Gnarlyoak

Found this chap ambling along the pavement on my local high street, decided to give him a lift to my local allottment before some big footed muppet squished him. Critter was abot 7-8cm long, anyone any ideas what it might be? I was thinking maybe Humming-Bird Hawk Moth, but can't seem to find a caterpillar pic of that species that matches this one!

Its oh so quiet! Work still wanted, most things considered. Please get in touch with any offers that you feel could be of interest. Many thanks,

No worries mate. Your right thery'e not cheap, best way to look at it is at least you got your spikes for free! Be interested to know how you get on, a) is the item compatible with Buckingham C irons, & b) if you do decided to purchase them, how does it feel to wear/climb in them. I've recently bought a pair of Buck C's myself, 2nd hand hardly used and in very good nick. However having used spikes in the past with a nice padded calf velcro pads, I could be interested in upgrading mine if they make for a good fit. Course works a bit light at the moment so its yet another item to add to the bottom of my "shiney shiney new toy wish list"!!

Dunno if they will work Ben, but on page two of "The climbing irons & accessories" on Sorbus's website there is an item called Velcro Cushion Wraps. Click on the item and reading thru the blurb, it suggests that it would fit "most climbers"! Velcro Cushion Wraps - Sorbus International Like I say, no idea if they would be a suitable replacement, but might be worth a quick ring to Sorbus and have a chat with someone. Good luck m8.

QUOTE: " Im off to make a brew now I will pick up the kettle, place under the tap, turn on the tap and fill kettle to required level taking care not to spill, turn off the tap and place kettle on the base, boil kettle and pour hot water onto teabag in cup taking care not to spill or over fill. Leave to brew for 60 econds and put in some milk, blow before sipping tea " Actually Dean, I think you'll find that you should let the tea brew for approximately two minutes and then remove the tea bag before adding milk and stirring. Pfft.... with tea making skills like that, no wonder it takes you so long to fill out a simple piddly lil 'ol method statement!

Hi M8, Called and left contact details. Have PM'd you with personal details & experience. If I can help out, please give me a call.

QUOTE: The bit that brought a sting to my eye and a bit of a lump (and i am in no way ashamed to admit it) was when he described how he would never see his daughter in her wedding dress. Heart wrenching that. QUOTE: One single mother of eight was quoted as saying, "I never knew Moat but I loved him.He was a hero" If a psychotic gunman turned up on her doorstep, shot and killed one her of brats', maimed another and left a third blinded for life, would she consider that individual a "HERO"? I think not! Feckless, job shy, benefit scrounging, scumbag, bury me in a Y shaped coffin slappers like her should'nt be allowed to breed! IMO!

I've also just cleared a large area of weeds/brambles (upto 8ft high), brushcutter & strimmer used, and all brash cleared to redundant area of the site. Was debating using Glypho (Roundup) on the re-growth later this month. Question I have, the plan is to turn the area into a wildflower meadow with a mixed fruit tree orchard (apple/pear/plum), how long after spraying the roundup will it be safe to plant fruit trees?

Hi newbie48. E-myther sent. Hope to hear from you. ukminch. Cheers for the recommendation Rob. Thats another pint I owe you mate. R

My guess would be its got to be the result of a long cold winter with prolonged periods of sub zero temperatures. When you think of where they would grow normally, in Southern Europe, they thrive in an environment with high temperatures and low rainfall!

Bumpity bump bump. Still looking/available for work. Any offers please PM or contact me direct on 07904 309721. Cheers.

Spooky, I did just last Friday, chogging down a large lightning struck ash in Cheshire. Had noticed a few bumbles in the vicinity and did'nt really think much of it until I felled the main stem at about 3.5m, revealing a cavity from which several sawdust covered bees emerged. Given that bumble bees are having a bit of a rough time we decided to chog down the remaining stem to approximately the same height but leave the remainder of the trunk as a monolith and therefore save the bumbles nest. The client was more than happy with and supported our decision. So remainder of the tree was reduced, and despite several squadrons of bees buzzing about to inspect progress (yeah they did seem strangley attracted to the "buzzing" of the chain saw) they never really seemed to pose any threat or bear me any ill-will. Or so I thought. All went fine until after the last piece was taken off and I then I came down and had just got my feet on the ground when one of the little swines decided we had far outstayed our welcome and stung me right on the end of my snosch. Ow flippin ow you ungrateful little get. Spent Friday night in the pub with my mates laughing at my bulbous red swollen probiscus. You try and do endangered wildlife a favour, and look at the thanks you get. Grrrr...... next time, petrol and a match go down the cavity....

Like TOM2020 said, how the hell did he manage to hit the tree? What was the driver looking at, it can't have been where he was going! The numbty!!

I doubt you will find any organisation willing to provide you with details over the phone, as they will all be bound by the 1998 Data Protection Act. Could you not just ask the chap to produce all the relevant documents to prove his bona fides, and set a deadline on him to do so, which failure to adhere too will mean the forfeiture of his position. It will then be upto him to put up or shut up and walk away.

Climber with 8 years experience; hardworking and reliable, with all the usual tickets, plus CS47 (MEWP); 1st Aid & pre-97 driving licence with towing experience. All aspects of tree work undertaken, including ground work. Own PPE; climbing equipment and saws available along with a "can do" attitude. Located in Gtr.Mcr, looking for work opportunities across NW England or will consider further affield for interesting/lucrative projects! If you have any prospects that you would like to discuss further, then please send me a PM with a contact number and I'll get straight back to you. Thanks for taking the time to look in.

A timely thread, Just happened to notice a dead Robinia in my aunts neighbours garden this weekend in Sale, Cheshire. Apperently this and three others in the street all started to die back from spring time 2009. Now all very dead! And now I know why. Cheers for the post.

Yep, as Scotty says, 5/32" file or 4mm if you wanna be metric. If you have'nt got an MS200T manual which tells you how to tune your saw, then you can download a copy in PDF format from this link. http://www.stihlusa.com/stihl_ownersmanuals/MS200T_Manual.pdf Hope this helps.

What a great idea, not only would we have deeper resevoirs that could hold more water, we'd also have an ample supply of peat without the need for the ecological vandalism of peat exstraction from peat bogs, which are an essential carbon store as well as fragile eco reserves supporting a unique and finely balanced range of flora and fauna. Of course god forbid that we should try and force these neredowells loitering in our prisons to perform a bit of manual labour to pay their debt to society. They'll all be on to their tax payer funded lawyers crying breach of their "human rights" and looking for a 6 figure taxpayer funded payout for hurt feelings! Bah! Prison does'nt work... fact! Cost of a bullet, cheaper than the amount it costs for a prisoner to be locked up for an hour... fact! Solution to end prison overcrowding and reduce the country's budget deficit.... simples!

Aye 'cos our falling down imbrication has'nt been watered down! So when faced with the suvvern watered down pisch we're not use to not used to the extra water content. Now theres a drought on we'll all be back sharing the tin bath in front of the fire with the rest of the street come bath night. Till me dad comes home, wakes me up half an hour before I go to bed, make me eat me cloth cap dipped in dripping before beat me to death with a spade and then makein me lick me whippet clean we mi tongue. EeeeH, them were't days!

The North West of England is now officially in drought, United Utilities have just announced that a hosepipe ban is be brough in to try and conserve water stocks! Despite 2 extremely wet years, killer floods and several feet of snow for weeks on end across the region, many of the North Wests resevoirs are currently barely half full. And this has been the driest 6 month start of the year for decades, with only 53% of the average rainfall that the region would normally expect. So whats the real reason for our water shortage, global warming; climate change; wrong type of rain; lack of investment in infrastructure to keep the shareholders happy by giving them shed loads of dividend payments after the fat cat directors have stuffed their pockets and their pension accounts with their "fair share".

Not gay or owt...... But all that muscle.... and nowt to fill his G-string Believe excessive steroid taking can do that to ya lurve muscle. Is it wurv'it? And Peter Crouch does a better robot.....

Hey now Jake, sorry I missed you last time round fella. If saws are for personal use, can't see why you would need to get them dirty and risk running foul of Oz's strict pests and diseases border controls, having them covered in sawdust and tree sap. Presumably you would be OK if you had fueled them up and ran them for a bit to make sure they worked first, that kind of "contamination" should be acceptable, so long as you don't use bio chain oil, then empty the tanks & pack them up inside your vehicle, pack vehicle in container. Why not have a word with the Australian Embassy to find out for certain what will/won't pass Ozzy customs beady eyes. No probs at all selling 2nd hand kit privately in Oz, just could'nt sell on your new saws to a private 3rd party and tell them that they are covered by Stihl warranty. As to where to buy, I would have thought you could get a better price in Germany where they're made, rather than the hassle of shipping them from the UK or elsewhere to Austria. But like all things best to shop around and do a cost comparison. Have you thought about asking Gerthardt, I would of thought that OBF would get a very competitive discount from a local Stihl dealership. See if he can "have a word" and put you in touch with their supplier. Likewise, as Alex's offer, if you need an assist in the UK, give us a shout I'd be happy to help out if I can. Regards to Tegan, and a big high five to the other gays, Hobbit; Dav-la and Daimo. Take care man. Tricky

It's not causing me too many problems at the moment, it kind of comes and goes and is more annoying than unbearable. Waking up in the night and both hands "have gone to sleep" with painful pins and needles. Occasionally I find my right hand and fingers just start to go numb, when I'm driving; cleaning my teeth, err... operating a chainsaw for long periods! And just very occasionally every now and then my hand will just stop working! Very bizarre, my brain tells me I'm wiggling my fingers and yet I'm looking at a rigid claw that ought to belong to some B movie godzilla type lizard monster. It only lasts a few seconds, but very disconcerting none the less! I've had my diagnosis, now being referred back to GP for long term prognosis/treatment, which will probably mean put up with for now come back when it gets worse and then we'll think about surgery. CPS is a form of RSI (repetitive strain injury) is more common in over 40's and in my case probably resulting from operating a chainsaw and supporting its weight over long period of time. (So as ever another reminder that work positioning in our job is so very important as well as rotating tasks so that your not spending too much time doing one particular task too much/too long). Other causes can be previous damage or injury to the wrist area, such breaking your wrist or cutting the tendon, and it can also be common during pregnancy.

I've recently been diagnosed with a moderate level of CTS, apparently just below the threshold where surgery would be required as the recommended treatment. CTS is a condition that causes pain, numbness and a burning or tingling sensation in your hand and fingers. The carpal tunnel is a small tunnel that runs from the bottom of your wrist to your lower palm. Several tendons that help to move your fingers pass through the carpal tunnel. The median nerve also passes through the tunnel, which controls sensation and movement of your hand. The nerve and tendons are protected by a ridge of bone and ligaments. In cases of CTS, the space inside the tunnel shrinks, placing pressure on the median nerve. Compression of the nerve results in symptoms of pain and numbness. Does anyone else suffer from this. Did you have any non-surgical treatment which helped, or have you had surgery for this and if so how long did it take you to recover and what sort of physical limitations did you experience during your recovery?

I'm all for planting trees, but aftercare should not be an afterthought (or no thought whatsoever!!). Here are a couple of examples of two dead trees which I had to fell recently. Originally planted 6-8yrs ago by a volunteer conservation group on behalf of the LA.