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Paul Jenks

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Everything posted by Paul Jenks

  1. Paul Jenks
    Our LOLER test guy comes to our yard and will spend time cleaning krabs. That's a lot for 9-10 kits. He only fails them when, after a good clean and lube they don't work.
  2. Paul Jenks
    Following on from Paul (AA), give them options with advice. If they are interested in the longevity of the tree they may listen to and act on your advice. Give them the option to go harder and price accordingly though making sure that they are advised of the structural, physiological and future management implications of either operation. If you're happy to prune harder than the BS and that is what the client wants, in the end that's what they'll get, whether you do it or not.
  3. Paul Jenks
    if it's an urgent safety issue we ask BT to drop the lines. If they delay we say unlucky. You're not really supposed to touch the wires in the box. But then one is not supposed to speed, eat whilst driving or lift more than 25kgs. The cost to repair is £90-180 I think. Or catch a local BT guy and plead poverty, pretend you job is on the line etc. Or, as was said, ask the client to ring up the next day.
  4. Paul Jenks
    Trees often shed a few leaves during prolonged dry spells to save themselves the trouble of keeping them flushed. This looks a bit more terminal to me. Probably wise to wait and see, and yes a couple of buckets of water a day might well help.
  5. Paul Jenks
    It'd be 'risque' 'cos the climber was only in his underwear to reduce the weight.
  6. Paul Jenks
    Kretzschmaria deusta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I've usually associated the lesions with this. Is there any sign in the buttresses of the early white stage of the fungus?
  7. Paul Jenks
    As has been said, a union like that in a sycamore is low risk. They don't let go very often. I think your tree surgeon gave you a pragmatic set of options. Lifting will give you more light under the canopy, though may diminish privacy, depending on local conditions. There certainly doesn't appear to be any safety issues with the tree. If the tree is causing you issues now these will only be exacerbated as the tree grows, and management will cost more. Tree management is not cheap whether it's on-going or occasional one-off. And once you start down the path of management the impact on the health of the tree, perceived and delivered outcome and future management implications are all in the mix.
  8. Paul Jenks
    We always put enough manpower on site to have a chap at each end and put cones across the road when on all red. Some drivers are such muppets they try squeezing through the tightest gaps. In Oxfordshire we have to book roadspace with NRSWA as part of the traffic management act. Arboriculture falls into the same category as other utilities. We had to pay £360+Vat to book road space in Wargrave last year for one day. Unless you use the traffic management company to actively manage, at least one of your staff will have to have a streetworks qualification unit 2 and someone in the company must have unit 10 too oversee/supervise, (though the person with unit 10 doesn't have to remain onsite.) If you don't have a qualified person onsite and/or you haven't booked road space a roaming NRSWA officer can kick you off the road.
  9. Paul Jenks
    He should think of his target market. Will it be primarily private or corporate customers. Using his name may be better for private clients. Using a set of letters, ABC Tree Care Inc., may be better for corporate. How big does he want to get. Will 'Joe's Tree Care' fit the image of a nationwide company? Will 'Axis Tree Management and Consultancy' appeal to Daisy Duke?
  10. Paul Jenks

    Eco Plugs

    Paul Jenks replied to Dowie's topic in General chat

    I don't see that you would. Read the instructions, drill holes, insert, tap in, collect invoice. Job done. No special handling.
  11. Paul Jenks
    I have a Polar heart rate monitor watch. Face gets scratched a bit and the catch gets caught in my kids hair a lot. I have clocks everywhere. I also have a Tissot from my 21st, though I generally forget to wear it on the rare occasions I go out.
  12. Paul Jenks
    They should also not be under the direction of anyone from the contractors company. I.e. Not being managed on site.
  13. Paul Jenks
    Unless you are being paid to do a days work, try to avoid saying how long you'll be on site. Sometimes a job goes really well and you're done by lunch. Clients sometimes get a bit miffed if you said it'd take all day. Then they start to ask for extras or money off.
  14. Paul Jenks
    HM Revenue & Customs: Employment Status Indicator Here's another one for you. I have just filled one in as a 'subbie climber' to see what came out and HMRC will have to get back to me regarding my employment status. As has been mooted on this forum historically, sub-contract labour has been a very tax efficient business model and HMRC don't appear to be too happy about this. It's always been a grey area in our industry and HMRC seem to be re-enforcing the boundaries of what is legal and what is not.
  15. Paul Jenks
    HM Revenue & Customs: What's changed - PAYE in real time It looks like HMRC are catching up with the information technology age and are gathering data they can actually use. They can number crunch and check for trends so employers who use sub-contract labour only as a way of reducing their tax payments may find themselves being investigated.
  16. Paul Jenks
    Heard on 2Day FM in Sydney a few years ago when discussing make-up. Caller, "Mate, half the women in Australia wouldn't be married if it wasn't for make-up." Turkish saying,"I complained I had no shoes until I saw a man with no feet." One day this will be last year.
  17. Paul Jenks

    Chiropractor?

    Paul Jenks replied to PeteB's topic in The Lounge

    I think a lot is down to personal preference. When I got back from travelling I went to see a really good chiro and he got me straight. (It's amazing what it feels like to be really well aligned skeletally.) I've tried all sorts since and have now been with the osteo who looks after the Oxford Rowing Squad for about 11-12 years. If it's a bad year and I do lots of stupid things in trees, on the water or with the kids I may have to get scrunched 4-5 times. Otherwise it's once or twice a year. A decent osteo will always give you a deep massage prior to manipulating. Typically about £40 per session. Takes as long as it takes.
  18. Paul Jenks
    Working a prussik system on a wet day up a sycamore. The prussik squeezes out all the water and gunk from the climbing rope as a runny 'tree puree'. To the uninitiated this usually makes its way down the sleeve, around the back and will sometimes even wend its gentle way beyond the belt. JOY
  19. Paul Jenks
    Ask the landlord if he has insurance for interuption of business. If he has then talk to the insurers as they may well demand redress from the LA. Whether they'll get anywhere is another matter. It might shoe-horn some common sense into the situation.
  20. Paul Jenks
    The PG9 is automatic if there is a fault with the vehicle, which, as has been stated, is likely if they start crawling around. A defective light is the usual as it's easy to spot. The prohibition notice is a mechanism to show they, VOSA, are doing their job and a toe curling reminder to the driver/operator to stay on the right side of the legislation. The fault has to be rectified at the roadside before they provide a suspension to the prohibition. This gives you 10 days to get an MOT and present it to your local police station to get a PG10, which lifts the prohibition altogether. Failure to comply gets you an automatic £5000 fine. Funny thing is VOSA have an all singing, all dancing computerized system and the police still use crappy triplicate books hidden away at the back of the station.
  21. Paul Jenks
    It'susually down to stress of some sort. As we age we become more aware of the things we need to do, feel we should do, haven't done, might never do. Our responsibilities grow too. House, family and business. To this end we think about [read worry] stuff whenever we can. Good sleep hygiene is a start. I read an article on it a while back, probably in readers digest. No tv in the bedroom, no computer in the bedroom, don't read in bed, get into a routine before bed and stick to it. My wife found a product called Dormeasan in Boots that really helps. It's made from valerian hops. 3 for 2 at the moment. Take up to 30 drops in a glass of water before bed. Don't do more than 30 drops as it gives really funky dreams.
  22. Paul Jenks
    We've had 3 over the years. In fact my first 3 vehicles we're convoys. Still have one. You don't want to be doing long distance with them, and it sometimes pays to have your ear defenders on whilst driving. As said previously, they are usually good reliable work horse trucks. I wouldn't go fo a crew cab as they are overloaded with a team of 2 and a suite of saws before you even start putting chip and wood on the back.
  23. Paul Jenks
    Legality aside, I wouldn't have thought the cost saving was worth the paperwork. White diesel isn't really £1.40/l if your VAT registered. (Of course it depends on how many litres you intend to use) I'd speak to HMRC and VOSA to get clarity and then make a decision.
  24. Paul Jenks
    I'd also be clear with the specification the client wants so that he/she is happy with the works, BS3998 notwithstanding, so he/she pays the bill. It'd be nice to work to clear BS guidelines as there is more clarity, though, as Tony S has said, as long as there is a framework left, crack on. Sometimes a heavier reduction is expedient. (To get the invoice paid). If, however, on your quotation and, for that matter, anywhere else on your marketing material, you state that you work to BS 3998, it may be seen as beyond the scope of the BS. You'd have to have a pretty zealous TO to pick you up on it though.
  25. Paul Jenks
    Not if it's, as alluded to before, specific to a job. And the job is not referenced. Anyway, if the client is willing to go with a cheaper price, good luck to them, and more fool to the contractor for being cheaper.

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