Taupotreeman

Despite being perfectly happy where I am, sometimes I forget what I left behind. I can be brought back down to earth with a bump when I see inner city living etc but some of these "country" pics remind me of what I grew up in. And the first picture is missing Geese and ducks.

Gotta say; that wall looks remarkably stable and intact. The tree looks like your local builder has just sat down for lunch. Nice find David.

Father Zed; don't let it put you off doing something you maybe possibly love. There's more than one way to skin a cat, possibly just give it some consideration and look at all your options within the industry. If you want to be outside and working with trees there's heaps of options, you just have to find the one that best suits you, your income requirements, your physical capabilities and your experience. I'm currently looking at training up a 50 year old to be my groundy in the short term. Mad maybe but he's keen and likes working with trees so why shouldn't I give him a go? I don't expect him to climb except to be able to perform a rescue and we don't have to go like a bat out of hell as we work for the council. Long term I'll get a younger fella on to do the big stuff and the more tricky work but it still shouldn't stop this older guy from being able to work on the crew.

I'd have to agree with a couple of the others that said it was dangerous trying to go self employed with the lack of experience you have, especially when you are starting out in the trade at 40+. I'm not ageist and I don't wish to put you off but I have just had to give up full time SE work (at 40) as I am no longer young enough (and the body won't hold up long enough) to work fast enough to be able to compete price wise with some of the other outfits. Add in to that the number of companies out there and you may be battling for every penny, against guys who have been in the trade for a long time. If it were me in the same position I'd be tempted to do a couple of base courses before commiting to a long term degree and, if you are keen on the self employed route, start small. Don't invest in too much gear and sub yourself out as brush dragger to other companies to get some more experience on the tools. At least you'll get more of an idea of what you can physically manage to do, if this level will be sufficient to keep you competative and also it will give you chance to get a better perspective on the market and if there is sufficient work out there to support you. I now work for council which gives me my secure income, then do my own work at weekends. Don't forget, if you invest big in the gear it's going to break down sooner or later and will need replacing. That includes you. Whichever route you take I wish you luck.

Slightly off track from the main topic of conversation here but I don't think enough is made of the addictiveness (is that a word?) of hard drugs. It's all well and good to say that someone has it all and has pissed it up the wall but until we are in such a position of being addicted and stuck in that cycle, it's hard to pass judgement. Anyone who has tried and tried again to give up smokes or alchohol etc would maybe attest to that. Being a social drinker, binger drinker and full blown alchoholic are only a few small steps away from each other. I doubt Ms. Winehouse was coherent enough for long enough to kick the habit. This has little to do with media coverage etc i know but maybe we just need to reign things in a little.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the media, it's the story that sells advertising space and gets viewing figures. I wasn't a great fan of Ms. Winehouse but she's the big news. another death in Afghanistan etc is just hohum to most of the population today. Also, Ms. Winehouse is more likely to hold the interest of the British public rather than the goings on in another country hence the possible lack of interest in the Norway story despite the huge tragedy.

Airstreams are great with spikes on. Still remain nice and stiff. As for waterproof? 3 years old and still don't let in a drop.

I bought a Canon Eos 1000D twin lens kit, on special, after advice on here from the guys. OK so it's now been superceeded but I'm stoked with it and still haven't learnt how to use it properly. It should keep me going for years. Takes awesome photos too compared to my old cheap and nasty point and press.

This happens in management too. I see it often when a manager or micro manager, rather than cause upset in the ranks, will defer a decision to a higher authority, skirt the subject or avoid it all together rather than just making a decision there and then at the risk of briefly upsetting an individual. People can get over a straight yes or no answer, what they don't like is getting the run around. If you can learn to say no in the first instance when required it will save a lot of issues and problems long term.

Spent the night with my feet up in front of the fire flicking between MTV classic and continuous ITM rugby watching the poor buggers from Auckland and Wellington play 80 minutes in a freezing southerly and hosing rain while I remained toasty. Hit the sack at 9 for a well deserved night of sleep.

Have a look at the Klimba Air Tirrols. Big roomy boot and my current second fave. Very chunky and stiff though so if you do a lot of spike work they're excellent.

I stand corrected.

Me too. No problems with registering this end. Good luck.

CraigD; Yep, I went up and had a look around the shop. I bought my first pair from Honeybros after reading several boot threads on here. I just took the chance on getting the right size etc. When I was buying new gear for my council job I had the chance to go up and have a look at all the kit first hand at treetools rather than on a website. They carry a good range of boots and other gear up there and the staff are helpful, especially if you manage to catch Drew in the shop. Having said that I didn't actually try any on of the boots because I already new how good the airstreams were. The only toss up was between those and the Klimbas but the airstreams just ran out the winners. As long as you haven't got wide feet you'll love em. Once they're broken in they are soooo comfy. I was once told you spend half your life on your feet and the other half in bed so invest in good boots and a good bed. Sound advice if you ask me.

Hama, just wondered but if you stood still long enough would you take root?

Will people never learn.

I found the airstreams are quite a narrow fit, more like a walking boot. The klimba air tirrols are better if your a bit of a sasquatch. They are a much roomier boot. Just bought my second pair of airstreams but toprotter is right; they do get warm in summer but who cares. They kick ass in winter when all my colleagues are freezing with wet feet in their John Bull's and Blundstones.

As far as my comment about the TV goes; I was meaning more along the lines of what Stephen Blair said. If you don't ask for a discount you don't get. And yep, I've had plenty of people try it on with me after the job has been done. The same old questions; do I get senior citizens discount, what if I pay cash etc. If you don't want to give them a discount just say no, that's the price you were quoted, that's the price you pay. Of course you get the odd pillock who wants to try it on big time but surely you can't knock a man for trying? How many have walked up to the counter with goods in hand and then once you're at the checkout ask if you can have a discount? Surely this is classed as willing to accept the price quoted for that item when you pick it up and head to the checkout to then only ask for the discount? I did the very thing today and walked away with 20% off ticket. Sure, it isn't exactly getting the item hope then walking into the shop a day later asking for money off but you have to try in this day and age don't you? And if you're not big enough to say no, more fool you.

They ride a heap better with a load of mulch in the back.

You reckon it's framed and on his wall?

two problems. One, it wasn't exactly planted and two, it doesn't all fit in one shot. I think I took three shots last time and still didn't get it all. DrewB might have some better pictures as he's climbed it. Found a monster of a Totara the other day though. Reputed to be over 600 years old so I'll try and get some photos of that.

I agree in the main, still being self employed to some degree but then I'm the first to be asking for a discount if I want to buy a new TV or something. Is there a difference?

That Beech avenue is stunning. Looking forward to seeing what else crops up on this thread.

What you need to do Rob is find someone elses money to spend on new gear like I did.

Not sure about the grafter but I have the Elf with a 3.1 motor and 2.8 tonne load. Isn't exactly the gruntiest thing in the world, in fact I'd say it's pretty gutless. Absolutely useless off road. It'll get stuck at just the site of wet grass. Cab is fit for people under 6 feet tall and of the smaller build otherwise, with two people in it would be extremely cramped. Having said that, it's as reliable as heck, hasn't really let me down yet, turning circle is awesome and it's light and easy to drive. If you're towing or loaded though it will suck through the diesel.