APC

Cedar sawdust in a thin cotton bag to freshen up stinky shoes!

ash for hurley sticks. cut maiden trees at neck height (always fun). Get enough for Irish geezers to be interested then they'll come in and cut them out the ground themselves!

Ah. Interesting. What would the minimum quantity of logs for sleeper people to be interested?

Dunno what sleeper cuts are, but I'm guessing they might be the things to shove under things in lieu of pallets. If so, and you have the ability to mill that quantity, try haulage companies.

Rain.

Probably too late now, although they MIGHT allow late registration, but I registered with Berkshire College of Agriculture last week. I used to go to Kingston Maurward so gave them a go a few weeks ago. Always went to answer phone so I left message once. No reply after 2 days so I called again, left another message. Then I got annoyed. I decided I was going to speak with the person one way or another, not caring if I was able to register there or not. Phone up every day for a week and left another few messages. Last time I called, I told the switchboard lady that I had left numerous messages and had no reply. Got put on hold and put through. Asked the question, got the "No" answer i was expecting. If they just said that in the first place I wouldn't have minded. I can't stand people who won't reply though, they really get on my tits. Give Berkshire College of Agriculture a call, they were much better at answering and responding!!

+ =

Before Christmas, the cert in arb can be taken by distance learning. After Christmas, from what I have been told, part of the criteria is to turn up and do stuff, as well as the exams. Therefore, you need to do it through a college rather than just register with a college and sit the exams at your leisure. Cut-off date for college I registered with was 15th December. Imagine they are all closed for Christmas now.

I can just imagine that uncoiling itself next to the Christmas dinner table. And the "twaaanNNNnnNnnNngGGgg" noise. Over goes the gravy boat.

What area are you in?

The alders I cut the other day had no leaves, just up the road from Pompey. They were only small though.

The lake is a fishing lake with common carp to 30lb (average 10lb), bream, tench, perch, roach, rudd. Also some pike slung in there by locals. We have around 35pegs and these are all kept clear. It is not specificly a carp fishery, it is mainly for kids to come and keep busy catching roach/rudd, with the bigger specimens for their dads. The alder we cut was left in the past to provide a screen to stop anglers from fishing around these areas. It was decided though that the landscape value, and the fact the trees will damage the brickwork. The stumps are being left. It was a job thought up on the fly really, taking advantage of the ice, hence I wasn't able to send a herbicides near water application in. I think this year we will keep it down low and see how it goes with the anglers, whether we get any grief from their new-found freedom. If it's all good, I imagine we will treat them.

Innit. Slow news day = time for cartoons. Have an early finish to the 6pm news and stick Tom and Jerry, or The Pink Panther on for a bit until the next programme.

Yesterday, we were coppicing alder along the bank of a fishing lake set in landscaped parkland. We were doing this for several reasons. The main one being that the nature of growth meant that the weight pushing outwards could split the stools and thus the brickwork in the bank. Second reason being to recreate the viewline from the lawn to where the original house used to be (knocked down in the 50's). We decided to do it while it was icy so that cut material could be laid down onto the ice if it was leaning that way, and then hauled in and chipped. Cord wood has been ringed up and put in the firewood bay to season. If I had the time, I would have given a go at making charcoal. Any material left on the bank after we had chipped and blown the tracks was mulched down with a Scag flail. Again, if time wasn't a factor, I would have had all mulch removed from site. The grass is pretty vigourous here though, so should be unrecognisable by the summer. Obviously this isn't a massive huge stuntfell or anything, but I think that it looks 10,000 times better than it did before.

I wear Stein Explorers most days. I usually walk around 5miles a day in them. They are lovely and comfey, black and light.

Jesus. The sink. When I was there, that sink was baaaaaaaaad.

To become a ranger nowadays, if you can beat the recruitment freezes and fierce competition for the shortest term seasonal contracts, you generally require a degree. Most often on the criteria, it is regarded as "essential", sometimes "desirable". To rise through the ranks to senior ranger, you certainly have to have one. Problem is, if you come out with upto £30k of debt to clear after finishing uni, and the paying back threshold is £21k, and the average salary is perhaps circa £14-15k, you are not going to pay that loan back for a long time. I did my degree when the tuition fees were a grand and I took out a total of less than £10k in loans. I graduated around 8 years ago and have paid back perhaps £2k tops. The raising of the paying back threshold from £15k to £21k will put me under the threshold again which is a bit The problem as I see it, is that the fees are going right up and the chance of getting a decent wage in a lot of careers is going right down. Wiping the requirement for a degree for at least entry level jobs is the way forward. Nursing is another career that pays extremely poorly but requires a degree. We need nurses more than we need countryside rangers, but it makes it really difficult to justify raising tuition fees for degrees in subjects where the potential to earn much is poor. Something someone said on another forum: I don't actually begrudge paying fees. It's just that they are pricing people out of lower paid, but necessary careers.

Crap news. Hope they get caught and get their hands nailed to the floor. Did they take the skanky kettle?

Wish I had the guts to sponge at Newport Wedge: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgiM-T1xRMM]YouTube - Best of Bodyboarding in The Wedge (Newport Beach, CA)[/ame]

Can't afford the heating. I've now got used to wearing a t-shirt, hoody (hood up) and jogging bottoms to bed, and my wife does the same. It's bladdddy freezing!

When questioned, I say that we sell a loose level load in the back of a trailer which measures approximately 2.2m3 but I emphasise that it is just thrown in so sometimes will be more, sometimes less than that precise amount.

Just called Berkshire College of Agriculture, spoke with Jo Harbron on 01628 827447. She emailed me a registration form which she needs back with the registration fee of £108.75 by 15th December at the very latest. Exam fees are £35 a paper, £55 a resit. Get in contact with her asap if you are planning on doing the course. Kingston Maurward and Guildford (Merrist Wood) won't take external candidates.

£326 to register? Are you talking about the RFS level 2 cert in arb? If so, that is massive!! Thought it was around the £150 mark, inc exams, max!!??!?! Might have to rethink this.

What prices have people had for registering/sitting the exams?