Stephen Blair

Thanks, I didn’t know about the air going in. I usually try and take deep breaths through my mouth. I’m finding coffee really helps, the caffeine opens the air waves and honey is good for coating my throat. I’ll stop milk and eggs too.

I’ve stopped the Naproxen, the coughing plus constipation was brutal. HairsOYC, as you say, maybe an infection and the phlegm has always been white apart from 1 morning it’s was thick yellow/brown so something had been in there. Hopefully a brown and blue inhaler and I’ll be right, appreciate all the input guys.

I know of 2 mills in the Inverness area up for sale, 1 band saw, 1 blade. Good value for money. ‘More projects as they are older but certainly built to last. Graham on here is selling them.

I went onto Aspen as I used to be lethargic and get sore heads a lot, mainly hedge cutting or topping conifer hedges. I felt instantly better, the extra cost I just sucked up as I worked out Cappucino was around £40 a gallon and I buy a couple every day ?

We are putting a new kitchen in so that’s our Christmas present, kids will get their stuff within our usual budget and our eldest is going his first school ski holiday in January so that’s been this years chores money. I did find my wife buying me a NOW TV dongle stick thing yesterday so that got plugged in last night and it’s been non stop movies, brilliant toy if you don’t have a smart TV. I’ll take the boys shopping tomorrow to get their mum something.

Cheers, there are certain triggers that just catch me out the blue. Hopefully the doctor will sort it. Connor hopefully the doctor will do the allergy test too.

That’s horrendous Subby, I’m getting to the point of having to stop what I’m doing and sort my breathing. I’ve started the 4,7,8 breathing today. Smells really get me and aerosols, always have done. Certain detergent and the wife’s hair spray. I’ve just removed the fan from the log burner as it must blow a lot of dust about. My dogs are kennelled but they do get in the house but that stopped last week. I’ve got huge tonsils which should have been removed as a kid so they catch everything. Just been in the hot tub for 30 minutes with the steam but still took a coughing fit in there. When I’m day dreaming and thinking really hard about something I just stop breathing, I do it at night now. Hopefully a puffer will help. We have went to town on the house with the hoover and dusters. I bought a good mask with filters last week and back on the Aspen. I’ll look up the Buttedo breathing now, thanks

In the last few months I’ve been struggling with my breathing at night time, mainly coughing and phlegm. Now it’s stopping me sleep. I think it’s been brought on by a prescription of Naproxen I was put on for my back with no thought to my child good asthma that I grew out of. I’ve been of the Naproxen for months now and the symptoms are getting worse, booked in for the Doctor next week. I went back into 2 stroke earlier in the year after being on Aspen for 5 years. It was just easier 1 day as I had ran out. I have been around saws, sawdust and running engines all my life, now 43 maybe it’s just caught up with me. I own dogs, we have a working house and I’m on the tools so plenty of triggers around me. Has anyone else been through the same and could offer me some advice please, many thanks.

How did you know?! He was a handful as a pup but plenty of exercise and consistency regarding training keeps him in order! Have to say my partner is the better dog trainer, she has even managed to train me up a little! But for all his beagleyness I love the little fella, he curls up on yer lap and snores for the evening, have to love the whole hearted aroos too!! Had two shepherds in a previous life, must put up a pic or two of them.. Beagles, the most disobedient dog know to man! So much character, so little care for anything else apart from what it wants to sniff! I knew 2 beagles called Tootsie and Bomber at a kennels we worked at for 9 months. Out of 50 dogs, those 2 were always last at coming back and first to go ?

2nd vid I’d never of considered a ratchet strap or a top handle for that matter, it would of been a 046 and a slightly deeper gob, but that’s just me. The guy was there, executed the job perfectly so I’ll keep that idea in my pocket for another day.

I’ve got NPORS and FMOC, I wasn’t paying for the CPCS. If I’m on a building site it’s long before other machinery for building works. All comes down to customer. I couldn’t do a mounding job due to planning permission as a mountain bike track was being made too and needed CPCS but wasn’t worth the time and cost for a few days on someone else’s digger.

I prefer the gate in place, keep the saw in place when coming down through thick brash stuff, not good getting hit in the face with a saw after being stuck in a big conny hedge.

Found a metal shovel years ago on a coppiced Ash while out walking the dogs, a pipeline was put through in the 70’s and a stem had grown through the handle. I went and got a silky from the house and retrieved it. Also chipped a scaffold pole that a hazel had grown through, that wasn’t a good day.

I’d say more than partially and your language is not what we want to see on this forum.

Those carry tools can get you into bother, I clipped my side strop into 1 when I first started using them, it was on a big sycamore stem and I was going by feel as I couldn’t see properly as I was wearing a water proof jacket. Caught it just in time before I undid my climbing line. Had it caught on phone lines and branches before wrestling through conifers. Makes me mad ?

If the option was there I’d have it. I bought my first heated handled 261 a couple of years ago, every saw from now on that has the option will be purchased.

Definitely pay the money and get someone in to do it for you. Stay safe.

That looks good, pockets don’t look very deep for longer wedges though. I use a joiners tool belt and just turn it round for the days I need wedges and a hammer.

It’s not the size of the top that’s the problem, it’s an in experienced guy doing something he hasn’t got the skills to do and unfortunately has paid the price. I was lucky to make that mistake very early on and it was on the ground felling and luckily as I stood motionless in the line of fire I never got hit. Another couple of feet and I’d of been a goner for sure. I was excited about having a go with an 88 with 3’ bar for the first time and just raced into it. Boss was more annoyed I had ruined a nice length of oak. I’d think you would have to have some kind of motorbike or roof rack ratchet to fit around that as a normal ratchet strap probably wouldn’t go down to that diameter and it’s something I never do on a healthy single stem. Banking or no banking, that can all be brought into consideration and done correctly. Hope this guy mends quickly and this visual representation of what can go wrong so quickly saves others from getting hurt. I was doing a line of pops on Monday and I know this video was in the back of my mind all day.

Great to read you Les! Being able to move in them on a warm day is the most important thing for me. I’ve been wearing gladiators for close to 8 years now, longest I’ve ever had out of a pair. The fly just went on them last week. That will get fixed with some tie wraps. Now I’ve bought a cherry picker I can see me getting a few more years out them as it’s always the wrestling through undergrowth that’s wrecked my trousers.

Poor guy didn’t plan on that happening. Whatever his reasons I’m sure nobody regrets them more than himself. Hope he mends quick!

Yes Geoff! got it sorted, drove it forward a few inches and that must of done something to the pressure. Legs started working. Got it rescued from the car park. I’ll renew the relays abs get someone to check it out next week. thanks

Hi. My Mewp has a fault and we couldn’t find it today. While booming out, the pressure I believe came off 1 of the legs so stopped the flow to the boom, it should then put it to the legs. But it’s hasnt. We released the valves and lowered myself down. Relays ok, sensors seemed ok. There are 2 solenoids at the back, we swapped the relays (I think )Over and still nothing. Pumps still working but just not pressurising I think. Has anyone had similar? Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Fantastic life’s and stories guys. Left school straight after my exams at 15, I was ok at school but hated the indoors and struggled with concentration and couldn’t wait to leave. Dad got me a job with a Bowling green contractor the next day. I was there for 18 months which had developed into a 3 year apprentice ship. In the middle of that I wanted to join the marines, so did a lot of running and press ups and headed off to Lympstone for the 5 day course, loved the physical but hated being shouted at so not for me. Felt I was getting treated badly at work so for the first time in my life I raised my head and said no, I’d always just done what I was told. So told the guy where to go after a 20 minute rant at him.’ Next day I was on a Posty, dad had made a call and at 3.45am I was off in the dark on my bike. Within a week I was working with my dad where we lived on site at a large sports centre where he was facilities manager. I did both jobs part time for a few months. 4am -8.30pm days. I loved it. The job with dad turned into a full time greenkeeping job for 3 years where I did my felling tickets. Usual me with my spontaneous over excitement at new opportunities, jumped at the first felling job I could find with a weeks course under my belt, left home with my life in BMW 316 and off I went to Argyl, it was brutal! I spent most of the day going for a hammer and wedge to get my saw out and I was home sick. 5 weeks later I was in a bed sit myself back in my hometown. I blew my savings in a few weeks, my car was off the road and I just went to the pub with anyone I could find, I was low and with my parents moved away and retired I would just go from friends house to friends house just to be in part of a family. I soon pissed all of them off with my behaviour and found myself alone. Got a job grass cutting and shovelling coal on the super tankers. 16 hour shifts shovelling and climbing 100’ ladders in the dark. It’s what I needed, 7 days a week and some serious graft and I could make some money and get my mojo back and get my life on track. Got myself a girlfriend too with a hard working farming back ground so found a table to sit round on occasions, birthdays and christmases. Did a couple of them myself and didn’t want to do that again. Then I had enough money and bought a harness and rope and a saw. I was now strong as an oxe, had spent a couple of years hanging off steel ladders with a shovel so running up and down trees with a saw was easy. I got a start with a company in Glasgow, learned what I had to 6 months later and the first storm I started myself. That was 20 years ago. I have found anytime I have a physical task with a bit of thinking,it’s only time my brains not driving me nuts so tree work has kept me focused. There’s obviously 20 years of self employment stories, becoming a parent and dabbling in property in amongst all that too and a lot of machinery!

Chipped a full climbing kit, ran over 2 sheep in a mog, employee sneaky rats, worked for sneaky rats, ran over a top handle saw, caught a few BT lines, caught a few fence rails, made a few dents in some lawns. Split my hand open and had 5 days in hospital, got filings in my eye and had 4 days on the couch in the dark, caught myself with silky, hit a cow in the arse with the mog. Probably more wee things but nothing epic.