janey

Get sacked, sign on for Benefits, get a huge discount on course fees and become eligible for grants and burseries and spend the rest of your life as a professional student. There, that's your education sorted! In the bizarre way that this world works, the main reason I didn't take up my foundation offer was because I got a job and started earning, and therfore no was longer entitled to any discount and couldn't afford it. Don't you just love the irony of that?

Those Sliky teeth wouldn't have anything to do with mysterious bark wounds, would they, hmmm?

Sorry that you're having such a crappy day. I don't know you and I don't know your situation, but things WILL turn around. Arb is a notoriously underpaid profession, unless you are in the upper echelons of large compay ownership, in which case it's more about business management than arb. We all know this and the vast mojority of us accept that we will never be comfortable, let alone well off while doing something we love. You choose to work in this industry because it's what you enjoy and despite the unpredictability of work and pay, how many people are lucky enough to say they have a job they get such satisfaction from? You don't have to pay huge amounts to educate yourself with the amount of info available online and experience and attitude are still worth a heck of a lot - those official qualifications are a starting position and aren't everything when it comes to getting a decent postion. This may sound stupid, but have you tried your local Careers advice service for getting your CV tidied up? Just a thought

I'm glad I don't live next to him, but I do sort of admire his cantankerousness and sod - you approach.

The very aptly named Oak Apple, caused by Biorhiza pallida. Nice piccy, Sean. I found loads of the when I was searching for OPM.

Got your Crissy pressie sorted then:

Taken from UK Nature: Knopper galls on our traditional English oak (Quercus robur), are caused by a minute gall wasp, Andricus quercuscalicis. The insect is a relative newcomer to Britain, the first recorded sighting being in 1962. It appears to have arrived naturally from the continent and rapidly spread across most of England and Wales. In 1979 it underwent a population explosion and for a time there was real concern that it would seriously affect the acorn fertility and thus the future of our most iconic tree. Like most gall wasps, the life cycle is complicated, with an alternation of a sexual and asexual generation each year. Only females emerge from the knopper galls and these lay their eggs in the buds of the Turkey Oak (Q. cerris). In the spring this sexual generation causes minute galls in the male catkins. And why 'knopper'? The Oxford English Dictionary defines a 'knop' as "a small rounded protuberance, boss, stud, button, tassel or the like".

I didn't realise. One of my friends was over thre and he told me about the one that caused a red flagging while he was watching. So sad.

That's a really nice reduction . If only more LA Contractors were as good (and the specification so sympathetic).

Oooooh, big shiny new toy. Mmmmm. A few too many wheels, but otherwise very nice.

One of my friends has got a chainsaw chain done around his bicep. It's a bit cliched and it reminds me of Pammy Anderson with her barb wire, but it's done well and it does look pretty good. You certainly wouldn't accuse him af having a slag tag. Or not to his face, anyway. Make sure you get a bespoke tat' and please please don't pick one out of a book when your a bit pshed after a night out. It will cost you more, but as you will have it for a long time, hopefully, the extra coast will be well worth it for a decent piece of personalised artwork.

The opportunity to rumage in a beautiful lady's drawers will appeal to many, I should think Fantastic.

That ammonite is amazing . It looks simple enough, but I bet it took ages. Were you at Westonbirt this year and are the piccies from there?

It's not a good sign, put it that way. As Hamadryad says, the necrotic, cracked and lifting bark indicates death of the underlying cells. I can remember the bleeding shown in your previous piccies and this tree is definately in decline. Are you being pressured by the tree owners' to do something immediately? Do you have the luxury of trying to improve the soil conditions and waiting until next year to monitor the tree's condition before you undertake pruning / removal? If you haven't already got these on your faves, they are well worth reading. They will explain things far better than me: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/EPAversion3.pdf/$FILE/EPAversion3.pdf Forest Research - Oak decline / dieback - the facts

She must be a bit that way inclined herself, judging by the hubby! LoL. I love the gutation on the I' dryadus and the way it's actively improving it's enviroment for a more hostitable growing environment.

Tommy, as ever your work is gorgeous. I love it

Well said. I didn't see the race but I have just been reading about it this morning It's been a bad week in the racing world as there was a fatality in the IoM as well.

AAAAaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!!! Several times over!

I was once stupid enough to believe that the bloke I was working for was capable of felling a tree properly... That was my big mistake. Luckily, his truck took most of the impact and I was only in casualty for a few hours .

Why would anyone want to do that to a Tibetan Cherry ? From my experience, they don't really like being pruned heavily, even when they are young and vigourous. It might make a few feeble attempts at some regrowth, but it probably won't come to much and will eventually die. If your customer still wants her tree to be cut back so drastically and you can't persuade her otherwise, it might be better to suggest removal and replanting (depending on Planning constraints etc). It would be a shame to lose it though, as it is a lovely species.

That's absolutely hilarious!!! :biggrin: I found this ad' yesterday and thought it was funny, but it's way behind the one that you've posted. Racer Sport Gloves NEW Size Ladies Medium RRP £125 on eBay (end time 11-Sep-10 21:26:41 BST)

That's a really nice picture of the Phaeolus. The few that I have come across never look like the text book images. What was it on? It looks like Beech in the piccy.

Ok, ok... I must be suffering from early dementia and have a dodgy memory. I don't know what the long range forcast is for the next few weeks, but hopefully it will be 8 years in a row for good weather and I will see some of you there .

Great vid . Those trees are huge!

Perhaps Northolt has it's own unique micro climate? It couldn't possible be my bad memory