Bunzena

It's this kind of ingenuity that won us two world wars.... 😄

That certainly used to be true. But now - mainly because of the internet - it's much less so. It will come down to how the powers that be define 'the market' Only a good, specialist lawyer would be able to advise. But through personal experience - I believe you stand a reasonable chance of making a realistic case. But only as a last resort. A simple letter might be all you need. Always use 'the law' in layers.

If this continues to be a problem - there may be something you can do legally under 'passing-off'. This law prevents another company from trading with the same name and/or offering the same goods. In effect - using the goodwill and reputation you have built up for their benefit. You don't have to be registered or have a trade mark - it falls under a greater set of laws of Intellectual Property. It may be worth a quick chat with a lawyer if it gets more of a problem. As I understand it - you would have to be able to assert that it was causing trading issues for you, hurting your reputation, etc. Legally that there was some kind of 'infringement'. Not every lawyer has the skills to advise you. Make sure you use someone with a track record in this slightly specialised area. It may be all that it takes is for a letter to the principal at the other business, formerly warning them of the issues. Listening to your side of the story - it should be them, not you considering a name change.

With the Tax man on one side and thieving &5$! on the other - it's hard for the honest working man/woman under the circumstances. Whilst I'd never condone it - I can see why people are tempted to take the law into their own hands. Come on Plod - help us out.

Gold. I just died in your arms tonight. I lost my heart to a starship trooper. I'll get my coat....

Bvgger. Was planning to work today - now thoroughly distracted by this. 😡

It's Acer palmatum Tsuma gaki. Needs a bit of shade - but a real beauty. This picture is just after leaf break in the spring. Fairly easy to obtain. Quick to about 3m high and then slows down. Autumn colour is pretty plain though.

Wow - that sounds like a fantastic spot to plant. Very envious - in the best possible way! 😉 Looking forward to the 'Open day'. The best book - I think - on Japanese Maples is by Vertrees and Gregory. Really good resource. For the nutters like me - I really like the less well-known Acer shirasawanum varieties. Harder to find but really overlooked. Enjoy.

Agree with Gary - an Acer would be a good choice. I have a bit of an Japanese Acer 'problem' - with a collection of 100+ varieties. If the spot is breezy and in full sun - be cautious. Japanese Acers don't like too much of either. Varieties I'd look at would be any Acer palmatum dissectum [the weeping, mound forming varieties], Acer palmatum Osakazuki [blazing autumn colour - gets to 5m in height], Acer palmatum Trompenburg [very sun tolerant, very dark leaves, nice upright habit 4m high], Acer palmatum Shin deshojo [gorgeous pink spring leaf, but needs shade and shelter, 3m high] or Acer palmatum Sango kaku [coral pink stems, fresh yellow/green leaves in summer, needs some shelter 4m+ high]. I've seen all of the above in B&Q over the past few years - so not too difficult to obtain. If you want to create something really eyecatching, then mix up an Acer shirasawanum aureum [really acid green] with Acer palmatum Bloodgood [deep, dark red]. Looks spectacular. People say they need acid soil - but I would disagree. Perfectly happy in any soil that's not strongly alkaline.

Hmm. It's a good question. I have the Festool track saw - along with a number of others [Domino, Planer, MFT/3, extractors, etc.] The tracksaw is expensive - and it's pretty good - but certainly not perfect. It's been back to Festool for a repair and they made a pigs ear of that. Also it came from the factory and wasn't calibrated properly and need to be zeroed to cut at 90 degrees. Given what I spent - I was really disappointed. Customer service has been poor. My personal view is that there's a mythology around the brand that isn't necessarily backed up by quality across the range. They do make excellent blades - and I honestly think that this is half the reason they get great reviews for their saws. If you want top-end - then buy Mafell. Old fashioned, German engineering that will last forever - but you'll have to sell a son or daughter to pay for it. If I was buying again - I'd look at the 18v Makita. It will run on the Makita and Festool tracks - giving you a choice. The Makita 18v system is strong too - even though they are introducing a 40v system alongside. Festool claim that with a tracksaw - there's no need for a table saw. I'd say that there's some truth in that. So it may be worth spending little more than you planned because you'll end up using it more than you think.

Superb. This will still be around when the asteroid slams into Earth.

I remember a famous sculptor once saying all they did was to release what was hidden inside the stone. You've definitely done the same with this log. Outstanding work.

Sorry to hear about your son's Asthma. I would echo what's been said above. I'm afraid I would not expect removing the Tulip tree to make any significant difference. At certain times of year tree pollen is produced in huge quantities that it is 'everywhere'. I suffer from tree-pollen allergy and it starts in February and lasts until early May. Unless I take antihistamines - life is pretty miserable. The good news is that they work. However, your son is too young for that sort of remedy yet. Sounds as if you are doing everything else you can. IF you are determined to remove the tree - then you can replace it with a 'no-pollen' alternative. It's not quite true that ALL trees produce pollen. Some trees separate male and female flowers - they are dioecious. If you google dioecious trees it will give you a list of species. Female trees will not produce pollen. Making sure you get a female tree is tricky. You'll have to buy a more mature specimen, from a reputable source that can verify it's gender. And some dioecious trees come with their own issues. Yew is dioecious - but the female trees produce berries with a toxic outer coat. Not ideal when there are children in the garden.

Have I stumbled on to a long lost "Carry On" script?

Bloomin 'eck. If that looks small in the photo...... I think it would look truly horrible after a reduction that's going to have any impact. Understand there may be sentimental value - but there a comes a time to make a hard decision. Remove and replant. The cost of which can be paid for with the savings from not having to have the lights on all day in the house.

Depends. I reckon you'd need to get the temperature of the wood up to 70 degrees [at the core] for at least half an hour. You might be able to cobble together something yourself [ with a heater] that could do the job. Or ask around for timber supplier nearby that has a drying kiln that would do the same thing.

Just about to say the same thing. The best way to deal with the woodworm would be to get the boards in a kiln and use heat to kill the larvae....

Love the fact that you've got personality into each one. Fantastic.

I'd definitely go for cable ties. We use them for something similar [although on a much smaller scale] and join them together if necessary for larger diameters. I would recommend using UV stabilised ones like this - because we do find standard ones [especially colours] do 'rot'. Cable Ties for outdoor use (UV-resistant) T150L (111-15460) | HellermannTyton WWW.HELLERMANNTYTON.CO.UK 111-15460 - Available in a wide range of materials, these cable ties all feature internal serrations allowing for a positive hold onto cable, hose and pipe bundles. The design of the head...

We use Eufy cameras and monitors. Simple to set-up and the batteries last a long time. Extra components can be added easily and the wireless range seems good. Amazon is a good source. I'd also consider one of these. We had one go off a few years ago and I could swear the prowler sh*t himself. Alarm Mine - Trip Wire 12g Saluting Blank Alarm | Freepost UK Legal WWW.ANT-SUPPLIES.UK

'Scum' is too good a word for these people. Sorry to hear your news.

It's a shame that the cost of a full time employee is so much. I can see both sides of the argument. The need to pay a decent minimum wage, a pension contribution, NI, statutory maternity/paternity, etc. - is a good thing for the employee. But the financial commitment for a small [any?] business is significant - and likely to increase. Hence the growth on zero-hours contracts and 'freelancing' across the economy as a whole. Government employment legislation makes the whole thing pretty finely balanced. Our approach has been the freelance route. It does have it's issues - but it does give us the flexibility we need. And that, in the end, swayed things for us. Every situation is different - but it's a really tough call. I think if you can find someone who is honest, motivated, sees the world of work the way you do - then full time employment - and all the investment you will have to make - works. But - in our experience - people like this aren't ten a penny.

Chinese labour is cheap and the Chinese government invests it's huge export surplus in the country. China can make things very cheaply - but also has the capability to make very high quality too [check to see where your iPhone is made]. They've focussed their efforts on building an export economy on technology and basic engineering products. Just wait until they move up the value-added food chain and start making decent cars, aircraft, pharmaceuticals and get into finance. Consumers tend to think about price first and other factors second. If we don't want China to dominate the second half of the 21st Century - we need to act differently now. As for China being the world's-worst when it comes to human rights - that's debatable. Their record is far from good - but take a look at Saudi Arabia, North Korea and others. Is Huawei 'spying on us'? Probably? Possibly? No-one really knows. It does make me laugh when I think about how short our memories are - and that the US was caught 'hacking' Angela Merkel's Blackberry a few years ago. Everybody is at it. The Chinese are different from us culturally. 'Saving face' is important. That might explain why they seemed to cover-up Covid 19 at the start. But it might not. I have a friend who sits on the ONS panel here in the UK. It's a 'closed' group - so what they discuss isn't always published. At a meeting a month or so ago the discussion was around the stats they have suggesting Covid deaths might be 50%+ higher than those being quoted by the Government. Is that a cover up? As I get older - I get more sceptical. especially of so-called experts. Instead, when I hear something I like to take my time and, often, try and see an alternative point of view. Try and get the facts and then weigh-up both [or more] opinions.

Gets even more complicated when you discover that two separate species can have the same 'Latin' name. Ficus elegans is both a fig tree and a marine snail. And that 'Latin' names are sometimes 'Greek'. My head is starting to hurt....?

Looking at the 'exclusions' on Hermes website [outlining things they won't carry - and then things they won't compensate for] is eye-opener. What I Can and Cannot Send - Hermes WWW.MYHERMES.CO.UK Need to send a parcel but not sure if you can send it with Hermes? Check out our excluded items check list to see if you can send your item with us <br/> Caveat emptor.