felixthelogchopper

Says the man who is much closer to Brighton than Billericay.

Well, to be fair, we have all had nights like that, haven't we?

Don't think I ever met him? Nice bloke, was he?

I just create my own holes over time, mate. Same way Spike does his pants.

That's because the saw dust stays stuck to the lace.

Cheers mate, you may come to regret that offer.

OK mate, looks like I will have a go at doing my first 2 stroke carb if it isn't the fuel line. Cheers!

Cheers Rich. I'll have a look at the plug when I go back to it. I was thinking fuel line but the hiss kept distracting me. It is forceful enough to spray a bit of fuel out after a few goes of getting it running with the bulb. I've done fuel lines no problem, but how involved is the diaphragm on the carb?

I was thinking that but it doesn't explain the hiss. I've taken the vent apart and blown it all through but still no better.

I have been swearing at a Stihl HS81R hedgetrimmer today. It was struggling to start this morning so I started to have a look at it on the bench. I found the plug wasn't in tight but that wasn't the problem. Trying to check the plug was sparking was a nightmare as you can't see it when you earth it. Eventually, with the workshop lights off, I could see a spark but gauging the quality of it was impossible. Satisfied that it was actually sparking, I turned my attention to trying to get the thing to actually start. I found that it would fire on choke then start after several attempts but I had to keep pumping the bulb to get the petrol through. Once it fired a few times, it would idle then die, and would not fire again unless I pumped more fuel through with the bulb. This made me think it could be the tank vent, especially as I got a hiss when I opened the fuel cap, but even with the vent out it still idles then dies. Squeezing the throttle just makes it die a bit quicker. Any ideas?

I know Does sell it.

Simple answer is you don't.You let things run their course then make sure you and the rest of the family are there if/when it all goes tits up. What would you expect her to do if she agreed with you anyway?

That's the one.

Is this the one that can be done online as well?

Dave would have climbed it but he forgot his ladder.

You're welcome, mate. I just hope it's good advice and it all works out well.

Read my post again. All I say is get your replacement work in place before you burn your bridges. If you talk to other firms in your area and they have no work to offer you then you need to decide whether you want to take the risk. If they offer you enough work then you know where you stand. TBH, it doesn't read to me like you owe him anything. He pays low for a very long day and you have paid for your own tickets. Employment is a two way street. He has given you work because he needed you, not to do you any favours.

Just tread carefully. It will be all too easy to find yourself out in the cold. As a subby, you have no employment rights to ensure continuing employment.Get your contacts made before you do anything else.

Regardless of whether you are happy where you are or not, as a subby you should always make contacts with other companies in the area in case of situations like this or your main employer running out of work. I learnt that one the hard way and it took me a couple of weeks to get up and running again. You might also both find yourselves in an iffy situation with HMRC if you are self-employed yet working for only one employer. At the moment, it's very much an employers market when it comes to less specialized labour so you need to tread carefully unless you can afford to be without work for as long as it would take you to find a replacement. In this situation, my approach would be to approach other companies and get some other work booked in. If you are self-employed then he has no argument when you tell him you have been booked by somebody else. If he wants to tell you that you can't be off that day, then he must be telling you that you are employed and so he should be giving you paid holidays as well as providing PPE, paying Employer's NI contributions etc. Finally, you might want to check the National minimum wage for your age. Basically, he is being an arse by behaving as he is but it's your call as to whether you gamble on calling his bluff.

Ash limb from tree in area where Inonotus is rife.

I planted a nice line of these for the local council in Thurrock when I was a subby a few years ago. Hope they are doing well.

We'll have to try that one next time we visit.

Nice and cool this morning after heavy rain and thunder/lightning last night. Was funny to see everybody at the show start suddenly packing up as the rain started building over Kent yesterday.

If you are in Edinburgh and fancy a very good curry, go to the Kebab Mahal in Nicholson Square.

Good to see some old friends and meet some new ones. Thanks to Eggs and Wolfie for looking after a strimmer left for me and good to meet the Nomadic team.