Big J

I'm out this morning to inspect a woodland we're starting at in a few weeks. Have to check extraction routes and other such things. On my own on Exmoor, I'm as isolated as it gets. I'm expecting to get stopped by the Fuzz on the highstreet though. They've been checking a lot of people lately, and rightly so. The site I'm going to is supplying chipwood for heating and sawlogs for Pontrilas, both of which are key industries.

There is apparently a test coming shortly for antibodies. Within weeks, it's indicated. Those who have had the infection (often unwittingly) will have the antibodies and therefore will not be contagious, even if still testing positive. Please do correct me if I'm wrong there. My understanding is that some people appear to be reinfected with covid 19, but it's largely asymptomatic and they are not infectious. Those that have the antibodies would then be able to resume normal day to day life, as they don't represent a risk to the uninfected.

I'm glad you're all doing OK. It's great that we're able to talk so openly about our health now. I'm not sure it'd be the same with a chlamydia pandemic ?

I'd obviously have to see the end cut off, but those bark occlusions just hint at walnut possibly. The bark just isn't quite right for ash. I only milled (I think) 4 or 5 walnut in all my time in Scotland and each of them had bark occlusions like that.

It's OK if: You can value add to your end product. So if you run a timber framing business, or perhaps a fencing company If you can find a niche. Ours was timber for beehives and national sales of sawn elm. If you're very good (and patient) at grant applications. There are lots of grants available. We never bothered. You can combine it with a mutally beneficial business enterprise. So we did a lot of elm harvesting/merchanting (especially veneer grade) at the same time. There are many ways to make it work well, but it's an episode I'm done with. Always happy to help anyone else get going in it, as it's good fun.

Haha! I can't be bothered anymore with that. Been there, done that, got the back injury! ?

My 2 cents on it and my jusfication for keeping my tax bill minimised (I did pay just over £12k in income tax in January, for the record). If a company chooses to offset some of their tax liability by purchasing new machinery, they will do so so that they can expand their business and hopefully, the eventual profitability. It's always a gamble of course, and that's a risk largely shouldered by the self employed. Certainly in normal times. This epidemic is unprecendented in living memory. With the expansion of a business, new jobs are created, and the exchequer benefits from overall economic expansion as well as specific tax receipts. I have paid £36000 in VAT on my last two VAT returns. This high figure is largely down to the fact that I charge VAT on my timber, but many of my expenses are VAT free (chainsaw operatives). Capital allowances are rarely paid for outright, rather, they are financed. So the capital expenditure may appear to be (for example) £30k on the books, but that figure is being paid for over 3-5 years, so the cash is might still be there. It's complicated and messy, and perhaps the system ought not to be the way it is, but that is the way it is. Either way, the self employed create jobs, and as such are afforded preferential taxation treatment. We are effectively the entrepreneurs who are going out there, day to day, seeking out work in order to earn money for the exchequer. Whether we pay it directly through income tax, corporation tax or dividend tax, or through VAT or through the PAYE on our employees, we're still earning money for the exchequer. As such, in extraordinary times such as these, support for people in our position needs to be unequivocal, and without such caveats as "we're going to come after you for extra tax once this is all over". I'm not sure what we're going to do personally. We are sort of able to keep working, but at the moment is sort of feels like we're standing on top of a log stack where logs keep rolling away. Bits of the supply chain keep dropping out. Parts are going to be tricky to get, my agricultural mechanic has shut down for the time being, haulage is a nightmare, despite us having our own lorry. Many of the big mills have temporarily shut down and one of the largest mills in the South West has shut down permanently. Unsettling times.

Well it's not all positive. I'm knackered, aching, feeling every one of my 35 years.... Running around after a 5 year old and a 2 year old, whilst having the time to resume gym training, go cycling and move a whole heap of firewood into the woodstore has side effects! ? (my back is actually really being helped by not being in a machine/van all day)

To an extent I agree. I was watching a TED talk the other night with a lady who was saying that if we (as the human race) keep pushing into areas where humans have never been before (or indeed, if there have been there, they've been socially isolated), then we are going to keep uncovering unknown (to science) pathogens that have the potential to cause pandemics. The issue I suppose with China, and how it differs from most of the rest of the world is that the rest of the world would discover a new species and marvel at it's uniqueness, it's extraordinary development, it's quintessential ineffability. The Chinese would probably wonder whether it would go best with soy or black bean sauce. ?

Thanks for that Beau. As much as we're enjoying having the little darlings around all day, every day, I might have a conversation with the school this week about possibly returning them at some point. In all honesty, I think they'd appreciate some return to routine.

The image hasn't loaded and I'm terrified to open the link! ?

Now you're just lowering the tone! I could have happily gone through the day without learning about another man's seminal volume! ? ?

It's a real premium option, but the Peltor Ws Alert XP is superb. It's a full bluetooth telephone headset, and the noise cancellation is excellent, so you can operate machinery and have a conversation at the same time. They work with Google Assistant too, so you can say "Listen to Foo Fighters Colour and the Shape on Youtube" and it'll play it. Battery lasts about 50-60 hours, I'd guess. About £300 though. I've had mine 2 years, they've had huge amounts of use and they are in perfect working order.

With frosts every night at the moment, I would imagine that you could make a fairly strong case for wood for heating as a necessity.

It's day 2 social isolation mania setting in! ?

I'm considering selling my body for a bit of extra cash but the 2m social distancing is an issue. I'm not called "Big J" for nothing, but even I have my limits. ?

In the coming weeks, a lot of husbands and boyfriends may lament the lack of bush trimming, but be very careful about how you raise the issue, or full lockdown may ensue.

I had a 395XP at the time as well and it was a much more capable saw. It's out of production now, but I still wouldn't recommend the Makita.

I would rate the 7910 as a much better saw than 9010. I wouldn't have a 9010 again. It's just too slow and heavy.

This is an unnecessary escalation. Unnecessary because if a significant proportion of the population weren't moronic, we wouldn't be in this situation. I swear a third of the population woke up yesterday, looked out the window, thought "ooh, it's a lovely day, I'll go to the beach/national trust property/scenic place, it's Mothers Day". And now here we are. I work in total isolation in a forest environment. I get into my car on my drive, in isolation, speak to noone and don't stop enroute and don't get within 10 metres of anyone all day. I shall continue to go to work until forced not to. My timber goes out on a lorry, where the driver works in isolation and goes to firewood retailers, who largely process in isolation. As usual, a minority showing ill judgement has ruined it for the rest of us.

I am. I'm heading over to Hampshire for a forestry site visit with one of my chainsaw operatives and my younger daughter (no nursery). My cutter lives in virtual isolation in the woods anyway, and being a forestry site, it's extremely easy to keep your distance.

Christ. Again, I'm so sorry to hear this. It's the worst of the current lock down in society is being unable to be where you need to be at the hardest of times. All strength to you all.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Awful enough in normal times, but doubly so at the moment. Thinking of you and your family.

You just have to work through it! When I was 17, we had a New Years eve party at my house. I drank half a dozen cans of something awful like Carling, and we got gatecrashed by friends from the other end of the village, so we decided to return the favour. I was drunk-ish, but still responsible enough to lock the door and felt OK. During the 15 minute walk, I somehow drank half a bottle of some awful cheap American whiskey, and the last thing I remember was running down the lane past the church with my trousers round my ankles, falling over in the snow, face first. Apparently, I somehow made it to my friends house, chundered on the stairs and was promptly evicted, being put outside on the step in the snow. At some point someone called my mum, who was so worried about me that she stayed in my room next to me all night and I couldn't keep water down until 19:00 the next day. I found out that pineapple juice tastes just as nice on the way back up as it does on the way down. Orange juice, not so much. So the moral of the story is that everyone has a "I don't like whisk(e)y because...." origin story. It's how you wean yourself back onto it that is the real measure of a man (or woman!). For me it was Jura. That's your gateway whisky. Stick to the west coast malts and you'll not go wrong

No, just neat. I never have water or ice or anything else with my whisky. If you want to rehome your bottle and you're passing Cullompton, I'll happily help! ?