headgroundsman

I had some financial help from Perennial towards the cost of an outdoor wheelchair when I was the Headgroundsman at a hotel with 100 acres including a deerpark and some mature woodland

You may need to consider how much you can make for a day on arb work and how much from firewood. Probably best to concentrate on your main business and have the firewood as a sideline

19/20people might be able to do this work but I bet half do not do a good job or take ages to do it. I am now a gardener from a wheelchair but have more work available than I want or need due to the fact that I know how to do the job well and am quicker and more effective than most able bodied gardeners. Maybe partly because I have had to find ways that work for me and partly because I give 100% towards my work.

My mower cuts and picks up gtass perfectly well when the grass is wet and it is much easier to clean the underneath after cutting wet grass than when it has cut lush dry grass that has produced a hard cake

I would do a combination of laying, layering and coppicing. If you are unsure about layering it is where a flexible rod is brought into contact with the soil where it will root. It can then be severed from the main plant if required

Did you put guards round the trees? I controlled a lot of bramble by riding round with a 4x4 quad. I also planted a couple of acres of trees next to a couple of acres of wild flower meadow. I was reluctant to use glyphosate but now have found a happy accident. By spraying early in the season I am getting volunteer Oak trees and wild flowers doing well where i have sprayed and am now doing this for that very purpose

I have gone on a facebook page offering free wood and made a few contacts. I turn up with an 8x4 trailer at the time they say and the guys load me up with timber any size that two men can lift. I have made a few good contacts and now they call me and do not use the facebook page as they are fed up with their phone going ping and people turning up with little cars and asking for smaller pieces. My log store is nearly full and I contacted a couple of local guys that were also looking for wood but either did not have time due to work or had just moved to a place with a burner and no dry wood. They have come and helped me cut and split a load and i offered to either pay them cash in hand or some dry firewood. They have both taken wood on 4 or 5 occasions and never asked for cash even though offered at a fair rate. If it works for both parties then it is a good deal

I have had a few loads from the tip site register but get most of my wood from one or two guys i have got to know. I have a large trailer and turn up when i say i will. They load me quickly and i am away to let them continue with the work that makes them money. I get wood for my fires and a bit to sell that helps pay for fuel for my vehicle and spares for my saws

Looks like Ash saw fly tome

Keep a very close eye on things and consider live traps for squirrels if you do not want any guns. I have a woodland that is part of the National forest and they have shown me some woods that will have no usable oak trees left due to inadequate squirrel control at the stage your woodland is now at

if you do not have the time or are unwilling to do it yourself you may beable to get some safe shots with air rifles willing to help with grey squirrel control. Without this you can expect100% of the oaks to be damaged like this.

Get a couple of quad bikes and let the kids have fun!

Wild flower meadow for the flat field and plant trees on the other. Look for grants for tree planting and payments for up to 10 years. I have 2 acres wild flower meadow and 2 acres trees planted 2016. I manage it purely for wildlife and expect nothing in return for my hard work. The wild flower meadow make enough hay to get a few days work out of my mate that has it for his horses

Can anyone identify this tree from the photo of the leaves

I also have the titan saw. For its price i cannot fault it. I have cut many tons of wood including some 25" diameter oak from HS2 felling on my mates farm. It will do the job well if you keep it sharp and take it at a realistic rate. My only concern is the rate of oiling. It is not enough for the heavier work so i bring it out of the big oak to make sure it is not getting hot. For standard sub 15" stuff it is well capable!

I have also tried pulling the top eye lid over the bottom one and let the bottom eye lashes brush the dirt away if it is on the inside of the top eye lid

Get larger dry logs. Ideally at least 2 in firebox at a time

I would rather have the beech at those prices

The alternative is to get carer employed by himself but that has problems as he becomes an employer with all the problems that it brings with it. At least if it is provided by social services there is a back up if one carer goes off sick

Care provided by social services is chargeable after a means test. Roughly speaking if you have more than £23500 savings then he will need to pay for all his care needs privately. You need to get him assessed for a care plan asap. It is not unusual for care plans to be set up in hospitals but i only know about people that have been in for many months due to spinal cord injury, Speak to CAB

I have worked for 2 charities, Volunteered for 2 others and have benefitted from 2. I have mixed opinions. The 2 i worked for i got just over minimum wage. Giving advice to people with spinal cord injury. I felt i earned every penny i received as few of the people i spoke to would have ever thought there could be a job waiting for them when discharged let alone a manual job like mine. I did wonder at times how the managers could justify the salaries they got. I have received help towards the cost of 2 different light weight wheelchair with mountain bike wheels and tyres. One from perennial that supports people from the horticultural trades and one from BLESMA the British limbless ex-servicemen's association and i volunteer at the National Memorial Association. Just understand that most charities need paid staff to work well but do research how much goes in wages and how many staff actually are for services provided and how many are managers who are there just earning a wage better than they could get elsewhere

This may be your experience however my referrals have come directly from the resettlement department at the spinal injury centre. I have never had a social worker. Also any expensive equipment will be paid for after a means test by the individual if the test suggests they should make a contribution and only then by social services to make up the difference. I know this as i used to give presentations on this subject for the Spinal Injuries Association. It is only not means tested if the person qualifies for CHC

As i understand it a community OT will assess someone's needs. My experience of Community OTs however is woeful, When i needed help following an operation on my right shoulder it took them 8 weeks to call to make an assessment. Baring in mind i am paraplegic and a full time wheelchair user having one shoulder needing rest is difficult. I was back working full time in my job as head of the grounds at a hotel when they called, Needless to say i was less than impressed. When i move house i asked them to come to assess the property to see what i needed to be able to get in, sleep and make an assessible bathroom. Someone turned up after 5 months and his first words were " I think we have let you down". I was already having the bathroom and downstairs bedroom done. I was lucky that there was an annex with a wetroom but they did not know that. I have just spent 3 months in hospital an they asked for the community OT to come to see if i need anything extra. They phoned the other day, a month following my discharge to say they had received the referral and they will be getting back to me sometime to arrange a visit. Good job i have recovered well and am fitter and stronger than last year. I hate to think what it is like for people that really need help urgently

I have just seen this thread and am happy to give my ten penny worth. I have not found ivy a problem to get on top of. Baring in mind I do my work from a wheelchair i often have to look at things from a different aspect. I like to make work as easy as possible and one job i enjoy is hoeing. Ground cover ivy is easy to rake out and hoe off. If i can do it anyone can. Ivy climbing up walls and trees can be cut off low down finding the thicker stems. Then like most trees and saplings if you cut through the bark with either a saw or an axe to expose the cambium layer use spray strength glyphosate into this cut during early spring and let the plant do its work. I have not failed yet to kill anything up to trees 8" diameter and have not tried bigger trees. I only speak from my own experience which i trust!