oldwoodcutter

Friday has soon come round again, at least I’m here to see it 👍

I was always asked for monkey puzzle trunks , but when it came to get your wallet out time they all wanted it donated free .

So now on the firewood heap it goes.

Yes x army gortex, and the hoods big enough to go over your helmet of course.

I put my old webley falcon behind the ear of a rat in my cage trap last week, and it must have had a pint of blood come out of it, you had to see it to believe it.

Bt are best avoided , they won’t speak to tree firms only the account customer.

 They then charge that  customer to drop the line and charge again to reinstate it.

And often when everything’s been arranged for the time and day to drop it they don’t even turn up leaving you and your staff well and truly stuffed.

If it’s not fibre, and not on a shared power pole it is possible to drop it and then pop it back again if your fingers are nimble enough, which mine haven’t been for about 40 years.

Cutting overgrown Laurel in the pouring rain all day,  you soon work out what tools are most productive 

The best thing you can do is simply pay an experienced tree man or time served forestry worker to come and get it down for you, unless you prefer to commit suicide

Most  bonafide  tree firms have a gypsy stick or two on board, often on top of a tarmac rake and a set of heavy bolt croppers with unusually long handles 

When out quoting as soon as I see a potential customer come shuffling round the corner in crocs, I think oh god , here we go again wait for it

You won’t find many established tree firms giving  out hourly rates for anything, especially hedges .

You’re best off asking a local gardener if it’s a small straightforward hedge.

If it’s big a tree firm will come out , and after a careful  inspection and a few well chosen questions, will give you a quote for the whole job, take it or leave it.

I can only hope I live long enough to see a resurgence to the heady days of coming home each evening to listen to at least 5 or 6 messages on the land line inviting us to go and take money off customers wanting tree work and they’re not bothered much about the price as long as you dont quote pikey prices and you can do it within the next month or 2.

The local turners and carver groups used to craze us for yew, you’d fanny about sorting and stacking nice pieces to one side, only for them to come over and pick holes in it and to generally dismiss it as not worth much at all.

The last straw was when a couple of members from the carver and turner groups met me up the woodyard to discuss terms, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed them winking at each other during my negotiations .

Not falling for that old chestnut too many times it’s now all through the chipper or firewooded.

I’d have that cherry right out Ben as the roots will only get worse, and get stump ground out .

The palms alright, unlikely to cause problems below ground.

6 hours ago, Stubby said:

Blimey ! They have been giving it large since about 04:30 here !

They’ve been doing what?

All quiet on the Western Front , even the crows haven’t woken up yet

That takes me back a bit, some of the raf lads up at Marham were detailed to blast walnut shells through the jet planes for their entire shift.

It was a job they hated and looked upon it as punishment meted out by some vindictive officer.