difflock

Was it motivated by greed, spite and envy of his success? Did someone else fancy the top job shoulda bin their gig? Surely plenty of other less reputable charities would have stood investigating first? Anyway, it really pissed me off. Marcus

Kevin, My experiences of farming are essentially 40 year old memories. Apart from the mostly stupidly long hours manual labour(back then) with zero convivial long evenings in a pub as compensation, my singular condensed memory is the big successful go-getting dairy farmer just up the road, (and more critically upstream from the source of the water for our farm and farmhouse) getting grants to rip many/most hedges out, and then to add insult to injury, a generation later getting even more generous grants to replant hedges. The farmer who let his hedges be, got nowt, twice over. Forby that this same farmer regularly and habitually turned the local stream(which had been full of brown trout) into little more than an open sewer to dispose of his unwanted yard run off, slurry and silage seep. Him being such a big successful go-getting farmer an all So I see both sides. P.S. To wind up the brother who got the farm, and those other crying farmers driving shiney new Fendt tractors they do not in the slightest need , I am fond of saying, if anybody asks, "No, I don't farm, I have to work for a living". Boom boom. Cheers, Marcus

"Follow the money" Is my, perhaps a trifle cynical, analysis of this ivy fixation.

This deeply distresses me. Those who are prudent and save money to provide a better life for their children and grandchildren, all too often see these funds stolen by the Government to effectively pay for or subsidize the care of those who had the same type of jobs or earning potential, but "lived it large" during their working lives. This is simply plainly downright wrong. What ever happened to equality and everybody being treated the same. Marcus

May I suggest you snack on a couple o bananas while you are there. . .

A couple of peat roddens, which are unpaved laneways used to access peat banks. And have long been used by locals to access the moss mostly to walk dogs, sniff glue and other such traditional country persuits. Not worth fighting over. Though I did hunt a cheeky blighter training a dog in our front field cum garden. Well there was no fence between where he was and our dwelling. Like I saw him out the window and did a double take at what I was seeing.

Bugger! Foiled!

Must take a stroll through a wheen o nice gardens in the toon tomorrow. You know, right to roam an all that. I own my fields. You own your garden What is the difference?

Was blowing a hoolie here most of the day, with intermittent heavy rain and hail. BUT, now the most beauitful moonlit night with what feels like a warm wind from due South.

That is where landowners are screwed over, by the general public or neighbours, the landowner is painted as a selfish greedy bastard, if they do not allow others to use their lands, you know, just temporiarily, for a shortcut, for vehicle access, or to park a spare car etc etc, cos you got so much of it, then after a few years they claim squatters rights without a qualm.

I ame currently pissed off that I did not get the chance to buy another 13 acres night next door, bloody well sold to the folk who bought the house, who had origonally declined to buy the ground. Got my hopes up that did. Bastards!

Well, go on then, buy yersel a farm. Since it is such a fooking unbelieveable easy way to make a small fortune. p.s. you gotta start with a large one, fortune that is.

If I had the misfortune to own such a field, I might be tempted to be rather generous, rather often with FYM, slurry, blood, and sewage cake. (Though unfortunately the farmers hands are now tied due to onerous regulations regarding such applications.)

Yet I have seen documented cases where the Ramblers Association has quite needlessly either fought hard or flexed their muscle, to prevent farmers rerouting ROWS due to enlarged fields or boundary changes

Simple, even the most docile wee belted Galloway, with a calf, can be a force of nature, THEN introduce dogs to the mix, all bets are off. Coming from a suckling herd family background, where our experienced collie dog would skirt out round the 3 sides of a field with cows and calves in, but trot straight through a field of helfiers or bullocks. P.S. I can only suspect there was a history of acrimony re this ROW and this farmer.

Glad as I am to see her gone(no doubt to some well renumerated quasi Governmental or, even better, some UN type gig, with more undeserved honours to come, but, cough cough, lets give it a decent interval for the dust to settle first) but! I worry about her replacement. How about someone with a military background to re-instill discipline and acceptable standards of personal behavouir?

Been mulling this single ph/3 ph stuff. There is a nice Wadkin in the Co. Down, at sensible money, but needless to say 3 ph. Guessing about 7.5HP(having seen other similar stuff professionally listed and so described, HP wise) I appreciate it is a bit "how long is a piece of string" question, but how practical or possible is it to drive such a 3 ph motor off a single ph domestic supply? With a single ph to 3 ph convertor. Or simply buy a 3Ph genny? And figure the genny will pay for itself over 2 or 3 2nd hand 3ph powered items? gibber mutter an twitch must be the spring or sommat since I am in the notion of spending money. I supose my serious question is, have electronics or electronic "gizmos" advanced such that these advertised single to 3 ph convertors are now a serious proposition. marcus

J, I do applaud your wish to rear your children multilingual btw. A serious advantage in modern life. Also congratulation and health to enjoy your new home. best wishes in your new life, Marcus

J, Your list of demands reminds me of my wish list for an ideal car some 40 year ago. Small for easy parking, with a powerful engine, but easy to insure, with oodles of space inside and frugal fuel economy while being technologically sophisticated with low maintenance costs. All in one cheap to purchase package. Re your wish to own a family home without a mortgage and in a socialist country. Something does not quite add up.

Good try, well presented, but I got one already, a Dominion triple unit, I bought it motorless for £100.00 localish. More as a curio than to use it really. Cheers

Unfortunately not. And there is sfficient semiprofessional single phase stuff out there(in England) such that the lack of 3 ph is not an issue. Still be wile nice to have it though.

I am still looking, (or failing to decide and commit to purchase!), anyway taken a hankering to a bigger/heavier but obviously 2nd hand semiprofessional machines, and some lovely genuine looking kit on **ebay and bloke down about York appears to have exactly what I imagine I need. except on ebay they are all somewhere in England(with a very few in Scotland) and are all "cash on collection" with our extra and not insignificent with a trailer ferry costs to be added. If I simply search Google I either get adverts for new stuff or referred back to **ebay for 2nd hand stuff. What am I missing? I am also perhaps looking for a table saw, if I gotta travel with a trailer anyway. Marcus

Well younz on the mainland may be having your governmental issues, but fer forks sake, spare a thought for us lot over here, we are simply pure mental, sans any governing, ye really couldnay make it up if ye tried.

Well that and a well developed nuclear energy power supply system.

Having used an Avant 640, and failing to buy a lovely wee Kubota swivel-steer loader. I bought the 50HP Kioti, 2nd hand, complete with factory fitted Kioti loader which will lift a full grab of blocks. Which is a fair comprismise, even when used, as I do, as a dedicated loader, but then with the hydraulic linkbox on the back I can "fill both ends" before transporting, say 1" graded for the lane. I intend to buy 3pt mounted forklift toes for the same double ended transport solution, with forks also on the loader. The Kioti has a very tight turning circle which helps. But shitty hard bastard industrial crossply tyres. However a Multione/Avant/Giant would eat the arse of it for solely handling stuff.