nepia

It looks like Big-Al's the man here but my penn'orth is... if they're ponticums go and put another few feet of chip on them, if they're species they won't appreciate it. It won't do them serious harm but it could inhibit flowering. If all you need do is a small amount of work raking some chip away from the stems I'd suggest that'll put everyone at ease. Rhodies are shallow rooted and like to keep them that way: that's why I've a couple of windblown 30' x12" stems available for firewood any time I want to go get 'em!

Ah. I tried!

Don't know where in Kent you are but Bromley way there's an ebay seller 'pratola-serra'. He has dozens of Tirfor-type winches (not Chinese!) He's only got one or two listed at the mo but he has others.

Looked at a similar job last year - 105 of them at 50' - took advice from someone way more knowledgeable than me who said 'with good access go for £30 a tree'. The work isn't quite the same but the formula should work for you.

The laburnum will go; it's one of turners' very favourites. The yew may or may not.

Good for you for thinking of saving the wood for turners but once you've done that several times - I've done it more but I'm a fool unto myself - you'll probably stop. Let's say they're a fickle bunch who cause exasperation to say the least and if you dare mention actually paying more than a pint for the wood... Apologies to the turners who aren't like that - and I know there are plenty - but I'm afraid you're let down too often by the others. A couple of years ago I would have sent many e-mails and made some calls to sell to turners. Now - just take an axe to it. Locally (the south-east) I'm told there's a glut of yew available.

What do you call an Aussie holding a glass of champagne? A waiter.

and stand on the said neighbour's doorstep to see just what height the stick needs to be to spoil the view.

See if this helps. http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/22585-psi-powerbox.html

Shall we form our very own little club?!

Was called a dogleg when I was farming; showoffs used to cut small bales in half with it. Not a clever thing to let the guy working the baler see!

If the knot referred to is what I think it is (lorry driver's hitch, trucker's hitch, dogleg) it does work: my CS31 instructor used it to get an entire tree down that was lying horizontal 10' off the ground after one of us felled in the wrong direction. (On that occasion it wasn't me). Jon

Ha ha. When I was a kid my dad sold one tree a year to Gray Nicolls at Robertsbridge. They didn't take from anything smaller than a 100' tree so the rest was left for firewood. Dad made the mistake of sectioning the trunk (G/N only took 16') and leaving the sections lying on their sides for 6 months. He had to use a crowbar to move them. Talk about an instant forest...

I've e-mailed someone who could be interested: I'm sure he'll contact you if so. Jon

As it's such a small place you won't miss much if you hire a car - definitely do that and make it a small one; drive the north coast road (spectacular) and you'll see why. Make sure you get into the middle of the island too; the yomping is brilliant. You get mountain scenery in a warm climate. The plants obviously have much to do with the place but don't expect drama from the named gardens; we were very disappointed with them. Stick to the wild. Old Funchal is beautiful but not large. Leave the car on the outskirts and walk in. You'll love it but you'll probably feel like the youngest one there.

They come every winter without fail, spend two days stripping the same large shrub, then move on not to be seen in the garden again. Given the weather I'm surprised not to have seen siskin this year as they move south to avoid the harshest of the Scandinavian winter: had a breeding pair a few years ago. Am definitely going to peel my eyes for waxwing though as they're so widespread it seems.

If you have any problem try asking ebay seller kaaz24 (Somerset). I've always found her very helpful and competitively priced. She's a Husky agent.

Brilliant. Haven't seen them in this country since I was a young lad in East Sussex (i.e. a long time ago). Just had the redwings stripping the cotoneaster as usual - in Caterham, not too far from you.

There is TER - The National Plant Register - already, as well as Immobilise. My concern would be too many registers and databases; police, HMRC, dealers, manufacturers etc couldn't be expected to check them all. I have the same concerns over the number of systems already in place for marking stuff - datadots, stickers, Smartwater... How is any agency recovering stolen gear to know what to check for? Passing an object under UV light will show Smartwater but oh dear - I marked it with micro datadots! Without wishing to stifle any private enterprise I think the best chance here lies in a co-ordinated single register run by, unfortunately, Government. ('Unfortunately' because we see all too often how Government runs things). But that doesn't address the problem of marking via any one (or more) of multiple systems. I don't know the answer to that one; pressure from insurers could certainly help (via incentives such as reduced premiums). Lord knows they could do so much more to make life difficult for the industry in stolen goods that exists presently.

Caught me short there. I was joking actually but you sort of called my bluff. But as it's not quite the dumb suggestion I thought I was making couldn't a very good price for shipping be forced (in a recession) by an English buyer rather than you as the seller? Just (another) thought. Fetching my coat now.... Merry Crimble, Jon

Big boat, Swansea docks mate! They'll be waiting for you!

This should go down well in certain parts... A Leeds man walks into a High Street bank & asks for a loan. He tells the bank officer he is going to Australia on business for two weeks & needs to borrow £5,000. The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan so the Yorkshire lad hands over the keys and documents of a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the log book & everything checks out. The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank manager & its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the rough-looking Yorkshireman for using a £120,000 Ferrari as collateral against a £5000 loan. The bank manager then instructs an employee of the bank to drive the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage where he parks it. Two weeks later the man returns, repays the £5,000 and the interest of £15.41. The bank officer says to the Yorkshireman "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business and this transaction has worked out very nicely but we are a little puzzled... While you were away we checked you out further & found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow £5,000?" The Yorkshireman replies "Where else in Leeds can I park my car for two weeks for only £15.41 & expect it to be there when I return?" Ah, the mind of a true Yorkshireman... This is why they survive.

Yes, there is a member from Slovakia who's posted here a few times now. With luck he'll be along as I don't think you can Search for him!

Cracking reply. I was going to suggest just the above bit! Most farmers would relish the opportunity to make a few extra quid while helping out another 'rural' worker. If you don't ask you won't know but make any agreement detailed and written and then stick to your side of the deal.