I’ve reached a crossroads – who knows?? All I know is that I was sat there with a smile on my face, a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I was approachable (shock-horror!) Thank you Stevie for starting this thread – who’d have thought that talking about ones problems on the internet could possibly be life-changing. God bless you Mr Bullman.

Fair-play Bart, that was a truly excellent picture, a well deserved 1st. place!

While we’re on the subjects of stress, depression etc I’d like to get just one thing off my chest… It’s the ‘S’ word – Suicide, not a nice word, not a nice subject. There is one thing that makes my blood boil is when people say ‘Oh, suicide – that’s the easy way out’. In my opinion its absolute rubbish. In the past I’ve been close, I’ve been missing my children, mourning the loss of my marriage and grieving for what might have been. I absolutely and totally empathise with how people reach the decision to take their own lives. Its not selfish, the poor souls are depressed, they have an illness and are going through and experiencing so much pain that, in their eyes – there is only one solution. In my case the pain got so bad I just wanted it to stop. I remember times when I had to concentrate hard, not to drive the Discovery into a tree. Another time I had planned to break into the marital home, pinch my daughter’s pillow and climb up to the top of Bredon Hill (my favourite spot in Worcester) snuggle down and ‘fall asleep’ (the pillow was a way of feeling close to her). I went to the doctor who prescribed anti-depressants – these were useless as they just made me drowsy (I fell asleep at work and still get the pi55 taken out of me 3 years on) – too proud to tell colleagues the reasons why. I managed to get through my ‘dark spell’ – I just love life too much I guess. The reason for writing this – If you know someone who is depressed, talk to them, try and understand how they are feeling and try and talk them into getting help. Please don’t say ‘Suicide? That’s the selfish way out’, it isn’t and that’s the last thing someone in that state of mind needs to hear. Thanks for listening.

Our County Council have just cut the ‘Shredder-Man’ service. It was a county-wide service travelling to local residents shredding garden waste using a Green-mech mounted shredder. There is now a large, loyal, customer base and no Shredder-man service. Got to be an opportunity for someone!

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this was full-up nearly a week ago.

Just been listening to Lou Reeds – ‘Perfect Day’ in the car and thought – hmm, good idea for an Arbtalk thread… My perfect day would entail a warm summers day in the Vale of Evesham, going for a picnic with the children, sitting on some lush green grass next to a river and tucking into a freshly baked baguette, cheese and a home-made pork pie. After that a good kick-a-round with a football and then maybe a ice cream on the way home…… Sitting in the sunshine, sipping beer and slowly getting drunk with my Arbtalk friends at Capel came a very close second! There you go - there’s mine, what’s yours?

Are the trees on open pasture David? If they are you’ll have to print some in sheep and cattle lingo!

Haha…You’ve just lifted the spirits of a very depressed man… Thank-you!!

Doesn’t the wording imply that the trees are un-safe? Wouldn’t want to frighten the local cub-scouts on their day-trip.

Good Post! Let me know if you hear of are any grants available for a 39 year old who wishes to purchase a resistograph and a Picus.