Big J

I strongly disagree. The city numbers are actually very much average for the county. The worst figures are in Barnstaple. The average in Mid Devon is just under 100/100,000. So approximately 1 person in 1050 is getting covid-19 here per week. It would take 20 years for it to work it's way through the population assuming no one was ever reinfected. The restrictions bear no relation to the prevalence of the virus or the severity of the infection. The highest prevalence group is now secondary school kids, for whom it represents virtually zero risk. If people who are elderly or infirm have concerns, I respect that. I will behave respectfully around them, wear a mask when asked to and do what I can to make them feel safe. Where I draw the line is for my children not to be able to have play dates with their friends (and the associated social contact that my wife and I get seeing the other parents) or for us to be able to see our close family. My brother and sister in law are expecting their first child on the 23rd of December and no restriction will prevent me from meeting my niece. I have no intention of heeding any tier 2 restriction and shall carry on as before, which is seeing a very limited number of people occasionally.

Devon - tier two. What a load of bollocks. Put Exeter and Plymouth into T2 but rural Devon has more panther sightings than covid cases.

Improves the economy a touch, turbos kick in lower. It got noticably faster and didn't cost much. Why not, eh? ?

Not quite engine out, though that's the way the VW dealer wanted to do it. The VW specialist was able to do it with subframe off and a few other bits. Still a two day job. They are very expensive to maintain, but you get what you pay for. They aren't much worse on fuel than pickups from 2010-2015, cost a bit less to buy and towing is a whole other kettle of fish. They are also far more comfortable and spacious. Tax for mine is £325, as it's a 2006. All I'd say if you are looking out for one is try to find a good one. Mine was a one owner vehicle and it had never towed. Passed it's last MOT without any advisories and it was the VW dealer than did the MOT. Mine's running 370bhp, and it pulls very, very hard in gear. The gearbox is lazy, but it's almost 20 year old tech now I suppose.

Had it for a year now. Just had to do the starter motor at £1300, which was nasty, but otherwise fine. Even with the trailer fully loaded (3500kg) it's nowhere near challenging the motor on any hill. It does make towing a damn sight easier around here. Generally 25mpg on normal driving, up to 30mpg on runs, down to 16-18mpg on heavy towing.

I should stress I'm more of a site agent/machine operator. If I claim to do saw work my subbies will roast me. Just fancied a change of direction and working in the southwest, it was easier to get into forestry than start a sawmill from scratch.

On the topic of Ifor Williams, the new owners of Wrexham FC had something to say on the matter:

Mostly in the politics bits of the forum these days ?

Well if they are serving chips when you get the vaccine, count me in!

Allegedly, all those vehicles have a top speed of more than 38mph, but I've yet to see one exceed that.

I am getting right into the rowing. Being a lanky bastard is useful for something ?

Thanks for all the feedback - it's much appreciated. It was definitely overdoing the squatting that did the patella tendons in. I just love squatting and I wasn't getting any DOMS, but with me being relatively new back to lifting, my ligament and tendon strength just wasn't there. Nevermind though - did my first squats just with the bar last night and it was fine. I'm not going to do as much squatting again in the future, but I'll build it up to twice a week again. The deadlifts are helping too. I find lowering the weight in a fully controlled manner sore (most of the time) so I focus on the concentric, with a controlled drop for the eccentric. Additionally find Pendley rows to be excellent. I've started rowing too as I have a Concept 2 in the gym. I've only just started, but I have been told I have huge potential with it as I'm very tall, fairly heavy (but not too heavy) and have a cardiovascular sports background from when I was a kid (timetrial cycling). I've only done a little bit, but my 500m time is pretty strong and I have to exert far less effort (and fewer strokes) to row at a similar pace to shorter guys. I'll see how I get on with it

I did have the wide cutting mill, and yes, my purchase preceded the agent's arrival on the scene. I bought more Trakmet machines afterwards, but always went direct.

Woodmizers are OK. A tidy product with excellent marketing and there some advantages to the one post head system, but accuracy of cut isn't one of them. They stuck doggedly to their design for a long time, but they are having to respond to a drop in market share by offering mills with a larger throat and a more stable design, incorporating rails and posts on both sides. I had the first Trakmet sawmill in the UK. I went out to the factory in Poland a couple of times. They are a pretty decent company to deal with and their machines are solid. Not very sophisticated and their engineering tolerances at the time were lacking a bit. They made up for that with steel. Lots of steel. I put 1100 hours on mine before I sold it and the guys who bought my business have added another 6-700 without issue. They are much cheaper than Woodmizers but certainly their equal. If I had the money I'd go Mebor though. That's a lovely mill. I had the Trakmet, with the Logmaster LM2 prior to it and the Woodmizer LT40 before that. The Logmaster was the stand out mill being both solidly made and well engineered. Fundamentally, go for as few electrics as possible, as many hydraulics as possible and as much steel as possible. Also, as wide a band as possible. There is no substitute for power either.

Well I overdid it on the squats. Gave myself tendonopathy in both my patella tendons! ? That was about 2 months ago and they are recovering fairly well. No squatting yet, but lunges and deadlifts are OK. No back issues now really. The odd stiff day but 90% functionality has returned, which I'm happy with. Bodyweight it up to a steady 120kg, which is sensible for someone my height. Strength is going up well too. I bought a Concept 2 rower a little while back too and I'm enjoying that also. A solid all body workout and terrific for your cardiovascular system. Any other rowers out there?

It's funny you say that because to an extent I agree. I was chatting to Beau about it yesterday and I said I envied him for having immediate access to the moors. Here, there is nowhere to go walking at all. We have a bridleway that intersects our lane, but it doesn't go anywhere and any walk always involves a significant amount of road walking or trespassing. The lanes aren't any fun to walk either as there is plenty of traffic, including tractors which take up every inch of the lane (which is intimidating with young children and a dog). Give me the wilds of the moors any day.

I find it so hard to moderate myself in terms of swinging between highs and lows. The obsessive compulsive aspect of my personality means I can at times be quite driven and do a lot in a short period of time. And then on the flipside, I'll sometimes struggle to move for days on end, just retreating into myself and wanting to be left entirely alone. The weather is the focus of my issues because it creates the biggest complications for me. I've determined that I need absolute order in my life, insofar as to say, I'm very, very good at skilled repetitive work. So I was much faster on the sawmill (and it's bank of hydraulic controls for long handling) than either of the guys that bought my business. I'm very good at forwarding, and I was also extremely good at self select handwood thinning. It's when things go wrong that struggle. So mechanical breakdowns and weather, being let down by other people, that sort of thing. Breakdowns are unavoidable and expected, but when you look at climate data for SW England, historically, it hasn't rained 4 days in 5 from Sept-March. It did last year and it's headed that way this year. I've met some wonderful people down here in Devon, truly and for many people it's a great place to live. For us though, we struggle (me more than my family, I'll admit). We've decided to move to Sweden in spring 2022 and we're zeroing in on a couple of areas that we really like and want to explore further. You have to do what makes you happy and not living in the full force of the wrath of the Atlantic is something that'll really help. There are obviously a whole bunch of other reasons too (almost too many to list) but the weather is a big one for me. (as a point aside, my wife just this moment came back in from 60 seconds outside getting something from the car. She took at umbrella and has still had to change her whole outer layer of clothing ? )

Glad that you're on the other side of it (for the most part), and welcome to the forum ?

It almost never stops raining in Cullompton too. And with the clay soil, venturing off the tarmac from October to March is best compared to negotiating the Somme.

I'm sorry to hear about your father. I do think there is merit in exercise. I started weight training again in April after a 12 year lay off (excepting 5-6 months a few years ago) and I feel a lot better for it, both mentally and physically. I was really struggling with my back through last winter, which compounded the mental health issues. I love being outside, whether that's fishing, swimming, hiking, cycling or just sat in the garden. The fishing is pretty good in Devon, but that's about all that can be said. From an access to the outdoors point of view, the move from Scotland has been very, very disappointing.

I'm quite a homely type as it is. I derive enjoyment mostly from my day to day being good, rather than looking forward to trips away and such like. I would never have thought it, but Scotland (for all it's crappy weather) actually sees less rain than we have here. I did work near Chard last winter and that was the very worst place. The green sand there is something else.

I ought to raise my head above the parapet on this one. I've always suffered from depression. Really as long as I can remember. Anyone who knows me well will testify to the fact that I swing between highs and lows. It just seems to be the way my brain is programmed. The main thing to exacerbate it is the weather. It sounds daft, but when you spend your life outside, doing a job for which the weather is a huge part, then it can affect your mood. I say weather, but in all honesty, it's just the rain. Devon seems to have two seasons. The dry season and the wet season. Last winter almost broke me with 6.5 months of continuous rain. Here in Cullompton, I measured 1.4m of rain in that time period. Some of the places we work (like Exmoor) see a magnitude more than that. It makes what would otherwise we a straightforward job turn in a daily grind. The prospect of getting out of the house in the dark to spend your whole day battling tidal waves of mud sucks all the joy out of life. I don't really know how to address the issue - the West Country is incredibly wet. You either change jobs or change location. The second option is being considered. I just wish I had more motivation to trudge on through the mud but it really is soul-sucking. Beyond that, I try to keep a positive outlook in other aspects of life but that is getting increasingly difficult. The prospect of grinding through another 5 months of winter/wet season feels like a bit of a prison sentence.

Good elm is worth a lot more than that now. If you can find clean, shake free elm from live or recently dead trees, you'd be looking at upwards of £8/hoppus foot, which translates to £220/t roadside, or thereabouts. It's pretty similar to good quality in oak, in terms of pricing, but good burr/pip will make a lot more. I know of one batch from near Inverness (2 or 3 loads I think) that went for £25/hf delivered to Helmdon in Northamptonshire. Straight, clean logs, averaging around 3ft in diameter.

Tis indeed