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headgroundsman

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Posts posted by headgroundsman

  1. On 28/09/2023 at 15:37, Jack Taylor-Day said:

    We are a small arb company based in Derby. We process all our waste wood into firewood but we sell out every year which has made me think about buying timber in and upgrading our current splitter. 
     

    my question is, if I were to buy in 26T of ash cordwood how many 90x90 vented bags would I expect to get per tonne? 
     

    Any help on this would be great.

    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

  2. 10 hours ago, AHPP said:

    Slightly unfair. If it’s just weeding, grass and hedge cutting, taking machines to the shop if they need servicing and a bit of Googling how to grow plants then yeah, 19/20 could do that well enough.
     

    But now say you’re expected to change oil on a petrol ride on and spark plugs and recoils on hedge cutters and take charge of the dynasty dahlias that great great grandfather got from the Galapagos with Darwin. A disappointing proportion of the workforce would start to break/kill things, even with YouTube.

     

    Now the stately home, open to public, NT type gig. Managing paid staff and volunteers. Tractor, digger, quad bike mechanics. Sourcing ice for the icehouse, dealing with the events people who are putting fairy lights and a sound system in the orangery, a boy has fallen down a well you didn’t cap. The lady of the house has increasingly wild whims and you can’t satisfy them all. The lady of the house is now Uncle Monty from Withnail and I. Etc etc. How many can hack all that? It’s not 95%. 

    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.

    • Like 3
  3. On 28/03/2023 at 08:57, pleasant said:

    .....just dont blame the mower for not filling the grassbag right up and clogging and throwing uncollected grass out the side of the deck when you cut in anything other than dry grass and weather.

     

    If cut grass sticks to your boots when you walk on the lawn then it will stick to the surfaces of the mower when cutting. The votrex effect of a blade to lift the grass prior to cutting it also compromised due to grass being wet and heavy. Had many people complain about their machines not being efficient collectors, then when you actually get to the root of the problem they've either used it whilst raining or after several days of rain and the grass is still wet through.in effect all the mower has become is a petrol driven kenwood juicer.

    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 

  4. 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

  5. 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

     

    • Like 6
  6. 3 minutes ago, maven said:

    Thanks for all the advice. It does look like something has ring-barked it, and a squirrel is a likely culprit.

     

    I know opinions are divided, but we aren't really very keen to have anyone with guns on the site. The foxes, badgers and our cats seem to keep the population under control enough. And we have oaks from tiny saplings through to 100+ year old giants without any similar damage.

    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

  7. 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

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  8. 12 minutes ago, topchippyles said:

    Seriously think how often its going to be used battery is ok if used regular. Batteries will not last long if not charged every couple of months so go electric i would corded. I have one of these (link below) if its late in the evening to keep the noise down its ok for stuff up to 15" wide

     

    Titan TTL758CHN 2000W 230V Electric 40cm Chainsaw

    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! 

     

    • Like 1
  9. 1 minute ago, paul1966 said:

    My dad does have savings above the limit you mention so we are having to pay for all the care he is getting. To be fair the care home he is in is more or less brand new and is more like a posh hotel, having said that at 1300 a week it should be.

    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

    • Like 1
  10. 43 minutes ago, paul1966 said:

    some background info, dad has been living on his own with no problems until last week, he is 92 and a bit wobbly walking now, he fell at home and was took into hospital overnight, he was sent home the next day without a care package which we now know he should have had set up by the hospital. The next day he fell again, again an ambulance attended after waiting 7 hours, they assessed him and said he was ok to stay at home but they did set up a care package that day which meant the following day we had emergency carers 3 times a day. He was given walking aids but refused to use them! we set up web cams to keep an eye on him and we saw him try to walk unaided and fall again.

    At this point we knew he could not be left alone as he was not using the walking frame and would fall again, we needed to do work on the bathroom so using building work as the excuse he agreed reluctantly  to go into respite for two weeks, he does want to return home and asks every day when is he going to go home. Hence we now need to find a live in carer to stop with him so he is not alone at night. All this is new to us as up until last week every thing was ok and as we want to get him home asap we need to get something set up.

    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

  11. 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

     

    • Like 4
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  12. 20 hours ago, john87 said:

    Your needs would initially be assessed by a social worker, who would then do a referral to the OT..

     

    The decision on whether to meet your needs is PURELY down to the social worker, HOWEVER, in a case like yours where they involved an OT, the part the OT would play, would be to make the decision as to what equipment you might need.

     

    So for example, someone alerts your need to social services.

     

    A social worker is appointed, does an assessment [whether you realise or not] and they have the FINAL say as to whether your needs are to be addressed.

     

    They decide that assessment by a specialist is needed, and so, in cases that involve mobility issues, they will do a referral to the OT. [As the law states that assessments have to be carried out by a suitably qualified person]

     

    The OT decides that you do have needs getting upstairs [for example] Now, where assessment is carried out by a specialist, in the event of disagreement, the views of the specialist prevail.

     

    This means that if the OT decided that you needed a very expensive stairlift, even though social services managers would choke, you would be getting a stairlift, as that would be the verdict of the specialist and their opinion prevails as i explained..

     

    Your first port of call when seeking help [unless you were assessed as eligible for NHS CHC [continuing health care, which is unlikely AND the assessment must be carried out prior to your discharge from hospital] UNLESS you are seeking strictly medical intervention, [in which case you would go to a hospital] is always social services, an S9 care act 2014 assessment in england, and an S19 assessment under the terms of the social services and well-being act 2014 in wales

     

    Clear as mud innit..

     

    john..

    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

     

  13. 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 

    • Like 1
  14. 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!

    • Like 1
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