Rupe

Yes, that sounds right! After I used the O'rig to perfection too, then it all went wrong!

I assumed everybody had hangovers!!? Thats what it said on the score sheet, but I can't remeber it either!? Was that the one where the venue changed last minute and where honey's tent blew away in the night?

You got a 14th in Ireland 2007 Pete!!! And that was well within the top 50% I only had a quick look at some scores, have you got a higher place than that?

Sorry "WE" were kings of the lower half, with Peter as well of course!

I remember when I was king of the lower half mate, happy days!!

I'm not sure how to take that! I'm retired now anyway! Tony, you beat me last year! You got good points in the footlock which I have never done (well no more than 1-2 points at best) and that made up for your average performance in the other events!!!!

Ireland, including N. Ireland.

I had same problem and found a way round it. Are you still having problems? I can explain what to do, its long winded but works ok.

You wouldn't have Bens number would you? Is he still there even? Pm me if you have.

My advice would be steal the winch and hope she don't notice, and leave it at that!

If the engine is still in it then ask her why it hasn't moved for so long. There must be a reason. It could be that is petrol!!!!!!! If its diesel then someone would get it going in a day no worries, under those trees it would go that colour in a year ot three, so I doubt its been sat there any longer than that. Great project, but every trip in it would be expensive!

Yes, but no more so than the difference between the two sides in the first place, if that makes sense? The shadow side is always going to be worse off. As long as you do the shadow side no more than a year after the first side, it will always be behind but then if it managed ok the first time around it will do so again. Another tips would be to cut back any trees that cause shadow on either side. Dependign on the species, think of what is going to be there the longest?

That could be just what your looking for mate! Location is spot on where you described! Great place to work and yes they take training very seriously. Only thing I would say though is that they don't work at industry speeds so don't get too comfortable there and then try and move into "real world" tree work.

I think Rich's idea about ape index has more relevance, though. Sit down on the floor, stretch out your legs straight. Now stretch out your fingertips and see if you have a positive (fingertips further out than toes) or negative (fingertips further in than toes) ape index. Thats just a flexibility test!! Not an ape factor. I can touch my toes easy, but years ago I could wrap my hand round my feet and lie down on my legs and have a little sleep! Nothing to do with length of arms, just good flexibility gained from serious hard work at stretching over many years. I am only slightly longer in the armspan than I am in height so I have a +1 ape factor

Any troubles with it after?? Mine blew a load of smoke out but thats all, started ok and finsished the job. Job was on a bank so I was really careful to not go across the bank, on a diagonal was fine. Then I tipped it putting on the trailer that I've done hundreds of times! Trapped my hand between it and the edge of the trailer (Iffor) ouch!

Constrcution companies can by pass it if they want, but they risk gettign caught. If its small bill (in relation to the project) they can put it down as a petty cash payment. Others just don't care about IR and do it there way! If you get paid by an accountant working for the company then chances are they will want it, but when I've been asked for UTR only that was to check I was a UK taxpayer (as stated above) and no tax was deducted then. Only when they required me to register CIS and put my UTR and NI number on every invoice did I then get 20% knocked off. Of course the 20% only comes off the labour aspect so if you are supplying kit (trucks chippers etc) then put some down as labout and some as "other costs". If you are labour only then you definatly should be paid through CIS.

How are the green teeth generally? Can they be resharpened or are they use, turn, use again and chuck? Tipped mine on it side today!!!!!

If your tax is up to date then they might not collect 20%, and if its not up to date then its 20% put towards your tax bill, no worries.

I think the guy Knows what it is!!!!!!! Thats not the question. If you are sole trader then the UTR will be a personal tax number, but the question was should they be asking for it for Arb work. Yes.

If your doing work for a construction company then they can ask for it. Usually UTR is just a check that you have it. CIS is a little more required, but onlu UTR and NI, and you have to register CIS with the IR. If you are doing arb work for the benefit of a construciton job (i.e. to allow the construction to go ahead) then you should be CIS registered but many get round it.

I once tried to explain that 3D thing to someone (a rock climber) and failed, but that is exactly right. And its that very thing that now makes me prefer trees over anything else, you are climbing in 3D, and whilst thats hard at first once you can plan ahead its awsome and give more freedom than rock climbing IMO. Although we are of course limited by overall height, but I always had problems once beyond the first pitch (rope length) of a rock climb so I was always limited by that. Maybe caving is similar, in the 3D sense, but now way I'm going down a hole when I could go up in the air instead!

Harness are for work......kids should climb free, they'll learn good balance and judgement skills, and what A&E looks/smells like! Hopefully once they are put off going to A&E too often they will make good tree workers in the future.

Your all getting your selves confused... You TRIM yews in summer. Cutting them hard back is a winter thing, and frost wont matter cos there aint any re growth yet! . You can sell clippings for taxol (common lime is right) but not chippings. They only take the trimmings of annually trimmed yews, its only the new growth that is any good. Not the cuttings form a cutting back job. This thread is not about trimming yew hedges.

Possibly a bit late now, late winter would be best. Be brave and cut it, and advise the client that it will take around 10years to recover. The trouble with cutting one side then the other is that the good side might continue growing and the cut side might not bother. To prevent this I would cut the best sunny side first, so its keen to put that growth back on asap. or just be brave and do it all, but in late winter. General rule of thumb with Yews, be brave and then patient!!!!!!!! Another trick for this year, would be to cut huge holes in the greenery on the sunniest sides or all round and let the light in for whole season. Then once you get some new shoots appearing inside then you can cut it back hard as planned in the winter. Whatever you do, tell them it will take ten years! Then you can keep the rest of the contract for that time at least! If they are that big then the original owner who had them planted obviously had a vision for the future, unfortunatly people don't have that very often anymore. I have just cut some Irish yews back to tall stumps, with a ten year plan to re establish them.

I've been climbing everything since the age of about 8, and rock from 12 onwards and ice for a little while too but it was too scary!!! So I was a born climber no doubt about that, its all I wanted to do but I thought it would always be just a hobby. Trees were a very hard transition, so I'm not sure if any previous climbing experience helped or not. Of course it helped to know knots and stuff, but tree technique is nothing like rock, and tree gear then was primitive by comparison. Karabiners?? I did some stuff in Alaska that I was very proud of, and my need to prove myself has diminished since then but still existed when I started tree work. Nothing I've done in tree work comes close to making first ascents on new mountains in winter! I would have like to have worked abroad more though, I think your right, the challenge is to fit in and make the grade, thats two tricks in one!