nepia

Gulp.

A derail already - sorry David. Years ago I was corncarting at dusk on my best man's farm near John O'Groat's and a pair of long eared owls were cruising three feet off the ground in front of the tractor looking for small prey that I might disturb. I felt so privileged to see it; could have spent years waiting in hides to see anything similar and there they were unprompted using a tractor for hunting.

Thought it would be safe to hijack someone else's thread after two years. The title 'Beech with ganoderma' seemed appropriate somehow. This little baby came down one night last week in woods near Horsham. The creaking before it went woke a lady 150 yards away and when the tree went over the crash made her jump out of bed in fright! From my extensive research of photos in Encyclopedia ArbTalk I'm guessing G.applanatum?. How/what/why and 'you're way off the mark' comments most welcome. One thing that struck me was the apparently small number of FBs that I could find; probably only a dozen on the whole tree, several in the buttress unions, yet just look at the condition of the wood. A very rough guess at the tree's age is ~120 years but I could be way off; that's based on knowledge of local land use rather than the tree. Also the ground there (Sussex Weald clay) is hugely fertile. The lad in the last pic is 6' tall for size comparison.

Have spoken to both 'personal statement' writers, one of whom has also written a CV (she's 18!) and both say take a look at Find Jobs. Build a Better Career. Find Your Calling. | Monster.co.uk. Apparently it has good online help. Tony, put yourself in the position of a potential employer (get in front of that mirror again!). What do you want to hear? Probably not 'I'm reliable, keen and a team player'! Find something out of the ordinary; that candidate needs to wake you up, to have that extra something. What's going to make the panel think 'this guy's different; we need him'? Don't bullsh*t (you'll get found out by a couple of pointed questions) but talk yourself up. Your posts here show that you have that 'something' as your knowledge is superb but you've got to get it across. Take your time, plan, ask others; this is important. Best of British to you. Jon

Ha ha. Tell you what then; we'll both apply for the same job. Then when you're given it you can laugh when the new boss tells you what an ignorant tit the other applicant was!

Jeez, with your knowledge and experience an employer should be taking steps to keep you surely. How about a new employer? Easier said than done at the moment of course but take a deep breath, sit in front of a mirror and tell that person what skills, knowledge, experience and personal qualities you have. By the time you're finished it'll be dark but you could edit that down to an impressive CV and that seems to be the name of the game these days. Even my teenage kids have written them ('personal statements') as part of Uni applications. Or have I missed the trick with such a suggestion?

Great offer mate - thanks - but you'd break my poor little Navara with that (I'm only in Caterham)! So near yet so far...

Just come back from a weekend on Worcs/Gloucs border and noticed quite a few similarly affected eucs as described but they seemed to be small/medium-sized trees. The few large ones I saw looked OK.

Technically haws are pome fruits, along with apples, pears, medlar and others due to the structure of the berry. I could quote some words about it but I wouldn't understand them; someone here can though I'm sure.

A single wire strand ~9" above the picket would provide a visible deterrent wouldn't it, giving you effectively a nearly 4' fence? Just a cheap thought...

Agreed but there surely are better than fading privet hedges...? I've never seen a privet hawk sadly and I'm not aware of anything else that eats the stuff (which doesn't mean there isn't anything). The suggestion was to replace with a different species - or mix - that could equally house birds, mice, insects etc. Just not tomorrow.

Personally I'd see the situation as an opportunity to replace with something useful.

Checklist for going to war: - oil rich; check - religious fanaticism; check - incomprehensible guttural language; check - men wearing womens clothing; check Computer says...invade Scotland.

I met a prostitute the other day. She had no arms. I asked her if it affected her work at all. She said she couldn't give a toss.

I think that means can I be next in the queue; yes, of course. Will get back to you. Jon

As far as the 12v/24v thing goes you could use a model railway style transformer; 240v ac straight down to 12v dc. Oh by the way - I've got an 'MVP 12 volt heavy duty automotive winch, Model I-9600' you could have a go with. Made by the Shinn Fu Company of America, Inc. I know nothing abut it, not even if it works - but you're welcome to try it. I was given it to get rid of! 6,000lbs rolling load capacity, boxed, owner's manual included. Don't know where you are but I'm in Caterham, Surrey. The thing weighs ~25-30lbs I guess. PM to laugh at me or if interested. Jon

You've served your country - you were British Army champion peashooter weren't you? - you've raised a family, made yourself an honourable living, are an acknowledged (on Arbtalk!) expert on machines but you want more; you feel unfulfilled. My guess is that it's in your character to feel that way and that's no bad thing because it breeds ambition. Perhaps you need to do a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Walk to a Pole, sail round a continent or just do something out of the ordinary. To give you an idea of the kind of thing I mean... I'm an unimaginative git who'll probably never get round to doing anything dangerous but there's a 500 mile walk down the west coast of North Island New Zealand. I would just love for three guys to do that in, say, three weeks. Not SAS stuff but at 50 years old (now) I could do it and count it as a huge achievement. Would that help?

= best suggestion yet.

As Grandma's looking to sell I'd say minimal amounts off the top and sides but lose the skirt hanging on the ground: get the lawn back. Thinning sounds good too. As Steve says the work won't then show but the light will be improved and the tree will still look good.

So if an apparently healthy 100-year old (very -ish) pine suddenly declines due to HF you'd reckon that its days would have been numbered anyway, without the HF? Serious question by the way; I'm not doubting you or trying to catch you out. I am watching such a tree on behalf of someone. Cheers, Jon

Scallops. Posted my entries before reading the above. Doh.

A close relative who knows a thing or thousand about money, believe me, knows that tax is always negotiable, even PAYE to some extent. Change accountants Dean. When you've got one that's claim-happy he will be able to recoup some of that for you as backclaiming is all part of the system. Get him to go over previous years' accounts that have already been submitted: at least some allowances not claimed then can still be claimed in the future. I feel gutted for you; your point about busting your body only to pay the taxman is well made but don't give up on all of it by any means. Best of luck to you.

That's a flippin' good point; will give that some serious thought. Next year.

My first saw was an MS170 with a 12" bar and in all honesty I felt it wouldn't have been any use at all with a 14" - not up to it. The jump from 12" to 14" with such a small engine is a much bigger one than, say, the jump from a 18" to 20" bar on a 56cc engine if you get my point. Another consideration is how often do you need those extra 2" with such a small saw? You're not going to be sectioning 14" trunks with it or you'll be there all day. Might as well go for a 12" bar and enjoy the lack of unnecessary bar length and extra manoeuvrability (and not accidentally catching other branches when snedding) but if you're happy with what you've got then everything I've said goes by the board doesn't it!