Taupotreeman

Welcome welcome.

Me too. Interesting that something we don't know suddenly makes us oh so nosey.

Never mind the tree, what size is that saw? It looks like a beast. You must have arms the size of tree trunks, especially swinging it around one handed.

Reckon some of you fellas on here should get together, pick out the best photos and publish one of those fancy arty books. Reckon you'd make a small fortune with it.

I worked in Wales for two and half years. Can't remember one dry day

I only climb on one rope unless I'm doing a big tree and I need a second for ease of positioning but I do use a side strop as a second anchor. Same as Rupe; I'm the boss so I do as I need within reason.

Are they rain clouds? In Wales? Nice view though.

There's a local guy here who just asks the price of the other quotes when he talks to the customer and undercuts the lowest price regardless of if he'll take a loss on the job. I think the basic idea is that he will increase his customer base and then slowly increase the prices again. It doesn't always work obviously as there is the danger that the customer will move to another outfit once you put your prices up but what I've found in general is that the customer gereally (at least around here) won't bother getting other quotes if they have a supplier they have used for years. This can end up costing the customer way more in the long run but they don't seem to care. No point dropping your prices (if your prices are competative) to match someone else. It's a quick way to go under.

Ahhh. Wouldn't have thought this thread would have been one that could encourage a reply you could be banned for. Obviously I'm wrong.

Is that banned as in well, banned?

Nice! Toast and tea all over the keyboard now thanks Hama.

Of no help whatsoever I'm afraid but doesn't this stuff really REALLY naff you off? I mean, you've done the work and now you have to chase. It wouldn't be so bad if people could be bothered to let you know what was going on so that at least you could budget.

The best of days.

In that case I reckon you best bet is to try and get the boss to allow you to have some down time to bring all the groundies up to spec. Treescape and Asplundh both have 6 monthly safety days. Aerial rescue from the tree manually and also bucket rescues are practised along with a first aid refresher. Asplundh particularly expects you to practice both once a week and sign a form to say you have done so. If you are meeting your targets I see no reason why the boss would say no. You can also point out it will give his groundies a bit more experience should he need them to tackle a bigger job one day. It only takes one or two hours a week to get the guys used to what is needed and in to a routine. If you set the access lines up for them you've done the hard part.

Had a lot to do with safety at the last outfit I worked for and on all the bigger jobs we tried to get a competent groundy along with the main climber but very rarely did I see an access line up a tree for speed. Now I work for myself and, because needs must, I work by myself a lot of the time there's no one to rescue me anyway should things turn to custard. Not great I know but that's the decision I've made short term. You're basically between a rock and hard place. You could approach the department of labour but don't expect any back up from them until things actually do go wrong. They have said to me that they can't do anything until there is an accident. More like they can't be bothered (but that's a whole other story). I reckon your best option apart from refusing to do the work, is to tell the boss you'd like a fully competant climber for the jobs you're not comfortable with. Basically set yourself a limit of what you are happy to do with a half pie climber on the floor. And always stick up an access line and have set of sharp spikes available on anything that's even remotely iffy. Even better if you can talk the boss in to giving you a couple of hours each week to practice rescues until you're confident your groundy can do the job. You probably know as well as I do that if you go to the boss all guns blazing you'll be out on your ear and fat chance the employment courts will do much on your behalf. It will probably boil down to how good a bloke the gaffer is. Oh. and I have never known any company be all about health and safety when profit margins are tight. Heard that all before but safety usually comes down the pecking order behing profit and productivity. Or to get cheap ACC premiums (which ACC push hard even though they know they are being screwed by the big outfits).

Might get some sideways glances for this one but having grown up with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings it wa great to see that trilogy finally given the decent film treatment it deserved. It also gave me another excuse to ogle Liv Tyler And, I also loved the new Star Trek and the Indiana Jones. I also agree that Leon and Ronin were choice films and that Jean Reno is an underated actor.

Family ties initially stopped my dad from wanting to emigrate to NZ but when he realised that he was a) putting everyone elses wants and needs before his own and b) that they are only a phone call, flight or, these days, skype call away, he decided that he'd do what he wanted. Think of it this way too. If you emigrated you could give the family a really good holiday in a place they might not normally go to.

Well , if the thread is going to be closed anyway can I just take the opportunity to wish the best of luck to the guys and gals involved in any missions over there. Regardless of our opinions on the military action, those on the front line don't have a choice as it's their job. So here's hoping, no matter what country they are from they all come back safe and sound.

Bloody brilliant. Penn and Teller required to show us how it was done.

Is the UK still buying gas from Russia and cheap goods from China? May not have the typical despotic leader but China has one of the highest rates of poverty in the world. You can't win really.

I was always an introvert at school. Very much the shy boy and kept to myself. I got roped in to singing a solo at the local Parish chruch and I've never been so scared in all my life. The school tried to get me there the following year but I made my excuses. A few years later I was at business college and was explaining my fears to one of the tutors. He told me to act. Act the extrovert, put on a show. If someone gives you a put down throw it back at them. If you are public speaking act like YOU are the man and YOU know everything. I didn't believe a word of it but gave it a go anyway. I couldn't believe how well it worked. People find you weaknesses but if you put on the act it's easy to hide your fears.

Tell me more.

What I was getting at was the fact that India is one of the world's fastest developing economies and one of the largest, not withstanding they can afford to have nuclear armourments so why is the UK giving them aid that they can obviously afford themselves? Add to that the recent commonwealth games, cricket world cup etc and too be perfectly honest they don't need aid. What they need is a rethinking of their priorities. As far as a third world war I would be more worried about those that are technically equiped such as NK or Iran. A good friend of mine who is very into his militaria seems to believe that it will more than likely be a rogue state or dictatorship and certainly if someone like Ghaddafi threatened many of those in the Arab league would not put up with it.

Really looking forward to the new version of The Dambusters, especially being a mad Lancaster fan.

My top ten often canges places but Close encounters of the third kind always ends up at number one. You know a good film when you see it in the advertising and think "I won't bother with that' but then can't turn it off once it's on.