djbobbins

Ah well, at least we won't be coughing up to stage it next year... (although I only found out this year that the reason we got to the final each year is because the UK is one of the "big five" countries that chuck a load of money at it year in year out). Bit like the EU then really...

Can't be, the radio's still in the car and not being touted down the local pub for £20...

Splitting wedges, lots of sweat and quite a bit of backache was how I did mine. It will be fibrous and a pig to split, even when wedges are a long way in. You will probably need some bigger wooden wedges to hold the gaps apart. It you don't want all of the grief of doing this, either pay someone to come and fetch it (skip company?) or, if you can, light a big bonfire and put it somewhere in the middle. If you can afford the time for it to rot (about three years if left to the elements), get the biggest long wood bit you can find - say 32mm or so - and perforate it all over with holes. It'll rot away to the extent that you'll be able to pull it apart with bare hands in 3 -4 years.

My father in law runs two diesels (one old Seat and a Ford C-Max). He says the Seat will drink whatever you put in it (it's one of the three cylinder things that sounds like a bag of spanners being thrown down a flight of stairs) but he's always said the Ford goes better on Shell diesel.

It can be nice beer, honest!

I tried to post this in Arbtrader but had three goes at logging in and it still wouldn't let me Is there anyone in the Warwick / Coventry / Solihull / Stratford area who could help me out with a decent sized ring / chunk of hardwood to use as a block for splitting on? It can be as knotty, gnarly and generally useless for anything else providing its about 18-20" across and about 18" tall. My faithful chunk of knotty euc is falling to bits and in need of replacing after a few too many summers of splitting. Happy to collect and either bung someone a few quid or some beers (whichever suits) and of course much gratitude!

I would probably have gone for an inset stove but we want to get rid of the 1970s stone fireplace which runs about 7 foot along one wall, then round the corner. Plus which, the stonework protrudes about 6 inches from the wall and is uneven, so I didn't think an inset stove would look any good. Including 904 liner, removal of old fireplace, hearth, chop out brickwork, supply and install oak beam, CO detector, certification etc it is going to be about £1700. The stove is available from a place about 45 minutes drive away at £640 including VAT. So... now I've resolved to get it done, looking forward to it being done and finished!

Euc is a pig to split, very knotty and fibrous. It is great firewood when seasoned but anything of a decent size (bigger than three or four inches across) will take three years at least to season, based on my experience. Whilst I can't "speak" for the recent winters (where we have seen minus 10 or so) because I had felled the two eucs on my land by then, I live in rural Warwickshire and they were both healthy and rapid growing. We met the people who'd owned our house years before (mid 1980s I think) and planted the eucs as small trees; I felled them in 2007 and they were 40 foot odd and getting on for 20 inch diameter in the base at a guess. That was under "standard" growing conditions and I know one of them had been pollarded at least once. Unfortunately I don't know the genus though.

Had three quotes which have made my eyes water a bit. Basically, including the installation and sign-off, it is going to be about two grand plus the cost of the stove. That includes lining with 904 grade liner... which brings me onto another question. I don't live in a smoke control area and would like the option to burn housecoal (rather than smokeless) as well as logs. I like the look and reviews of the DRU 44MF, the manufacturer claims it can burn coal, lignite, wood, peak or coke - which sounds pretty comprehensive. I just wondered what experience anyone had of burning traditional coal in a stove with airwash and using a lined chimney? I'm curious on how the airwash copes and what the lifespan impact will be on the liner.

Presumably in that case either (a) the person seeking the quote is telling a bare faced lie, or (b) the person who is willing to take away the firewood hasn't got a clue about the scope of work, has no insurance and most probably hasn't got the equipment to do a large dismantle.

We had a tenner's worth of bets, two £1.50 each ways for the adults and two £1 each ways for the kids... Wife's and both kids' got nowt but mine came home first at 40-1... £78 back against my original stake of a tenner. Might even pay for a tank of fuel provided I don't leave it until the warning light is on!

Looks like the link for freebies has expired... has anyone got a bar (542317 product number) and chain (PS56E) in good nick that they would be interested in selling?

Hope it works out well... digressing a bit, I have done a bit of interviewing & selection at work and I have found that an applied test (i.e. semi real-world scenario) is much much more informative than any CV, interview or standard form aptitude test. I can't say I'd apply much credence to a handwriting test to be honest, but maybe that's because my handwriting looks like something a doped-up spider dipped in ink would leave on the paper!

Call that drama? Never lived in Moss Side, have they?!!

Should just be getting ready for next winter then, marvellous...

Apologies if this duplicates any previous posts, but when I searched for "cherry" I got lots of results about red diesel and MEWPs! I've been offered some cherry, felled about November, and was wondering: (a) how long to season (b) what the wood is like once it's seasoned?

Oh come on, coming home from the pub and worrying about whether the eggs are fresh or not. Okay, so my method won't deliver quite such an haute-cuisine result, but if you're home from the pub half cut and have the munchies, it might not matter. And it'll work whether the eggs are fresh or not... Take a microwaveable mug Spray in a bit of oil (if you've got one of these oil sprayer thingies), if not pour in a bit of oil and swill it around Crack the egg into the mug Microwave for about a minute (more or less time depending on power of the microwave) ... and Bob's your mother's live-in-lover...

That one stinks worse than a month-dead sewer rat... My personal advice would be to not waste another minute of your time on it.

Over in Germany the non-alcoholic beers (which they have managed to not make taste like gnat pee) are marketed as being isotonic. +1 from me for the "a bit of everything in moderation", FWIW.

If you could sell a cube at that kind of price you'd be set for life!!

Looks really good. I built a smaller shed (bespoke to fit a certain size space in the garden) at our previous house, cost me about £150 in timber (so less than the equivalent size from a DIY place) but will probably still be standing in 40 years from now. Only problem is, I sold the house 5 years ago so don't get to see it any more!

I served Franny Lee (former England footballer and Man City chairman) with a beer when I worked behind the bar in my local pub as a youth. And when I was working for a charity in Manchester I was sent out on duty during a visit by Prince Charles to shake his hands whilst I was dressed in the charity's bear costume!

It is filmed somewhere near Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire. Like most kids programmes it's probably best not to think too seriously about the content unless you are using controlled substances!

Dean, I was just wondering how you got on with this - did you work out the overall bill per year?

I did one last year and pretty much got the mix as above. I didn't know where to start, so decided to build the speech around quotes. In particular, there was an ice-breaker that I used at the start from Zsa Zsa gabor, who said that "a man is incomplete until he is married. After he's married, he's finished." Other than that, it was a mix of gentle ribbing of the groom, complementing all the families, bride etc, telling the bride what a nice family she has married into etc. My best man did a gag about how I'd told him on the morning of the wedding I was desperate to get my wife's knickers off. Of course, the punch line was that my reason for doing so was that I'd also allegedly told him that they were really chafing me... It seemed a good middle ground of risqué, but also acceptable for all but the most prudish auntie. Good luck, and don't get get bladdered beforehand or think you can wing it. Or both. I've seen a few speeches where that led to complete drivel or downright offensiveness.