nepia

From the red band round the body I think it's a bee Hawk Moth Tony. I'm sure you're aware of the huge geographical variations in insects - subspecies, races etc. - so it doesn't seem to exactly fit any images I can find. Was on one of the buddleias in Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg in 26 deg; perfect conditions, which brought the 'flies out in numbers.

A slight deviation as these are from Austria last month.

Try the search facility here; there's been a thread on it recently, including a very good PDF attachment on the whole process.

Turners aren't interested in the lower trunk; the eyes are too small as they come from the first branches to fall off. If you're ringing up for turners just cut away from the eyes. Every turner wants it cut differently so just go halfway between each whorl. Just put up with the moaning later. And then, if you're still looking to turners, get rid of it asap; once it's been sitting about a while you'll get 'it's gone dry; can't turn dry Monkey Puzzle - it goes woolly'. I've just had this from a well know Puzzle turner for whom I'd set aside some pieces: he took one look and walked away. To keep the rings in good condition leave them grain down on damp soil and cover them so that there's minimal ventilation, though still some. This advice came from one of the country's foremost Puzzle turners. Re milling the trunk: that's been discussed here before and I seem to remember the majority voting that MP planks disintegrate when they dry because of the huge difference in properties of the branch roots and the main wood; the latter shrinks a lot and falls off the former. Like the knots falling out of old floorboards... Encouraging stuff eh? Of course you could drop it, ring it, dump it but personally I think that would be a crying shame.

Stones - Plane Jane Automobile. All right, I'd never heard of them either but it came with the phone and Spotify proves it to be a great song.

I was given an old Stihl E140 for firewood and it's great. I've also watched a top of the range modern Stihl annihilate a 22" ash butt; my jaw dropped at the performance I have to admit. I've no experience of Huskys but I doubt you'll go far wrong with either.

Likewise, emphasising how connies always produce twice the material on the ground as standing. As a teaser you can add that if the trees surprise you by containing less than you expected you'll drop the final price a bit.

I'm guessing the owners are saying 'too big'. A delicate pollard and you'll be back in two years for 'aftercare' (when it'll be about the same size as now).

Have you asked Frans or doesn't he keep anything non-Puzzly?

Since no-one's come back with anything better I'll suggest Highams Farm CR6 9PQ. I don't know which bit of central London you're going to be in but Highams is on the Kent/Surrey border between Biggin Hill and Croydon. I wouldn't recommend the journey though if you're going to be north of the river (bandit territory for me).

Have you looked at Brinsbury, next Pulborough? It's part of Chichester College. CS 30/31 was £650 there 7 years ago so your quoted price seems not far off the mark.

Just watched an Italian promo video via Google. Re-spect if you do a couple of acres with it; physical indeed! Given the number of small fields (paddocks) and odd-shaped bits of land we have I can't understand why I've never seen one. No missed headlands, virtually no compaction and easy to handle bales; bliss you'd think. Someone needs to do some marketing.

That is one of the tragedies of the modern era in this country I feel; honest, hard-working people 'investing' what they could only just afford with a view to seeing it and interest back in their retirement only to have the whole shebang go sour on them. I'm not one of them thank God but I have an inkling of how I'd feel if I was. The more I'll see the results of the recession the less I'll have to complain about. I am grateful.

As I do hedges a lot as well as tree stuff (a groundi me) I have an ammo box (£5 a time)... spare chains combi spanners for both saws and hedgecutters pruning saw in sawpod pot of grease with screw on lid tube of Stihl hedgetrimmer grease (high temperature) pr wooden 'hands' for picking up clippings gloves loppers secateurs ear defenders (Sordin MSN) x2 wooden blocks for levelling ladder chain files pliers The tools of a one man band!

Big Bolt, I've never seen one of those pedestrian balers before; what a fantastic machine. And to think that of all the whingeing I've heard down the years about 'awkward corners' and 'difficult field to work because of the shape' the answer was there all the time. I'll bet the concentration attached to using it is as tiring as the physical side though. What make is it as a matter of interest (or is that on the pics?) Excellent...

Slightly off topic but perhaps useful nonetheless... we had our home insurance renewal quote come in at £599. Went online as a new customer and the same cover was quoted at £283. Rang them up and said 'what's to stop us cancelling the policy and starting up a new one as new customers?' Answer 'Nothing'. So we paid £283. Don't take insurance companies at face value - argue!

They are well known in the south of this country as a rare summer migrant. I guess that if any year suits them coming here it'll be this one. Would be great to see one wild here.

I don't know the cost of Heras fencing but I've made cages with pallets on bricks and concrete reinforcing mesh sides. I use wire stays to hold it all in place; you don't need many. Niggles: you need to walk into and out of the cage as you empty it (from one end) and the wire stays can be a pain but stacking logs 8' high is easy and gives you efficient use of ground area.

From my days of Latin I believe 'littoralis' means of/from the shore so couldn't be more appropriate!

If the RSPB, National Trust etc don't know about you they need to; those are top notch and I'm sure they'd like such work to be done in their names. But of course you may have been working for the first anyway...

That thing has got to have one of the highest engine size: implement size ratios going! 400 geegees to mulch an 8" birch (only joking!) But it'll keep the Middle East in 6-star hotels.

As said - now, when the sap's in full flow due to fruiting. Just thought three folk saying the same thing might help!

Just had a look on a garden forum: organic suggestions are spraying with diluted milk, homemade garlic extract (crushed, blended, filtered, diluted) or Neem oil. There are also a couple of predator insects available if the owner's really into natural control.

There's always someone worse off than you.

To be more precise Continental Landscapes do the grounds maintenance; whether they do the street tree work I don't know. I believe City & Suburban are running the waste depot having taken the contract over from Biffa but if you take things further check all this.