difflock

While Russia is focussed on the West, and China is focussed on the South China Sea, it clearly makes sense for the two of them to stand "back to back".

I seem to remember that fiasco. P.S. I also imagine getting insurance quotes for a warship can be kinda tricky . . .

Self installed 5kW Morso, my own produced conifer firewood, no stove thermostat, draught on minimum/zero, but easily and quickly boils a kettle, and requires firing restraint to prevent overheating of about 800 sq ft. It should be that simple, if the wood is dry.

We watched this bloke last night. I cannot argue with his thoughts.

Guessing rubber indespension suspension units are fitted, so simply check the tyre ratings? then "suck it and see".

Perhaps.

Why should she not though, since he rounded up 20 to 30 million for the NHS. Probably as "deserving" as anybody else that happenstance interviews well, or knows the right people.

Well, I suspect some of the snowflake left wing lurvvies got their knickers in a twist at how successful Capt. Toms charity was. And wanted their snouts in his trough. Btw I understood a lot of "charities" were run by the folks that set them up. At least this appears to be the case in our local community.

Another aspect that troubles me about some/most/all of the big "brand name" charities are the "chuggers" they employ, both on the high streets and in "telesales" operations. All getting highly motivating commissions!

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?