Ty Korrigan

Perhaps, tell him to carry a pouch around his neck or on his person with some Celox in it? My elderly neighbour fell over in his hallway, whacked his nose. It looked as though a murder had taken place and when he showed me his bruises a day or so later... I feel for you guys on the rat poison.

13km closest station.

Wow! WTF! I never considered that LPG was that rare! Nothing for 20mins. Might be the very reason the truck is for sale... Stuart

So I find myself at a crossroads. I need a new truck though ideally if it can make one more year, that would be a great help to me. I am also looking at tracked MEWPs in order to reduce my dependency on capricious subby climbers. The truck... I work around a large city that will soon become an ULEZ I also do very few kms, around 10k and often the truck barely reaches operating temperature locally. I understand that gas is cleaner and better for short journeys. I have seen a 7.2t Daily LPG auto box, 4 years old 70k kms Anyone an opinion on LPG engines? Stuart

How on earth are you going to effectively treat such a large tree? Maybe install a stuffed cat or owl?

No. Are the original reversing lights obligatory for the MOT? I wonder if a less expensive option is rear spots activated by a switch in cab...?

I'll look for an auto electrician tomorrow. My regular local garage is not keen to diagnose. Everytime I visit no-one recognises me their staff turnover is so high...

I've not the means to know.

Weird one this. Put it into reverse and the engine cuts out, all power including lights. Unplug reversing sensor, no issue except it won't pass the 'control technique' (MOT) Bought a new sensor, worse, reverse lights on all the time. Change plug, no change. What is likely to be the issue here? Stuart

Yes, I was very perturbed by the clients reaction and when I looked him up on FB his profile convinced me it was better to cut further communication.

I know nothing about forestry so my experience with the forestry expert was particularly fascinating. The poplars need to be above 50cm with a certain branch free height of stem. Sadly this plantation was only 50cm in a few trees around the perimeter and no-one had ever pruned the stems so too many branches, too many knots, not good for turning on the lathe that shaves the wood thin for boxes. Even if left to grow on for another 5 years to obtain more girth the yield would be low due to the short useable part of the stem due to a lack of pruning. Apparently plantation's regenerate from the stumps from which the best stem is selected. The whole plantations value was less that the cost of demolishing the and rebuilding the gates for access and pruning other trees and hedges. Besides, he had nowhere to stack roadside and the farmer who owned the land around the property was not amenable to allowing access for machines or roadside storage. The client exposed himself as no more than a rabid thug with his threats to get it sorted or else he'd pay me a visit wft...

Poplar is used almost exclusively for veg boxes in Brittany. 3 factories making them. I helped a Brit with a valuation (which he didn't like) for his poplar plantation. Convinced it was big money, he was angry, actually angry with me because the forestry experts report said the trees were undersized, too tall for their girth, planted too close and too early to be harvested. Plus... Zero access unless his gates could be demolished.

Same here, our B20 does sterling work and is very profitable. I have been lucky enough to find a motivated subby with a Bandit 75hp machine for larger stump jobs. I string jobs together and we do a grand tour. There are days I have cleared 2k after paying my colleague. Sadly it has been 3 months since I last won a stump job... Stuart

This is a common Evangelical Christian stand point often punted by Pastors with a Grindr account...

You could always brace it with threaded rod. Needs a powerful drill and alot of strength to prevent it jamming and the torque ripping it out of your hands. I've done a few smaller trees like this one yesterday that had developed a split.

Here in the East of Brittany, I've not had one quote accepted since 12th April. In the 3 weeks I was away in Morocco from 17th April, only one solid enquiry but no response as yet to my quote. I've around €10k booked in, spread over the next two weeks or so. Currently no debt and a healthy bank balance. Looks like a relaxed second half of June and I effectively shut shop for July and August. Third year of doing so. Off to Morocco for a month or more, cycling through the Atlas, maybe dip a toe in the Saharan sands. Now friends whose outfits are in the West of Brittany are booked up 3-6 months due to storm Ciaran last November. I also believe that social media posts concerning bird nesting season and misinformation over the 'Arrete Prefectorials" that apply to farmers being misrepresented as applying to the public. A constant source of debate even on the "Dull Club" on FB Stuart

How about growing some of these to brew your own hippy concoction...

Why do you think you have such an abundance of work when the general climate is so lean? Tell us your f**king secret, NOW!😆

As am I, all at sea myself with every decent looking machine a thousand miles away across Europe. The French do not understand the word 'depreciation' and have told me to my face several times that they ship their used machines out of Europe. The Italians won't answer my emails but I can call the Dutch and Germans and speak in English, better stock too. Anything in the Baltic states was probably stolen from France and Germany anyway. Anything in Ukraine certainly was.

Ah! Now I understand what you meant by full width ramps. I was thinking you had a plant trailer. I've not found a machine as yet. There was an interesting Teupen for €50k near Hamburg but I couldn't time a visit before my holidays. I viewed a Spider Platform in the flesh at a local dealership but other than that the 18-20m catagory are thin on the ground in West France. I begin my quest again in two weeks.

I visited a trailer dealership this morning to look at their Brian James plant trailers. Trying to work out what trailer length and ramp I will need. What size trailer do you have and do you have any images of yours loaded? Be a help, cheers. Stuart

I put in some rose garlic last Autumn. Seems to be doing well enough. I sowed my excess shallots. Onion sets, red and Roscoff rose. The black plastic is an excellent means of ensuring the soil is free of weeds with only dandelion roots surviving. These are easily plucked out when I lifted the soil with the broadfork. I passed the rotavator over just once to create a tilth. Sowed 5 types of spuds over about 80m2 They kept well enough being left in the ground over the Winter. I've included more violet ones which my daughter is fond of. I hope the strawberry bed will be productive again. I must make another row from the rooted runners and each year a fresh row planted through coco fibre matting. I'll start seed sowing shortly but I've still another 80m2 to turn over and the weather is dire tomorrow. I'm not sowing anywhere near as many French beans. Or any carrot colour other than traditional orange. Kids wouldn't eat them and tbh they has a weird musty earthy flavour. Radish and early turnip, flea beetle devastated these. Late sowing of turnip worked but suffered a worm that ate the interior. White onions, cheap to buy so not bothering and sticking to sowing the expensive varieties. Sweetcorn was a great success so I'm upping the area. Only one squash plant is required. Jerusalem artichokes, slug magnets and too knobbly to be bothered cleaning the soil from. Not as represented on the label. I'll squeeze in some tomatoes outdoors where possible. Try to be more proactive with the Bordeaux mixture as with the wet Summer we had a bad season of blight. Stuart

Apologies, image not too sharp. Sent by a member of the Lochnagar crater association on the Somme. The hawthorn and other small trees around the crater is infested with these caterpillars. What species are they? Thanks Stuart

I like a tight bush to thrust a well lubed pin in...

To my untrained eye, they look 'mature'...