difflock

I was wondering about the likelyhood of the UK experiencing the "sudden branch drop" little understood/phenomena, which I associate with periods of prolonged heat, like we are currently experiencing here in NI leastwise. Also aware the causes of this failure could be different. marcus

The wonderfully Ger-manically over-engineered magirus deutz, always kinda fascinated me, & as earlier I am proper jealous of your project Bob. I crawled about below a v similar Military green spec magirus deutz up at the Antrim steam fair a few years ago, quite the dribble an drool tool for me. marcus

Add extra (used engine oil?, perhaps better not actually clearly specified ) oil, sandbag it up and sell as logwood gasifer fuel, bags go in unopened. Or use as such to run a burner/boiler of your own? Or switch to a Scandnavian type biodegradable chainsaw bar oil, and bobs yer uncle marketing wise? (the simplest solution?) Flog it as bio activated carbon rich compost additive, or somesuch(having just wheel loads of chainsaw sawdust to our couple of compost heaps.) P.S. Photos of the completed machine please. Cheers Marcus

One does so hope . . . The simple pleasure of walking the dogs up the Birch tree shaded Moss Rodden (i.e an unpaved laneway into the moss), where it instantly feels to be at least 10/15 deg cooler, and always with a gentle zephyr. Quite magical. Marcus

Eh Steve, ye spotted me particular peccadillo, trying to be different.(An using big fancy wurds) Regardless, as the wet billets come off the splitter they get set into the former and then strapped up, a simple bale spike then moves/transports/rehandles the bundles as required, incl setting into my shed, where I open a bundle and cut to length, which lasts us 2 to 3 weeks, & keeps the shed tidy(cough cough, but not really!) Other plusses; (o) Strapping is cheaper than IBC's, potato boxes, etc etc, at least I reckon (i) They dry so fast/ so much better, due to optimum airflow (ii) I can stack 4 high, and 5 high should be OK, so less room needed (iii) Easy to cover( I got old across the street type advertising banners) (iv) When I sell firewood, I can say that is reasonably exactly a 0.5m3 of solid strapped firewood.(and I might even start weighing the bundles, at a stated, meter derived moisture content) (v) Easy to set onto a trailer or into the back of a Van (vi) Easy to roll about on hardstanding, like into a customers shed, cos they be tightly strapped. (v) One customer actually likes taking the bundles as his father likes to "manufacture" his own firewood, i.e. play with his chainsaw. And finally, my overweening argument, Cos like, Der Germans do it that way. But the accelerated drying is I think key. cheers marcus

see

Do I have to spell it out . . . pics or it didnt happen . . .

Fond memories of Carrefour's wonderful cafeteria, from our camping holidays from about 1983 through to about 2006, we camped and ate, mostly lunches, either in the Carrefour or in a Le Routier, whichever we happened across. I was and would be adamant that the French Supermarket Cafeteria was good food*, at very keen prices, unlike our relatively miserable British supermarket offerings, which it must be said, I have never been so desperate as to actually try. Happy days * Good food, with wine, in a very relaxed atmosphere for us and the small/growing 2 children

However, all our current capitalist systems are deeply flawed in that they absolutely rely on continual population growth, to drive economic growth, which in the short run, is unlikely, medium run, is possibly, but in long run, definately must fail, since such population growth simply cannot be(allowed to be) infinite. If we are to have a Earth worth living on. Marcus

Yup! Darwin is allowed to do his work unfettered. Regardless the bloke standing on top feeding the sheafs of wheat/corn in, is always at risk, standing above the infeed roller thingies, from watching vintage film of British threashing operations, never mind the workings of the Jones baler.

Anyone relying on statistics to prove an argumentative point, should remember, that a degree or professional Level Accountancy exam once opened with the various financial facts pertaining to a fictitious business, a quite long winded account, then asked 1 simple question at the bottom of the page; 1. Using the data provided show that the above firm is in a parlous financial condition and should be put into recievership. Having answered the question to the best of their abilities, the candidates turned over the page for Question 2. 2. Using the information already provided prove this firm is financially sound and would be a good investment opportunity. Whether true, or not, it neatly describes the use of statistics, or, more succiently, as me Uncle Arthur a retired Schoolteacher expressed it; "lies, dammned lies and statistics" marcus

Have not the Americans recently done sommat about non-resident US Citizens being liable for personal taxes regardless of where the work or choose to reside, I dont remember the details, but certainly along those lines. marcus

A pity "They" could not bus a platoon of fit over-trained & bored spoiling-for-a-fight squaddies up from Aldershot, with simple instructions to clear the site and we, the brewery will provide the beer afterwards, a kinda a simple win-win. On the pretext they were simply coming up to do the brewery tour and the travellers picked a fight with them. Marcus

Ah fink one needs to take the mattress into a dark room, an hit it with the UV light & filming for best effect!

It killed the guy who made millions from developing, patenting and flogging to the British and American armies what were essentially "jumbo" sandbags as used by the building supplies trade. At no doubt stupid inflated/gold plated prices. Who then bought the Segway company. The name will come to me. Hesco Bastion mth

FFS! Eggs, Ah were trying to make the point about "labels" or "pigeonholing" when I mentioned our traveller/itinerient worker experience in France. BUT Unfortunately, as I also attempted to point out as well, "our" Irish Travellers are def. bad-uns, to a man, woman and child(perhaps excepting the under 5's) There are also many ephemeral tradesmen, or women, who travel to be where the work is, and temporarily reside, in vans, or caravans, or motels, who definately do not fit the generic disparaging traveller description. Like Wot the steelfixer guy wuz, who worked for a very reputable local firm, fitting reinforcing steelwork to silo pits. "E" turned up in a Father Ted type caravan, worked, ate, drank and slept, pocketed a very respectable payment, and pissed off to the next job. "E" ud probably ave gubbed one if "E" was addressed as a "traveller". "E" also had the unfettered run of our farm place, where he parked up, without any hesitation on my families part. Descrimination, or simple judgement, can be a positive thing ye see. marcus

Eggs, Old Chap, one does attempt to judge those one meets purely on their merits, however from a N Irish perspective, meeting mostly Irish Travellers, who are always in 2's or 3's and attempting to sell one "some tools Sur", or "we are fitting carpet locally, and will have some left over" or "I see you will be needing blacktop Sur" And with full local knowledge of scams and thieving directly attributal to travellers One does tend to have preconcieved notions of the honesty of all travellers. Such is life Old Boy. Cheers Marcus

Did I tell yous about being mistaken for a tradesman?(and I was proper flattered btw) Having just purchased a decent new-build in the toon, I was fitting out the utility room, other trades working elsewhere, happen during tea-break young Mrs Tang came over for a good nosy around(they had bought the house opposite) I said nowt, Henry the foreman joiner, known to Mrs Tang winked at me and gave her a guided tour, then kinda absently mindedly, on their return to the kitchen where we were still sitting, introduced us. Mrs Tang was absolutly mortified in embarrasment, me? I near pissed myself laughing. To get a better grip on the neighbour hood we had bought into, I was also mistaken for the Gardener on another occassion. One would not own a house like that and dress like that, if you understand. Which is to say, in support of how one would expect ones Doctor to dress, as above statement. People do judge others by their appearance if nowt else. Marcus Per another thread, too bloody hot for an ould done retired man to be working a solid day.

Any yet, watching a very good BBC programme hosted by a young ??? Snow(I think it was, son of another well known BBC Snow) on the Congo and its sad raped & pillaged history. A clip filmed in a hospital, "Madam"** the senior administrator/medical person, was so fornicatingly exquisitely primped and coiffured as to be abhorrent, I immediaetly wondered at how many thousands of Aid Dollars she was sypthoning off from funds so desperately needed in the hospital. Did she care, or even be aware of the striking irony? **Madam was black btw.

Certainly I have noticed how salty the sweat is running down my face, while working in this current heat. Ergo one needs to replace the lost salt, which I mostly do via our lunchtime salad. As a Roman Empire Era salad recipe apparently stated; "salt , salt, salt". mth

Hoyc, I doubt intelligence levels in the populations you quote have changed so very much, or rather it is much more likely the tests have changed. I agree however about excess intelligence possibly being a liability, at St. Andrews (when I was courting the wife) some of her friends were extremely intelligent, but virtually dysfunctional/unemployable. Like one bloke was awarded a First Class Honours degree in Astrophysics/Nuclear Physics despite being absent most of his final year, due to a nervous breakdown, but he was so ferociously intelligent the degree was awarded purely on merit As I commented earlier, one needs a balance. regards Marcus

twice? knobhead! P.s. I was all too aware of exactly wot Westphalian said about the Knobhead ending btw! My spelling may well be shite but my reading comprehension be shit-hot! PPs Laziness/boredom, catching up on an unmisspent youth, etc etc Were my reasons not not completing my degree, oh, that and an inability to "do" the hard sums, integration in particular. PPPPPS You sure got a good memory, as wuz alluded too elsewhere earlier my error, now edited PPS to the xxxx PS Two different posters the "knobhead un an the vehicilist one btw cheers mth

O.K. Knobhead! Pigeonhole me by my 1999 Steyr Daimler Puch Van as a daily driver then! backed up by an 120,00 mile 8 year old Skoda P.S. Perhaps I should not reveal that the lads at our local tyre depot refer to it as the "SS Wagen"

Intelligence is simply innate, one is born with it or not, good upbringing can compensate for less brains, through instilled good manners and nuturing good habits("drill and repetition" training) ditto poor upbringing can easily negate any innate advantages one was born with. For my real world proof, merely consider the world of dog breeding. It really is that simple, despite the constant whining of the sociologists that it is not so. marcus P.S. To succeed in life requires more than intelligence, hard work and diligence are also required(and ideally a nice balance of all three) all in all a tough row to hoe.

I knew the above, simply from attending a County Secondary school, and being bullied, because I did not fit in. Plus in later life listening to the constant shite in work, generally the less-bright/not-bright* workers blaming "them others" for their, and their communities misfortune(s). Ditto our own sad sub-set of rooting tooting flag following bandsmen that cause such mayhem, with madly over-the-top bonfires containg hundreds of tyres, associated vandalism, wreaking and general devastation, in the lead in to our 12th celebrations. All the above population of about the same cognatitive ability, i.e. their penis has more brains, or makes more decisions, than their cranium does. marcus *there were also sparky bright intelligent workers btw, and those in-between.