sime42
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Everything posted by sime42
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I had the same inspiration after reading the Lars Mytting book. I was dubious about the top down method until I actually tried it myself. It really does work surprisingly well. Must admit that after a while I reverted to normally using the conventional down top method though, as never had a problem with lighting our stove, and no excessive smoke. It's not as fun though! Agree with a previous point, there's no excuse for firelighters; nowt wrong with newspaper or card and a few sticks of nice dry kindling, (old floorboards are perfect). It's always good to reduce smoke, pollution anyway. -
It's probably loved the heat this year.
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Impressive. It looks more like a pepper in form and size. How long did it take to get that big?
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Good point, me neither. I didn't notice the grotty blue plastic first time around. Not really in keeping is it? Apparently it's made entirely from their own oak, largely steam bent. So I guess that includes the lathes. Apparently "The joints were made from recycled aluminum signage from across the site." Maybe they were concerned about steel staining the oak.
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Do you need to get them out for some reason? If not then you could just leave them there as they won't regrow, being conifer, and will rot down relatively quickly. The stumps are dulling the chain rapidly because of the soil and small particles of sand that are embedded the bark. If you're determined to remove them by hand then a sharp Mattock is the best tool by far. Plus a hell of a lot of time, sweat and exertion!
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A crucial but rather inconvenient fact that's often overlooked, ignored or even disputed.
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This is nice, in aesthetic and concept. The actual mechanics of the structure inside is initially a bit disappointing, (would have been good to see some real timber framing on show), though I think I get the reasons why they did it like that. Invisible Studio unveils timber shelter "made with many hands" at Westonbirt arboretum WWW.DEZEEN.COM Invisible Studio has collaborated with local community groups to design a shelter from timber sourced within the Westonbirt...
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Exactly. That's it, we could end this discussion right there with that summation! As an addendum. We are all, to a greater or lesser extent, complicit in the transfer of wealth to the huge multinational corporate beasts like Amazon, BP, Monsanto, Apple etc, (and their attendant parasites such as law and banking companies). We don't have to drive the mile in our SUV to the supermarket or school, keep our houses warm enough to wear shorts all year round, eat meat every day, buy the latest iPhone every year, have the biggest TV, have that bit of plastic tat delivered from China in 15 minutes.............blah blah blah. The list is endless. All those needless purchases just mean less money for us and more for them. It all comes down to overconsumption, I think anyway. No point fretting about the state of affairs unless we're willing to change our own habits.
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It's a bleak outlook for us all, that's for sure. As always, Climate Change and destruction of the natural world dwarf all other current concerns. The thing is, it doesn't matter how much wealth those in the upper echelons, the Oligarchy, possess; it'll be of no use when the world is burning and/or flooding to death around them. They live physically on the same planet as the rest of us lowly beasts. The irony is that the majority of the wealth that they're amassing is derived from human activities that are causing the aforementioned catastrophe. The stupidity of man.
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Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West
sime42 replied to Big J's topic in General chat
That all sounds idilic. The outdoor education aspect is so important for children, sadly massively undervalued in this country. The reduction of exam stress must be almost as important as well. I'm curious; what's the Swedish immigration policy like? You'd have thought it would be pretty tough, with life so good there. Something like the Aussie system, or the UKs these days for that matter. The house price differential is just crazy! -
They do seem to be late this year don't they? I only picked our first one a couple days ago. Strange when so much wild stuff seems to be really early. There's damsons almost ready round here for instance.
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I reckon it's worth investigating JSP masks, they're good. Screwfix used to have some very comfy and effective ones for a decent price, though they seem to have stopped selling that particular model now unfortunately.
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Hi. Thanks, that's good to know. I use mine mainly for wood turning, or other dusty power tool jobs like belt sanding or cutting concrete slabs with a grinder. Also used it when replacing the glass fibre insulation in the loft, it's essential for that. The only problem is that I find it has the tendency to slip down, forward when working in head down positions.
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I can also vouch for the these, they're brilliant. I bought mine for £200 though, from FFX a couple years ago. Though if the OP wants it for working outside in the garden it may be a bit big and bulky.
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Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West
sime42 replied to Big J's topic in General chat
Enjoy. Minimal unpacking and maximal leisure for the first couple days is in order I reckon. We're not jealous, honest! -
A very good point. If anything has changed in the last 40 years it's human psychology, not physiology. Especially since we no longer really get cold winters due you you know what. To my mind, the only people that should need such warm banks are the elderly or infirm. I reckon most of us over a certain age didn't have CH as nippers. Only 30% of households had it in 1970, 47% in 1975.
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Isn't it just that there's very little demand for decent quality edge tools nowadays? So no real commercial incentive. With so few people working on the land most people buying billhooks etc aren't relying on them to make their living, so it doesn't matter if they're not very good. There must have been plenty of impurities in the old carbon steels. I think the key is just the high carbon content. The Morris guy said he uses spring steel, (automotive) to make his tools.
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The other problems with botulism, apart from not being able cook away the toxins, is that you can not see, taste or smell it. I may be wrong but I had the idea that it could also grow on non meat foods, anything where the acid level is too low. Kimchi is like Sauerkraut with lots of garlic and chilli I think. Plus other potent things like fish sauce and dried shrimps. Not too sure about the latter two personally.
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Keeping them out - While getting them in ??
sime42 replied to John Skinner's topic in Firewood forum
You must have the Almond flavour variety Mealworms then. Mine are distinctly savoury, very like good old pork scratchings in taste, sorry, I mean smell! -
I favour the Lydl or Aldi gherkin jars. They're a good size, seal very well and seem to last for years. Proper sterilisation is obviously important but I reckon at the end of the day you're never going to harm yourself too much with fruit and vegetables. The only real danger is Botulism, but that's pretty rare, especially if things are heated well first or kept in an acidic environment, like vinegar or the lactic acid that's produced in Sauerkraut and similar fermented stuff. Meat and fish on the other hand ........... I'd love to try making something like salami, but haven't the balls for it. Or climate for that matter.
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I bought a food dehydrator years ago. I had big plans to dry all sorts of stuff. However, I bottled it as soon as I realised quite how many hours I'd have to have it on continuously for. All that lectric! I've never done a costing, though I suspect it may not actually be that expensive as it runs at quite a low temperature. Still, I only really use it for drying climbing beans, to eat and for sowing the following year. We dry chillies by stringing them up in a front window. It's south facing so full sun all day. Works well. Not bought chillies for years.
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Great video. Essential tools for hedging;- a billhook, a slasher, an axe and a nice pipe! Those tools were bloody sharp. The modern Morris billhooks certainly do need a serious re-profiling. I bought one for my brother a while back, it was shocking. The profile was like a chisel, must have been about 30 degrees or more. More like a BnQ tool or something. Odd as Morris used to be a well respected brand I think. I was lucky enough to have an impromptu factory tour of their place in Devon years ago. It was quite a treat, the main guy was a real character. He gave us a demo of the final stage - grinding the shoulders back to produce the proper edge profile. He was doing it on a huge stone wheel, big plume of sparks, no guarding or PPE in sight! It's now closed sadly. Maybe why the tools are a bit crap these days.
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Great video. Essential tools for hedging;- a billhook, a slasher, an axe and a nice pipe! Those tools were bloody sharp. The modern Morris billhooks certainly do need a serious re-profiling. I bought one for my brother a while back, it was shocking. The profile was like a chisel, must have been about 30 degrees or more. More like a BnQ tool or something. Odd as Morris used to be a well respected brand I think. I was lucky enough to have an impromptu factory tour of their place in Devon years ago. It was quite a treat, the main guy was a real character. He gave us a demo of the final stage - grinding the shoulders back to produce the proper edge profile. He was doing it on a huge stone wheel, big plume of sparks, no guarding or PPE in sight! It's now closed sadly. Maybe why the tools are a bit crap these days.
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Keeping them out - While getting them in ??
sime42 replied to John Skinner's topic in Firewood forum
I didn't know you could eat woodlice, don't think I am that way minded though. Not yet anyway. Saying that; I was filling a bird feeder yesterday with some dried mealworms and they really did smell very appetising. Just saying.........
