Rupe

Thast a great one!! I'm sure HSE would prefer mewps only, and we would find that very contraversial.

Ok, so the requiremtn is the contraversial aspect? from a HSE point of view. The possible banning of top handles saws? The work at height regulations? That could be good, as the way it was written makes it difficult to implement in our proffesion, and so we now acknowledge it but don't make it mandatory in every job????? Ermmm........I'll have a think.......

More than average pay is still classed as semi skilled!! Its only a catagory. No tree workers get 50K+ salaries do they?

Of course it requires skills, you've got them I might have, we are all highly skilled in our proffession which is classed as semi skilled!!

I agree with all that, but as you say its facts. You need a mojority to disagree to make it contraversial. For example, abortion is a contraversial issue. I don't see whats contraversial about rigging? Theres loads wrong with it, and loads of people doing it wrong (me most of the time) but wheres the contraversy?

Even people in the "un skilled" catagory could die if they made a mistake in their job. I think you just put your own insurance premium up mate!!!!!!

Is your remit "a controversial Health and safety issue relating to our game" and then you've chosen rigging? If so I'm sure you can come up with the goods. I can't think of a contraversial side to it though?

I don't quite follow, but I could think of some subjects.... not quite sure what you mean by controversial. Rigging is an important subject, but what is the contraversial part of it? I'm just curous is all.

Yeah its semi skilled. You need skill half the time but not the rest!! "skilled" and "semi skilled" are just a catogories. It doesn't mean much, but tree work is semi skilled not unskilled like casual labouring, because it requires an understaning of machinery and techniques, but its no more skilled than other semi skilled proffessions such as joinery, plumbing etc. They all need courses but they are only semi skilled occupations. Of course you need skills to do the job, but they are skills learned in time and once you have them its not that skillful its just a job. I think the term "skilled" would be for something a bit more technical and possibly requiring a degree.. engineering for example would be a skilled proffesion.

Whats contraversal about it? If there are any of mine on here, let me know which ones first, your welcome to use them.

They've got plenty of those already! We might take the rest out at some point, not sure, no rush, other things coming up on the priority list first.

Yeah, GRCS band.

Living at home and riding a bike/bus to work £3. whatever it was, will do you fine for a year till you've proved your worth a bit more. Got to start somewhere.

Yep, with the arrow pointing to it in the second pic.

Ouch. I didn't realise it was that bad!! Oh well, get a bike! I've got a feeling I was on my mums insurance while learning, then stayed on it while I had the car to myself but when it ran out (and needed work for mot) I couldn't keep it anymore so it went, so I only paid running costs for the short while I had it.

Whats car insurance on an old style mini or fiesta? Not much I'm sure!!

You had a bike!!!! Jees, you don't know how lucky you were.......... Actually I had a car at 17, my mums old marina estate. Paid for it from working tescos and cleaning pubs while doing A' levels (fat lot of good they did me). Eventually it broke and I couldn't afford to fix it so scrapyard!! Went to work in london and did have a bike. Came back to glostershire and started tree work on £25 a day, and after a year bought a car (subaru of course). Bought my first house 8 years after starting tree work.

Yeah its 3.53 for avoiding doing any work thats the problem!

And theres more hedges that I couldn't see. probaly a third as much again!!

Going from the church I'll pan round to the right...

No I don't do these hedges thank god!! It takes the gardeners (four of them I think) three months to do the hedges, october to as soon as possible!! Late this year due to snow they have only just finished them in february!!

Slumming it today mate!! Although they did have their own Church in the back yard......

A few more pics

This is a varegated Sycamore graft. You can see the graft line. One huge limb off many years ago near the base and then another further up a few years ago, which has started to decay at that point. (top arrow) There is only half a crown on it now, and its going to be pollarded for now to see how they like it, then may removed later. The whole thing had a nasty wobby to it, it kind of twisted in the wind, not nice, but we rigged small as usual and let stuff hit the floor instead of catching it. Just didn't want to dent or damge the pristine buildings!!! They ought to get some builders in to look at that leaky roof!!

I kind of agree with everythign said, but one point I'd make is that there are probably plenty of lazy useless lithuanians, polish etc. but they are all still in their country cos they are too lazy to come here and go through the hassles that most have to put up with, language problems are just the start of it I'm sure. The fact that a lithuaniun guy is here in th efirst place sets him apart from his countrymen at home, and sets him way ahead of our english youth who live at home with mum. I wouldn't be surprised if there are plenty of decent hard workign 21 years olds, its just that have gone to Oz for some decent work, or are doing ski seasons, or whatever. If we employ local lads then they are the ones that couldn't be bothered to do much else. If someone said to me that they had a 19 year old son at home, not working, could I give him a job. I'd immediatly think there must be something wrong with him.