Catweazle

She has Defrost and Bagel mode :001_cool:

Have you used Christmas to order something you just didn't feel you could justify before ? I have. It's my dream Toaster

Nice Daystate, Beaver, a very highly rated rifle I mostly use a Rapid Mk2 and Phoenix Mk2, for squirrels, rabbits and woodies. I'm supposed to be felling 4 acres this winter, then I'll start using 17HMR in daylight for the rabbits.

No, that's the nice Gransfors, mine is much cheaper, nastier, heavier and rustier.

I use prescription "yellows" for daytime use. They are actually specsavers "high contrast driving" tint. They're great in daylight but no use at night. The optician explained that in daylight there is too much blue light which saturates your eyes, these glasses filter blue and allow your eyes to be more receptive to other colours. I bought them primarily for spotting squirrels, but I wear them all the time in the woods as they really improve the contrast between the green leaves, brown bark and grey squirrel. Everything just looks more colourful through them.

I think you're missing the point, the sharpened demolition maul has a sharp edge to get into the wood instead of bouncing off, and it gets fat very quickly to split the wood like a wedge. Similar to the Gransfors splitting maul, but a lot cheaper;

On the subject of permission to lay roads / tracks - I have some land that is part of a SSSI ( Site of Special Scientific Interest ), when I asked English Nature ( the statutory body responsible for regulating SSSIs) if I could lay a road to help access to my woodsheds and ease extraction they were only too pleased to allow a class A track and even put me onto the Forestry Commissions scheme to pay 80% of the cost. They are very keen to get woodland back into productive use, so maybe ( just a thought ) some of you could cut a deal with some woodland owners to develop some new sites in woodlands. I know that there are more regulations and complications if you are bringing wood in from elsewhere too, but with people reporting yard rents of £200pw this has got to be worth a go - and maybe with Copenhagen on everybodies mind it would be a good time to play the renewable energy business card. If the deal included you putting the woodlands back into active production / rotation as part of the rent that might help, as I wrote, they are dead keen to get the woods working again.

I can't remember the breeders name for Max, the wifes dogs really, but Lola came from the Chancepixies breeders in Dover; ChancePixies Homepage They both have a load of champion blood in them, but we don't show them, they're pets first and foremost.

I guess that if you are at high risk of attack then a Hungarian Dobie might be needed, but believe me our two UK dogs are not shy of getting in the way of danger. We don't have problems where I live but you can see the behaviour if my wife, who they are bonded closest to, is out on the fields and a big dog or man comes close. They come back close to her, 6 feet in front and one either side, and they won't let anything closer than that unless the Mrs greets them. Funny enough the bitch, who is smaller, is the first one to challenge and investigate. Max is a big lad and he's quite happy to let Lola go and sniff people whilst he stays close in. Biggest problem, apart from the amount they eat, is that they want to sit on your lap in the evening. Max is nearly 55Kg ( he's 2" taller than kennel club breed standard ) so having him on your lap is not a comfortable option.

A Dobermann is an excellent choice as a personal protection dog, it's the only type bred specifically to guard your person. Herr Dobermann was a tax collector and dog-catcher, fed up with being robbed he bred the most vicious, protective dogs he could find - Rottweiler, Manchester Terrier, German Pincher, Greyhound, German Shepherd and a few more - until he was happy. In recent years they have been bred for a gentler temperament, they were a bit too dangerous, and now they make a great family dog. They call them Velcro Dogs because they are always stuck to your side. I have two, and wouldn't swap them for any other breed. This is my male, Max at 18 months; And here he is meeting Lola, our bitch; If you need a guard dog, you could do a lot worse than a Dobie.

I use a modified Wickes demolition maul. I have ground the blade to a much thinner sharper edge than the original. It's as sharp as an axe but obviously gets thicker quicker. It works well on most woods. For really really tough stuff, old Hornbeam "branches off trunks", I use a Log Grenade wedge and a 14lb sledgehammer. I did try a 6lb felling axe but it wasn't as good as the sharpened maul.

Must have been Rodentendron, lot of it about.

It would be more difficult for them to stack on their lorries too.

Might I suggest some Oregon plastic wedges and a mallet too ?

One thing I regret is working long hours when my kids were young. If I could turn the clock back I would change it, even though I would have struggled financially. Smart clothes and new toys don't make up for your Dad not getting home until after you're in bed.

I was at a barbeque in summer and the music was from a Bose system with an iPod plugged into it. I was amazed at the sound coming from such a small system. I've heard better sound, but never from something so small.

Could the original poster be talking about using snatch blocks ? It's like a pulley with separate side plates so that it can be added to a line that is already in place. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1VN63 http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5485626_rig-double-sheave-snatch-block.html?cr=1

I does look like an Ash, but it's a slightly different colour to the coppiced ash trees I have, they are greenish with a thin covering of papery greyish bark and little diamond shaped marks. This one is more of a gold / yellow colour. Could it be a different variety ?

Here's an unusual old pollard - never seen it in leaf so unsure exactly what it is; And an unusual Sycamore; I can get a grant towards removing the Sycamore, but I haven't the heart to cut it down as it has loads of carvings on it going back to the 70's, all "John luvs Becky" stuff from the kids in the local village.

Here's a proper straight one in my woods, apologies for the wife gurning at the camera Spanish Chestnut is a common name for Castanea sativa.

Mud Terrains would help, but on ground that soft sometimes they just dig you a deeper hole. Bigger diameter tyres are important, no good having BFGs if your diffs are stuck in the ground.

That's a good pic that shows what a properly designed pipe would look like, not very practical for normal use though. I'm wondering if something half way between that full size efficient pipe and the stubby inefficient standard pipes might be possible.

....what would it be ? I'm interested because I have a few years experience tuning two-strokes and frankly the exhaust design on saws has more in common with a 1950 DKW than a modern Aprilia. Drilling holes in a flawed design will not help much, the shape is just wrong. So, if I fancied designing a proper pipe for a saw, which one would be most popular ? Bear in mind that the pipe would be a fair bit bigger than standard and might need some awkward routing - otherwise the manufacturers would have done it themselves - I won't pretend to be better at this than the manufacturer so specialist applications might be required. Any ideas ?

What a fantastic tree - doesn't it make you wish that you could see the roots too ? I bet they're enormous.

An old photoshopped joke. Funny if it was true.