Gareth Dalzell

On a positive note, it sounds like you are getting plenty of underpinning knowledge on the arb side. The practical tickets my come through, but as you probably realise you'll need to keep pushing for them. The Foundation degree/HND isnt worth worrying about I don't think there is any difference in the two levels of qualification. Fdegree is just another way of increasing the "kerb appeal" of a diploma by tagging the term degree onto it. It won't kid many employers, the knowledge with the tickets is what counts. The PA1 tickets is worth pushing for proof on. If you can't get the college to sort it ring NPTC - you should have got a proof of passing slip "Assessment Result Advice Slip" or ARAS for short from the assessor if it was a proper assessment you did. If this wasn't the case I,m sure NPTC would love to hear from you. It would probably be worth forming a student representitive delegation to meet with college, voice your concerns and get written assurances. Good luck

Rob, Excellent job there. A good usable family garden with a sharp finish. The cider is well deserved:thumbup:

Yes, do you need some info off it or a copy - its 48 pages long

Your accountant will advise you on the dividend thing - but remember if HMRC think you are decreasing your salary and taking more in dividends they will class this as tax evasion. They have tightened up on things like this in the last few years. You don't automatically have to make a full audited accounts - there are lower level excemptions - we turn just under £1/2million and submit unaudited The protection from making a mess-up are not total - in certain circumstances they can still pursue you for personal liability You should tell your suppliers or people you have trade accounts with as if the company defaults on payments they may still take action against you personally as that's how the accounts were originally set up. The limited company is a living and breathing entity and has its own position in law - even if you die it still exists. We crossed to the dark side about 12 years ago and day to day it doesn't make a lot of difference - except I am now an employee and although I like to think I own the company it actually owns me:biggrin:

Only if you can juggle, fire breathe, a bit of trapeez and you're names Bonzo the clown or surname Chipperfield

Nothing else in life matters as much as life for the ones you love. Thoughts are with you.

Ah yes, but you're in your 40th year:001_tt2:

Happy Birthday - hope you've had a good day and something planned for this evening. 40 years of age - an excellent age to be - remember it well as I head towards 40 + 10% It's a good age for changing your title - how about Prof or Doctor - or as a consultant, is it sharper to be simply known as Mr Ham. Enjoy the rest of your day and welcome to your 40th year

Give Dale a ring, you'll be talking to the guy that makes the trailers not a sales rep who sells them. I think, like for like, Dales may be slightly more expensive on paper, but they are simply built stronger, heavier floors, ramp springs, plate and drawbars. We've been contracting for 21 years and we've had dozens of trailers over the years and I got fed up buying big brand trailers that are engineered and designed to use a little metal and material in their construction as possible and simply don't stand up to the demands we make on them - which are not unreasonable. Our aim is as our other brand trailers need replaced, we'll replace our entire fleet with Dale Kane trailers. Am I biased because they are made locally - doubt it. Out of all our machinery Dale Kane trailers are the only things made locally. Although I guess our Massey Ferguson tractor has strong local links with Messers Harry Ferguson being a Ulsterman. Don't get to hung up on the initial purchase price, thing life time value! (Jeees, I sound like a sales rep!)

The last trailer we bought was one. We've got Ifor williams and Indespension trailers up until that but had problems with them. Weak floor, too short a tail door for loading mid deck mowers, mudguards falling off, tail door dropped completely off the indespension one, crappy lighting units, laxles and hubs too light. Our Dale Kane trailer has improved on all the issues we had with other brands. It is slightly heavier (just a little) but it tows perfectly and we had no issues with it. We'll be changing over to them as our other trailer come up for renewal. No hesitation.

I must play this one again - I got distracted and forgot to listen to he singing? Sweet

It was my first term at Writtle College and I slept right through it. Woke up the next morning walked across the quad to the dinner hall for breakfast and noticed a tree lying on its side - thought the Agric's had been having a laugh after a few beers. Then happened to notice half the trees around were horizontal

Baked beans or brussel sprouts required - Tesco locals still open:lol:

Wow, he certainly had a good check over the quad - sounds like he missed his vocation as a mot inspector:lol:

A suspiciously calm Sunday evening here on top of the hill behind Belfast. In the next 12 hours we're forecast 80mph winds:afraid:

It does happen and sometimes it is and sometimes it is not your fault. So, assuming you've made a few contacts in your 8 years on site, do a bit of digging to see whats going on. It might be he's got no money or he's got someone else lined up or he thinks you,ve taken your eye off the ball. Each year we gain a few new sites and sometimes we lose some. It is human nature to get peeved, but it's always nice to know the exact reason. Contract wise there's normally little that can be done, a private company, dealing with a one man band is unlikely to be able to use a Transfer of undertaking condition.

I,m curious. What parts of the quad was he unhappy with?

I reckon they kept it showing this week in Belfast because of our NW200 - unfortunately bad weather, a bomb scare and an oil spill meant very little racing:thumbdown: At least everyones home safe though

[ame] [/ame] Was over in the Isle of Man this week on a job and read the review in the flight magazine (more like a pamphlet on a Manx2 plane really) . Just came back for the seeing it in the pictures - excellent, absolutely excellent and very funny Guy Martin is bloody bonkers:thumbup:

Rob, I like your style and attitude. Making the effort and getting on with it. Spot on mate:thumbup:

Always curious how you maintain a steady speed - do you have a GPS or acurate speedo on the quad. I have issues with the callibration on these type of machines for PA2:confused1:

Got mine from Site Box Ltd:001_smile:

Got 6 units and 1 end unit which I cable tied to the last cone. Perfect for long runs 50m+ at a time. This job was topping a 8m high laurel block down to 2m at the entrance to the main student halls at Queens University Belfast so we needed good seperation. So much better than a bit of tape or rope and much easier to move along as the work area progressed. Looks much sharper also.

Or Neat Fairy Liquid and wipe it off. We would recommend using both mesh visor and glasses. Currently using Sperian Op-tema Blue Temples clear lense from Arco - about £4 a pair. I find the most important thing is to have a good soft glass case with them as its rarely in use they get scratched but in storage sitting in the vans.

Got the barriers last month and had them on my site yesterday. Give them a real good testing. - Strong breezy day with gusts (they slowly slacken and then re-tensioned themselves when the wind subsided - Student environment (even after being fiddled with they're still intact - Dropped branches onto them (crinkled one of them but it still tensioned and retracted - one of the team dropped two of the units while setting them up (didn't break or crack) So after a good "Top Gear" type test they have survived. Good "heads up" for this product Monkey - D. Thanks