Ty Korrigan

It isn't only Briggs who have issues. Renault, Dacia, Nissan group have famously been taken to court by a group of owners over their TCi petrol engines. They have long been in denial of any issues and simply blamed the owners or ghosted them. Moteurs défectueux : une plainte déposée lundi au pénal contre Renault WWW.GOOGLE.FR 2.000 propriétaires de voitures Renault, Dacia et Nissan ont déposé une plainte pour "tromperie, mise en danger de la...

**** you Ashley...

Yeh yeh wiring loom yeh yeh... We had that one too. In fact the first fault the first Efi guy found was a rubbed through wire and he even charged me for it claiming not a warranty issue but a GM one. He refused to do a pressure test or anything recommended by GM. I call this 'dealer denial' A weird state of existence were they perpetuatly deliver poor service and in an effort to cover their incompetence, blame the customer for actually daring to use the machine. Though as ever, I truly hope this is the case for your chipper and that it is fixed and runs sweetly afterwards for ever more. Seems dealer denial isn't only confined to French dealers...

Flak as in a reduction posted on Arbtalk FB page...?

You ain't mad mush. The Luftwaffe produced a bomber with four engines, two engines in a single nacelle on each wing. Heinkel He 177 Greif - Wikipedia EN.M.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

What are salaried climbers on in the UK? Average ability, not worthy of Instagram but can work within 500m of a childcare facility.

In the UK, a close friend is a gardener for Southampton University. He's 2 years from retirement and has a team of six under him. Salary £32k

I'm not joking but I am actually experiencing flashbacks of anger and frustration over my experience. So much so my wife asked me what is wrong with me today.

Especially business and pricing.

I feel your pain so much I'm having to lie down as I'm experiencing flashbacks of anger and frustration. Mine had the same issues which no dealer could fix and in the end resulted in a new engine thanks to the intervention of Mark at BASCO (Briggs)in the UK. I suspect the ECU developed a fault. Why? Because there was literally nothing else electronic to replace.

Shaun, I was led a right royal merry dance by the two idiotic arrogant Efi mechanics that failed to fix a simple V twin Efi. I tell you now, go visit Ashley at GAGroundcare and leave the machine with him.

That is an excellent salary compared to France. Many climbers here are on €1800-€2400. Because the state taxes employer's almost 100% of the gross then tax the employee 25% as well.

Well, I sincerely hope that cured matters once and for all but I don't understand how 2 burned relays and a fuse contributed to difficult starting when warm. Surely, not starting at all with that level of failed parts.

Well, visiting the UK this week, we took a footpath across fields for a chippy tea and came across Malva sylvestris. However, Mrs Lee tells me the Malva eaten by her tribe is softer, less woody and no hairs on the stem. I believe this may be due to 'provinence' I've observed plant species subtly changing features whilst still being classified as the same species as I have travelled across Europe, NZ, OZ or the USA. Common hogweed was one notable ubiquitous roadside weed that caught my attention this way. A great variation in leaf profile observed as I travelled South from Brittany to Spain on velo. So I'll try buying the seeds in Morocco though they may not endure the Breton climate.

This struggle, is it unique to the smaller self employed only?

At last, a great opportunity for saying yes to the clients offer of an electric socket!

May I ask a prying question? What price are these? Thanks Stuart

Oh! I was just chatting with Mrs Lee about foraging in general. The purslane that popped up in my onions and got weeded out is a Berber favourite. I got given a hard stare for that but Mrs Lee hasn't exactly been proactive helping me manage the garden. They make an Autumn/Winter dish from it. Then she showed me Malva sylvestris and asked if we could grow that as it is again commonly foraged and grown in Morocco.

I've just compared 5 years quotes versus invoices and we are running at 61% I've looked hard at the smaller local jobs and decided that if I drop my rate a little for 2023/2024, I may win more of these jobs I can do with my wife or students which are highly profitable given they are mostly in and around town and no wages to pay out. This means I can turn down larger jobs that give similar margins but far more stress and anxiety worrying about subbies and deadlines. I'll review matters in 2024 we go for an apprentice later that year. No finance and not planning to take any on for at least 2 years when we are planning to replace the truck. We want to see what the effect of the new emissions zones has on small businesses locally and perhaps vehicules will have evolved further in technology. As I drive through the South of Rennes I see our butchers 30 year old mobile shop and dozens of tippers and vans owned by Turkish tradesmen. The high rise blocks house people who mostly run older cars and I can't imagine everyone being able to replace these by 2025. It must be the same all over Europe...

I realised I missed off chestnuts as one of my few regular wild foods which we use for soup with pumpkins. However at times over half are hosting a maggot so in despair I've binned them and gone for the Supermarket ones instead. If I get my act together, I'll give elder flower and berry cordials a go. In secret, away from Mrs Lee's eyes and nose, maybe brew some parsnip wine.

Yes, pignuts in my garden. I've read about how tricky they are to dig up. Also Samphire, picked that a few times in Breton estuaries. Alot tougher and stronger flavour than the palid farm raised stuff sold in fancy deli's. I've considered Eryngiums too but I'll need to be discreet about digging those up in the dunes. Puffballs recently appeared on the edge of the veg plot, this is the smallest being fried in olive oil. No wild garlic locally and I'm not mentally up for nettles just yet.

Aside from a few select fungi and blackberries, I've not really bothered actively looking for wild foods though I'm considering giving pignuts a serious try. A recent thread on a French gardening forum for Brits has a discussion on Japanese Knotweed with a few people advocating eating it. A quick Google brings up endless articles and blogs on the health benefits of knotweed. If it is really so nutritious, why is it not commonly sold in our Supermarkets? Anyone here regularly consume knotweed? I understand it tastes much like Rhubarb so hardly likely to be a side dish with a main course. Stuart

Thanks for getting back and reposting even though it is not good news. GA Groundcare is worth approaching as they have a positive reputation and recently become certified to work on the Efi Vanguard's. Keep us informed and good luck.

GM might be able to supply a taller chute base. They did so for my 150P. Improved the throw.

Very nice. What department is your French abode in?