Ian H

Fair point, poor choice of words on my part, he was well and truly excluded but thankfully not beaten(which is more what i meant to say) by the system, and a great testament indeed to Mr Lovelocks humility.

Hi Hama/Paulbrash :dito:What a fantastic programme, should have been prime time BBC1 IMO. Long live out of the box thinkers, shame they have to be seen as mavericks, but good for him for not being trounced by the system:thumbup1:

Hi guys can anyone give me a definitive answer to a question about updating tickets. I've got the old AA9,10,11 etc tickets and would like to upgrade to the newer CS38/39 etc, ideally without having to resit them all if possible. I've searched training/education threads, spoken to NPTC who weren't sure(!!?), even spoke to arbinsure who referred me back to NPTC, so can anyone help:thumbup1:.

Keep the faith mate, just believe:thumbup1:

Hama I think you're an inspiration on this forum, you come at things from a different perspective but that's a gift in my eyes rather than a curse. You've rekindled my desire to wade in to the murky world of education with some ongoing home study(arb related) and to start re-reading tree biology/pathogens, pests/diseases etc. Guys like you raise the bar and mate you're wasted as an employee.

Ouch! cruel but LOL tho, Andy i've been working in the injury treatment/rehab field for a while whilst sorting my own injuries(and i'm now fit to come back to tree work) and whilst it's all been covered in the advice that's already been offered if there's anything else i can offer or if you need a second opinion on the subject feel free to ask. Likewise to everybody else if i can help-feel free, i've gained some interesting insight into wear/tear/injuries related to tree work, most of it very treatable/manageable.

That's quality, perfect antidote to the politically correct/customer is always right philosophy that exists today.

I guess at the end of the day you're only as good as your last job. I'm sure we've all seen v poor work carried out by big AA approved consultants/contractors, but once left without supervision a company is at the mercy of its employees to maintain its reputation no matter how qualified they are!!

Out of interset do you guys think theres a significant distinction between arboriculture and tree surgery, only when i trained originally they tried to push the arb side as a way of elevating the industry away from 'tree cutter' reputations. As i see it, day to day there aren't many differences.

Hmmm-politics and religion, both equally corrupt and manipulative i'd say. Come the election your choice is the best of a bad lot imo.

Awesome call Hamas especially given the blurring. Eyes of a hawk indeed.:thumbup:

Maybe that's for the best(That he's no longer with us), I lost a colleague many years ago doing utility work, he was electrocuted manouvering a cherry picker arm, got distracted chatting and swung the arm into the live lines..... Tidytrees gung-ho attitude to electric lines is v dangerous, and as has previously been said it only takes a slip or momentary lapse in concentration. I've done the courses and sadly seen the photos, it's not pretty!!

Njc hi IMO(for what its worth!) i would listen v seriously to the advice the guys are giving you, it could save alot of time learning the skills, im having to re-learn after a long time away from the industry and the advice ive had has been awesome, its a pretty steep learning curve. I previously had my climbing tickets but will probaly have to retake them all to get appropriate insurance, its an expensive business and costs have to reflect this which is partly why guys get defensive proetecting the industry from being undermined by unprofessional/unskilled, incompetent and uninsured individuals who threaten the hard work that we do. Its hard enough trying to educate the public! Also be aware we live in a v litigous society these days and without the right training/insurance you could be in real trouble, let alone incurring the wrath of the dreaded HSE. You seem like an open minded kinda guy who wants to learn so take all the comments on board and move forward, onward and upward. Godd luck to ya buddy:thumbup:

Stihl for me + auto spout, never given me a problem unlike husky cans which were v leaky. Never tried oregon.

Thanks Steve, i can see your point it makes masses of sense especially for someone like me coming back into the industry to minimise expenditure-cheers, by the way youve got some fantastic bits of kit in your armoury im v jealous:thumbup:

Thanks Mozza. Cheers Tommer9 i'll keep a lookout for the reccy climbing thread, i've got a long way to go before i'm up to speed after so many years out but cheers i'm up for it.

Thanks Jonesie i'm spending far too long on here already and i think it'll get alot worse, it is highly addictive:001_smile:I'll be speaking to to you in the near future about updating gear, PPE etc. Time to spend some money and buy some toys:drool:

Hi Stevie, thanks for the advice, ive got some re-learning to do and some money to spend, im all for modernising and making life that little bit easier, youre a big fan of small chippers(ive seen some of your other posts/threads)do you use a larger chipper as well or does gloria do all your chip work?I like the idea of minimal brush dragging and saving on labour costs, reckon i'll be speaking to Jonesie in the near future. Cheers buddy:thumbup:

Thanks Dean, hopefully this is the right way:thumbup1:

Hi Monkey-D thanks for the welcome and thanks for the heads up, i'll keep a watch out for Stevie:biggrin:

hi again guys, thanks for all the encouragement i'm trying to learn how to use the site to post individual responses using the initial post in the response as ive seen elsewhere on threads, i think via quick reply

Hi skyhuck i suffered with what i thought at that time was vibration white finger, turns out it was nerve irritation causing numbness/weakness in my right arm/hand, i now have it under control and am in better nick than 10yrs ago. And yes the industry has changed radically, i was still climbing on old 16 strand(white nylon) with prussiks-hip thrusting with a willans t22 harness, no hitchclimber/vt etc, some things have changed for the better but still the age old problem of H&S,costs and being undercut by gardeners/pikeys etc and the public(bless them) not able to see the difference in quality/professionalism....some things i guess will never change. Shocking is the word i would use for the increased number of guys in the game these days-it could be my downfall ultimately. Better stop now or i'll start ranting!!!!!!!!!

Thanks guys, the welcome is much appreciated, i'm looking forward to some good heartd banter:sneaky2:

Hi all, after 10yrs away with what i thought was an arb destroying occupational injury i now find i can use a saw again no bother-yippee, sensibly or not at 45 i am now gonna ressurrect(or at least try) my arb career, i know i'm not gonna be able to do wot i did 10/20yrs ago but i'll be happy if i can make a living and avoid the biggest jobs if need be-no rose tinted glasses here it'll hard graft but i still can't think of a more rewarding way to earn a crust. Who knows maybe i'm insane but what the hell!!!!!!!!!! If only arbtalk had been around all those years ago maybe i would've found a way thru the problems, its an awesome site congrats to all involved:thumbup: For all those who think the grass is greener it aint!!at least not for me. Ian:biggrin: .