Bunzena

I'm not convinced that any one of the courier companies is better than any other. If you have a duff driver or someone in the back office or warehouse that doesn't care - that's where the trouble starts. I agree with Spud. Many of the drivers are working crazy hours and delivering too many parcels. We're at the end of the runs - so often don't get a package until the end of the day - sometimes eight-thirty at night. I feel for those guys. Acerforestry - I feel your pain. I can't believe that Hermes can simply dispose of an item without getting in contact with you first. They've acted as judge and jury here. I'd be tempted to escalate. I've used the 'Resolver' service before - with decent results. For Hermes the link seems to be: Hermes Customer Service Number and Email | Resolver WWW.RESOLVER.CO.UK Find Hermes phone number. Resolver can help you raise your issue with Hermes for free. It's easy to submit it via Resolver. We will show you your rights and deliver your complaint to...

I also have one of these. Absolutely brilliant. Works well with the Mirka sanding disks - so you could have the best of both worlds. I had to buy the plastic piece that links it to a vacuum cleaner as that wasn't included with the original sander. Bought the part from Germany via ebay.

Covid has made me realise that many of the 'so-called' experts - aren't. From Chief Medical Officer through to Politicians. But then we've grown a culture in the UK of promoting the wrong kinds of people up the ladder. A mixture of sensible precautions [lockdown] undone by idiotic omissions [providing support to Care Homes]. There's no clear communication. About what this virus 'is', what it can do or how to behave. What the hell does 'Stay Alert' mean? On top of that, we have plenty of the people that have no direct experience of the pain and grief it's brought to tens [if not hundreds] of thousands behaving as if the problem is over. A vaccine will come [wonder if Novak Djokovic will make an exception?]. But until then, brace for repeated flare-ups and more appearances by Matt Hancock on TV looking increasingly worried.

We have a two-wheel tractor [Pasquali XB40] with a front mounted 90 cm flail. The Pasquali has balloon tyres and that means it’s great over rough, pot-holed ground. I can ‘mow’ around an acre of rough paddock in about an hour. It tackles anything from long grass to brambles. Diesel engine, electric start. However, it is quite hard work man-handling things around. But I have seen people mount a small seat on a set of wheels and then attach that to the back of the tractor to create a sort-of ride on. There are some videos and pictures on the net. You could go this route. A Camon/BCS two wheel tractor would do exactly the same job. I have seen these [including a flail] on fleaBay for under £2,000. The engineering is pretty basic – but there’s less to go wrong. It’s also the kind of thing that if well looked after will lose little value when you come to sell it.

Just sent the article over...

We run both Apple and PCs on our network. TBH - I'm happy with both. I do think that Windows 10 gets bad press - but with the latest major it's better than Windows 7. Swapping over to Apple will take a few days to get the 'muscle memory' for doing things slightly differently - but that's about it. Remember - if you ever wanted to run 'Windows' on a Mac - you can do so through emulation software such as Parallels. We have Macs running Win 7 and Win 10. An i9 is definitely overkill for spreadsheets etc. For a workstation rendering graphics - maybe. We run huge Excel spreadsheets with pivots, macros and VBA code on PCs with Gen 8 i5s and they snap open. Spend the money on a better screen [or screens] and external Hard Drives for backup. Or a comfy office chair if you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk! Office for Mac and Office for PC aren't entirely compatible. For instance, PowerPoint presentations created on a PC can often look different on a Mac. And I'm pretty sure that Office 365 on Mac isn't updated as often or is as current as the PC version. It's no big deal - but just take care if you want to transfer things between the two. There was a very good article in PC Pro magazine [April 2020 Edition 306] that covers the story of moving from PC to Mac. Outlines most of the issues and offers solutions. [I may be able to get the article scanned if you can't find it]. I love Apple. It's intuitive and fun to use. But iOS is a walled garden. It's deliberately pretty tamper proof. So if you are a 'tweaker' or an upgrader - it's limited. Most PCs are much more customisable [try adding a Graphics card, a new hard drive or a new CPU to a Mac] but can, occasionally, be hard work. A MacBook is 'sexy' - but have a look at a Dell XPS or an HP Dragonfly and you might see things differently. ALWAYS buy quality - but don't confuse that with a rip-roaring spec. People tend to keep Macs longer [partly, I suspect, because they can cost a lot more to replace that a PC] - but we have laptops of 10+ years still in service. Both Macs and PCs will do the job. Depends on what that job is.

Elm. Plant those that have some proven genetic resistance to Dutch Elm Disease. Occasionally I'll see a mature specimen alone in the landscape - and what a magnificent beast it is.

Have Pasquali XB40 - bought from eBay 8+ years ago. Has a Yanmar Diesel engine and electric start. As I understand it - this, Camon and Goldoni are all essentially made in the same factory - or to the same spec. I have the rotovator and a rotary plough as attachments. The rotovator will tackle most ground - but prefers something that has had some work in the past. As others have said - it will leave a 'pan' so you may end up with drainage issues. The rotary plough will tackle virgin ground. In - fact - it seems to relish it! Compared to the rotovator it cultivates a much narrower strip of land at each pass - but goes much deeper. The XB40 is a pretty versatile machine [also have a flail and trailer]. It's very strong. A couple of years ago, ran over some 10mm stranded fencing cable and although it got wrapped around the flail - did no damage at all.

Once coronavirus cases in the UK reach 2-3,000+ general restrictions on gatherings of any size, schools closing, etc. are very likely to kick in. That's when shows or events are likely to be hit. So keep an eye on those infection figures and be prepared. The impact of this Coronavirus are uncertain. Although the mortality rates overall are low [1-2%] - they aren't for certain groups. Amongst the elderly or those with an underlying heart or respiratory condition, it could be as high as 8-10%. So for anyone with elderly parents, friends or relatives - it's a significant concern. Two other things. Firstly, there is little natural resistance to this strain in the general population. So 30% or more of the population could become infected. Multiply that by the mortality rate - and it could mean huge numbers of people dying. Secondly, because this is a novel human virus - it isn't well understood. It may be it mutates quickly. In which case it will likely morph into a seasonal disease and we'll all have to learn to live with it. That ability to mutate rapidly may also affect it's potency. Being a Coronavirus - it's a close cousin of both Sars and Mers. Mers has a mortality rate of around 30%. To put that in perspective - Ebola is 50%. The more the virus does the rounds in the human population - the higher the chance it may mutate. There is also some evidence that those who have recovered still have the virus in their system and may still have some level of infectivity for the rest of us. All of this is scaring governments, scientists and the WHO. This is all 'worst case' and will almost certainly not happen. But, there is no question that our best chance to beat this thing, is to take the right measures now to stop widespread transmission. So it simply 'dies-out'. So keep an eye on those infection rates.

Have these scientists never watched Terminator???!!!

Generally after-market Routers deliver better Wifi than the box your ISP provides. [To be clear it's probably a Modem Router you're after if you want to completely replace your existing box in one]. TP Link, Netgear, Billion, etc. all produce decent alternatives that you can configure to do things like offer a guest network or kick the kids off at certain times of the day, tweak settings like SNR, etc. It's generally pretty intuitive once you've logged on to the Router [username and password required]. Whether you need a new Router, perhaps a Mesh system or [like Stubby] a Powerline Adapter setup [uses the copper wiring in the electrical circuitry of the house to transmit data] - will come down to how big your house is, whether there are WiFi 'notspots' you need to banish, how technically savvy you are and how big your budget is. You may need to get some advice specific to your circumstances. If you feel the need to have a go yourself - buy off Amazon. If you do and it doesn't offer an improvement - then you can send it back. My instinct is that if you are looking for more speed and a more reliable signal - a new router might be worth a go. You probably know this - but a router that offers WiFi at both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands means you can choose one that works best for you. 5GHz is 'faster' but has less range - 2.4 GHz is slower but has more range. You can mix the two on one Router. Then I'd almost let price be your guide. The more you pay - the more speed you'll get. A bigger box with more aerials is also generally better too. Hope that helps a bit.

We use QuickBooks and have done for nearly 20 years. The learning curve was pretty steep to start with - but now we're 'comfortable' with it. Accountancy - like all professions - has a 'wall of jargon' that you have to get through before anything makes sense. Now I even know what double-entry really means. We've tried Sage and Xero - neither of which we could get on with. But it will come down to personal preference. Most packages come as a trial version. Just set aside a fair few hours and get out the swear box. All have versions that run on some version of Windows and Mac. Like you Scraggs, we didn't want to use a cloud service - and QuickBooks does has a desktop version that doesn't rely on t'internet. We also didn't want to use 'subscription software' - which virtually all accounts packages now are. Pay £x per month this year then £x+10 next year. QuickBooks 2016 is the last version that you could buy outright. Occasionally new-old copies come up on Amazon - so if that matters - it's worth looking out for one of these. Customer support from QuickBooks has always been pretty good too. All this matters. If you do have a package that's not entirely up-to-date [and those will all be subscription based] and therefore won't file VAT via MTD - simply use bridging software to file VAT. We use a very simple package by NJT [Google 'Neilson James Technology' - other software packages are available] - and that works pretty well. People say that bridging software is just 'temporary' - but HMRC will almost certainly accept it as a means of submission for many years to come. I think they have 'other fish to fry'. Overall, my best advice would be - that if you have an accountant - ask them what they use. Then put that package to the top of your list. If you get stuck - they will probably be able to help you. You can also send them a 'copy' of your accounts and they can run 'year end' and send it back to you 'complete and adjusted'. That makes life a whole lot simpler. Most of these packages are very capable. Certainly QuickBooks does have stock control and many other features. Automatically issues invoices from quotes, can reconcile banking, file VAT, highlight ageing debt, etc. etc. It even reminds me when I need to order a new cheque book. I don't ever enjoy 'doing the accounts' - but at least I stay on top of things. It also looks a whole lot more professional to clients - and - heaven forbid - if we ever get a VAT inspection - it should make that slightly less painless as everything is ordered and correct.

Really good end result. 'Freehand' has a lot more charm. If you'd used a stencil/template - might have looked more like a memorial plaque. Incidentally - what router did you use? I tried something similar with a half-inch Triton and I was never in control. Glad I've still got all my fingers! I suspect this is much easier with a palm router....

What a great story. You've really moved things on in the last 10 years. Taken a few risks and thought carefully about the opportunities there are, what you want to do - and then gone and done it. If half the people in this country had a tenth of your drive - we'd be world-beaters. Be proud. Well done.

One word of caution with Alders - especially if planting when 'mature'. Depending on the variety - they can produce an absolute mass of suckers if the roots are disturbed. Beautiful trees though they are - we planted some 10 years ago and it's been a constant battle...

Surely it's a Hedgelog?

Wish I had 1% of your talent. Lovely work. Agree with you about the Makita saws. I have one and think it's under-rated.

Just idly thinking about other uses for this beast. Especially as there have been a few too many postings in the last few days about members having equipment stolen. I'm imagining one of these in a lock-up that 'fires-up' and starts tracking towards the b4sta4rds that have broken in...

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Or open another company and get to work...

This what happens when you have too much time on your hands, have a really big shed and watched Thunderbirds as a kid.

Simple. Always look at the total cost -because that's what I'm going to pay. But I NEVER buy on price alone. Happy to pay a bit more if I know the company has a reputation for good advice/service. That's especially true if it's something that I'm only ever going to 'buy once' or 'buy very occasionally'.

If you've not already approached them try the Insurance Ombudsman. https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/insurance/home-buildings-insurance/settling-home-insurance-claims They have the power to compel the insurer to act.

The trouble is - it's a numbers game. All they need is one or two people/businesses to pay-out and they're ahead. All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration... Vigilance, people. Vigilance.

If that had been me - the wee coming out would have extinguished the flames

When the wife puts on her second jumper...