Bunzena

8 metres is a pretty long board for solid Oak flooring. I'd be slightly wary that unless the room is very stable for temp and humidity - you will get a lot of movement. This is a useful guide we've used before that helps give a sense of the amount of movement you could expect. Hardwood Flooring Installation Guideline | Chapter 3 – Gaylord Flooring (gaylordhardwoodflooring.com) With shorter boards, it's obviously possible to create a small end gap to allow for some of that movement. Also, we've found that any wood milled to more then 25mm thickness can generate a lot of 'power' if it does start to bend and move. We tend to go for 25mm on solid Oak to avoid that issue. We have used hidden nail on a subfloor and it works well. But we've also used adhesive and that has generally given a better, less squeaky end result. I also think that wider boards look better. If you do have an 8 meter run - I'd personally look at 10 inch width or wider.

Makita 36v is a great saw. Had mine 2-3 years and wouldn't be without it. It's is a rear handle. I run it with 5 amp batteries. They seem the best balance between price and the time they last on the saw. Roughly I'd say they last as long as a tank-full of fuel on comparable size petrol saw. To keep going I have four 5 amp batteries. Two on the saw and two on charge. I also have the Makita double charger. So keep in mind these extra costs if that's an important part of the equation.

Even later to the party! I'd agree - all the big brands are much-of-a-muchness in terms of quality. All have 'cheaper' models in their ranges in order to get people 'in' - so just be careful when you see a good deal. One thing I would consider is to look at the entire range of tools each brand has and think about what you might want in the future. You'll probably want to stick with just one to minimise all the different batteries and chargers you end up with. I went for Makita because their range of battery tools is probably the widest and most varied. From building tools to garden tools and some weird and wonderful specialist tools [like a drywall cutter].

I don't grow from seed. Japanese Maples hybridise very easily so rarely come true from seed. Pretty much anything you see will be vegetatively propagated - generally by grafting on to an Acer palmatum 'stock'. So most of mine have been bought as plants. I'm sure you know this - but most plant nurseries will carry a reasonable stock of the 'bread and butter' varieties. If you google 'acer specialists' you will find those nurseries that carry the more interesting ones. If you really want to be adventurous - the Dutch have the most unusual and widest stocks. But I don't know if Brexit has affected what they can and will supply. Hope this helps.

Box spanner. Bought this a few years ago. Cheap as chips and decent quality. Silverline 589709 Box Spanner Metric Set 8-19 mm - 6 Pieces : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

We have one - and agree with Conor. There is a safety switch under the seat that stops the engine if the blades are engaged and there's no-one sitting on the mower. If that switch is damaged or the connection is lost - it will 'fail safe'. Look there first.

There may be two things happening here. The cold, dry spring with very late frosts have caused trouble with many of my Acers. Most were quite late for their first flush of leaves and then many got frost-burnt. In normal years, there's a second flush of leaves after the first are damaged. But the very dry weather meant that this wasn't very strong - and the plants have become very 'stressed'. This has meant one or two have succumbed to Verticillium and others have had branch-tip-die-back. Quite a lot like the last 2 pictures above. With any luck your Acer will battle through and find it's feet and recover. Two other things to consider longer term. With my Acers in pots [have 15-20] - I always add grit to the compost. In my experience Japanese Acers need moist but free-draining soil. If their roots are constantly wet - there's often trouble. Some varieties are very sensitive to waterlogging. There's a beautiful variety called Corallinum and the only way I can get that to grow is a 50:50 mix of soil and grit. Personally I wouldn't feed it right now - and I'd let that soil dry out a bit - then water again. More controversially, I never use Ericaceous compost. That applies to Japanese Acers in pots - but also those I've planted in the ground. This is something I was told they needed - but I have experimented over the past 20+ years and it's not true, in my experience. What I have found is that if you use Ericaceous compost - and over water - it will go 'sour' very quickly.

My gut feel is that some kind of pathogen has got in and shut down the vascular system - starving the tree of any moisture. The twigs are already pretty dry and there's very little 'green' under the bark when scratched with a fingernail. Whatever has happened has only affected a few of the many willows on the land. We have other Goat Willows, Common Willows, some Willow Hybrids, Weeping Willows and some Red Willows - and these seem to be unaffected so far.

It's a good thought - but the pond isn't lined - so this one is not short of water. And another - a Common Willow that has died is right on the edge of another pond.

Fantastic result - especially given the way that education has been interrupted this year. You might find yourself with a more than vested interest in The Boat Race, a couple of years from now if she carries on this way!

Two pictures of the Goat Willow. There's no die-back - they just die. Sudden and completely. The only thing I have seen that's in any way comparable is Phytopthera - but then there's often some peripheral die back before the tree succumbs. You can see that this particular tree is one the edge of water. No other plants or trees nearby have been affected. As we all know - the weather this season has been weird. We had quite heavy frosts up to the third week of May and a very, very dry spring. But we've had colder weather and drier spells before. All the trees affected were healthy last year and showed no signs of distress.

Understand that Willows are often not the most longest lived trees - but we've had a number die-off unexpectedly this spring. Common Willow and Goat Willow. All mature'ish trees [25+ years old]. None are close to each other. Planted in a variety of habitats [close to water, sheltered, exposed, private land, none adjoining any neighbouring properties]. The pattern seems to be the same. Just as they reach the point of leaf break - they just stop and die. No obvious mechanical damage, no obvious signs of fungus or insect damage. Slightly disconcerting. Have I missed any reports of a disease afflicting Willows? Anyone else noticing this? [We're based in Kent].

From memory - from top to bottom: Acer Palmatum Corallinum Acer Palmatum Mikawa Yatsubusa Acer Palmatum Summer Gold Acer Shirasawanum Autumn Moon Acer Palmatum Tsuma gaki Acer Shirasawanum Palmatifolium Acer Dissectum Crimson Queen Acer Palmatum Katsura [Spellings can be a bit variable....apologies in advance!]

Acer Shirasawanum palmatifolium. Sadly lost it this winter.

Nepia - that's a real beauty! I find this variety grows quite strongly and has some lovely autumn colour - especially if there's a dry spell. Oranges and yellows. If you plant one of the really dark red varieties nearby - it will really pop. Maybe a Dissectum like Crimson Queen?

That looks like the kind of damage I get on my Acers when they are short of water. Is there any link between leaf damage and dry spells?

Bought the Hikoki battery nailer last year [gasless]. Absolutely brilliant. Tons of power, no jams [fired 10,000+ nails] and well balanced.

Overview of Making Tax Digital - GOV.UK WWW.GOV.UK

We've been using Quickbooks for 20+ years. Despite the TV ads - I found it a steep learning curve. But, as Steve mentions, it is very customisable and you can certainly add things like logos to invoices and quotes. But it is the way the world is moving. Online filing of VAT and other taxes is mandatory/becoming mandatory [HMRC "Making Tax Digital"]. Once you have got the hang of it, it's pretty simple. And there are benefits. It means less work for your accountants - so they should charge you less [or put up their prices less often!]. If you ever have a tax inspection - everything is likely to be in better order because of the way the software works. Filing of VAT is easier, payment reminders are generated automatically, etc. Quickbooks is not the only option. But I'd be guided by your Accountant. In the early days you will get stuck and need some help - if they are familiar with the App/Software then they are almost duty-bound to help. After all - they are suggesting it! 😉

As Steve says - look at a Junior ISA - or similar. The interest rates on a Standard savings accounts are really poor. Barely above inflation - assuming you believe the figures quoted for inflation! There are quite a few online providers of ISAs. One that is consistently 'recommended' [e.g. by MoneySavingExpert] is provide by A J Bell. They also have some really good explanatory guides on their website for people [like me] that struggle with all the fancy terminology. I'd say it was worth a look.

Anaesthetics

Vaccines? [Now where did I put my tin hat??!] 😉

Rhythms

I'm 'boggled' by how you do this. So clever. So much skill. Brilliant.

My guess is that you won't need planning [not in a conservation area] - but a quick chat with the planning officer [or a good local builders as per Nepia, above] will confirm this. A double-check that there are no covenants on the house preventing a 'change of look', would be wise too. However, you may well need to get everything signed-off by building control. Cladding of any sort is a hot topic because of the awful repercussions of Grenfell. That cladding may also need to be treated with 'fireproofing'. And you may well need to let your insurance company know.