onetruth

You mean the mortar between the bricks? That's correct - it isn't unusual even in fairly recently built houses, whereas if you get cracking through the bricks it's usually bad news. Also, if it's just the pillar and retaining wall, it sounds fairly benign. I don't think you'll get any definitive answers online if the surveyors aren't able to pick up on anything. My opinion on heave (and this may not be shared by others here who have a lot more experience of it than me) is that even though removing a tree may cause problems, if you delay you are only postponing the inevitable consequences which will get worse as the tree gets bigger. That said, it sounds like there isn't much cause for panic - the lender (and insurer) is happy to go ahead, and nobody has said "the tree is a problem". It is close and oak trees certainly can cause damage, but I (personally) wouldn't rush to action. You said "This really is a lovely house which needs a lot of TLC but will be worth the hard work once completed" - hold on to that thought and don't let buyer's nerves get the better of your judgment. Lovely looking garden, btw. Out of curiosity, what type of report was the second one you got done? Structural or arboricultural? It really is a pretty specialist field. Congratulations and good luck!

They're certainly effective recruiters for each other.

Yes, I meant "hip". ...when you are unable to identify an entire genre of music.

I enjoy the parish newsletter and I've had several pairs of beige chinos since my late teens. I still consider myself pretty groovy.

Unfortunately you probably will want to get another survey done specifically to address your concerns - it's always left ambiguous in the standard home buying surveys. If the mortgage provider is happy and they're also insuring against the possible costs of remedial work then that's a good sign and should give you peace of mind - I certainly wouldn't let it put me off buying.

...when you start repeating yourself

Good idea, not one I've thought of or heard elsewhere. I don't know what a "TRN" is, but if I remember rightly there was a £30 victim surcharge mentioned in the other thread that's going atm - I'm guessing that is the LA's cut? Edit: tree replacement notice? do I win a prize?

Answer in writing, add £200 to the bill.

£600 for a beech, £1500 for a Fagus.

...you fail to recognise the top of your own head in photographs

Good article. If you believe in tolerance, you should start by tolerating those who don't. Failure to do this is not only hypocrisy but it also undermines your cause. Harassment is sufficient grounds for prosecution, the reasons for harassment shouldn't come into it. I'm also uneasy with things such as "inciting racial hatred" being criminal in-and-of themselves. Inciting actual criminal acts is one thing, but trying to persuade other people to come round to your way of thinking, however odious, should be every person's right. For some reason I'm reminded of my history teacher explaining how, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia "became democratic and banned the Communist Party". I got a detention for pointing out the contradiction. He'd have caned me if he could. He's dead now.

Strange. I find youtube woodturning vids particularly enjoyable bath-time viewing. I like the worththeeffort ones best - they're well edited, the guy is personable and his accent tolerable, and he gets straight into the meat of the topic without all the "please subscribe" and unscripted waffle you usually get for the first 5 minutes of most others'. I usually get out of the bathroom somewhat wrinkly but feeling like an expert.

I agree with everything else you said, but not the bit I've quoted. A 15% volume reduction is hardly noticeable, and 35% is way off "pollarding territory"! Let's suppose a the crown is a sphere, 10m diameter. Cutting back from the centre (lifting, topping, sides)... to get a 15% reduction, you take about 25cm off in each direction. to get a 35% reduction, you take about 70cm off in each direction. If you half the radius, you're only left with 1/8th of the original volume. Specifying reductions in terms of volume is a really bad idea imo. Much better to say "cut back to 4m from stem", for example - it is much easier to visualise (for person doing the work, person making the decision, and client), and doesn't require a before-work-started reference to check the result against. That said, I too like the ambiguity and freedom given by a spec to "reduce by 25%".

You're probably right, but we'll all be speaking Terrorist and eating ebola by then anyway. That's if oak processionary moth or the Poles haven't killed us all in the meantime. I blame Vince Cable.

I agree with the above comments, if there is no TPO on the tree, you should be fine - you are correct about the rules and the 6 weeks starts from 15th Jan. I also agree that the wording of the response seems wrong for a S211 notice, probably is a clerking error in using a TPO response form by mistake. BUT.... If the TO is "a bit of a stickler" (euphemism?), why not phone the LPA and ask to speak to him/her yourself? When you do, be extra courteous and grateful for all the help provided. I can't imagine it costing you any delay, it would give you peace of mind, and may gain a beneficial relationship.

Here's the application link, in case anyone's interested. It's not great work, and does seem to have exceeded the permissions somewhat, but in my opinion it's not as terrible as the article and some of the criticism here suggest. Good that the law was enforced (how rarely does that happen), and the penalties seem reasonable - it looks to me as if the misconduct was negligent rather than malicious. Curious about there being so many different actors involved, though.

Does hedge porn still exist? When I was at school it could be found in any urban woodland, haven't seen any for at least 15 years. Maybe Natural England has different priorities in your region.

it's these foreign beetles that keep our ailing ecosystems going. frankly, we just don't have the home grown beetles to feed our mammals and birds. I blame thatcher.

Haha! I had wondered. Normally a joke that needs to be explained isn't funny, but somehow not getting it added to the payoff in this case!

I don't know - I really like it. The burr gives you the naturalness, the sphere gives you mathematical perfection: I think your simple, well balanced plinth manages to contrast with both of these elements and really show the orb off.

Edit: Pat Condell This guy needs some self-awareness. Sure, there are plenty of left-leaning people who can't abide hearing alternative points of view, who exaggerate, and who can't allow for nuances in complex situations. But this isn't a left-wing phenomenon: bigotry can be heard from certain preachers for any political stand-point. This guy typifies this. Also, "progressives" has a particular meaning, I think he means "liberals" or "politically correct" or something like that, but in this context "progressives" is just wrong. He's using it, wholly inaccurately, like a term of abuse. He might as well say "poofters".

I don't think those images are photoshopped, but I'm not sure what point is being made by posting them (repeatedly). The French government declared a state of emergency and deployed their soldiers in their towns (and beaches, apparently) - so what?

1. More people died, but hardly surprising as many more people were alive! The proportion of people killed through violence is going down decade by decade. I think you need to justify that statement. 2. ISIS, the Taliban, the LRA - a few counterexamples of fanatically religious regimes even more brutal than those you chose. Also, for NK and Cambodia (Khmer Rouge?) - these are hardly candidates for enlightenment governance: more like cultish religions.

(I think you know the answer). I tried to swing it round to war with Russia last night, maybe I was too subtle.

The problem here is that the "meantime" might be a very long time indeed! 7+ years to become a doctor, paid for mainly by the Department of Health, at which point the newly trained doctor has everything they need to leave the NHS for a better paid private job, here or in the USA. 3+ years to become a nurse, paid for largely by the student, at which point a difficult, stressful and dangerous career that pays slightly below the national average wage. Given that our health bill is rising so much quicker than our economy is growing, I can't see us investing anything like what is needed to replace the migrant workforce with the next 20 years.