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Matthew, that is staggeringly tidy, by any standards, let alone for a lone operator. P.S. All you need is a wee drone relaying back to a screen in the cab, to save you getting out to look-see.

My fathers brother had a black powder license to allow him to blast stumps, I would need to ask my brother the date of uncle Tony's licence, but presumably prior to the general explosives clamp-down when the troubles kicked off back in the 1960's.

Did the Grey squirrel make you see Red then?

I can only presume they will all be drinking tap water out of earthenware cups, while wearing hair shirts, and obviously having walked or cycled to any central protest sites, and most certainly NOT be using their smart phones.

Good Lord, tis indeed true that common sense is rather uncommon, and by that I mean that surely, based on your overhead image, common sense could have told the Council Inspector all he needed to know, like the height of the bund and its proportions/likely stability, and more pertinently is there anybody or anything downstream that could be damaged as a result of the bund failure and what was the max volume of likely bund failure discharge over what likely timespan. Because my cursory inspection from your image cannot establish any likely catastrophic outcomes

Nope, Matthew, most of the peat(as far as I am aware) here in N.I. lies over impervious clay(or has in my, albeit limited, experience), so I simply had that dug out, leaving a deeper hole, and pushed up into the banks, thus creating more "free" water depth. cheers mth

A couple of images from today, the house Martins were feeding over the water, but I failed to capture this wonderful sight. Edit; Thank you Steve for sorting the software so that technophobes like me, do not have to resize or otherwise manipulate images before posting. 2nd EDIT Just to say that the water level is now at or above pre-existing ground level, with a couple of feet to go. BUT with (i) The increasing exposure to drying winds, and the greater surface area more prone to these evaporative losses. PLUS (ii) The surrounding clay bank is obviously narrower towards the top(and the stretch next the house finishes at less than 1.0m wide when I wanted 2.0m wide at the top, at a minimium) so there will be some(but how much?) seepage. So, getting there, but with my fingers well crossed.

Trying out new-to-me technology, fingers crossed.

Is there a joke in there? As the very well bred horsey lady once said, in reply to a bystander who commented her horse was rather sweaty; If you had spent the morning between my thighs . . .

Stunning glorious magnificent autumnal weather here in Co.Antrim, and to be even better tomorrow and Sat??

It very much depends on the cost and weight of the item being sourced. Why would I baulk at refusing to pay the carriage on a heavy expensive stove, since it is an unavoidable cost. However buying miscellaneous small stuff off ebay, I will scan for the "free"(or rather actually included) postage vendors. SINCE some vendors are simply con artists in respect of their undeclared(until checkout) postage rates, especially when compared to the value and weight of the item being purchased.

May I call and view the trees from the ground?

wrsni, Please please call round, the dogs need the exercise! cheers marcus 077-642-11-521

A top post wrsni, thank you. My pet "hate" is the average persons liking(abbetted by our grovelling political "leaders") for exporting their pollution, with a "thats all right then" or downright cynical NIMBY'ism. Particularly with the sudden totally unexpected discovery that, like; (i) our exported shitty dirty(& with the full cynical knowledge of the Authorities that it was shitty, mixed and dirty & that includes Councils) our plastic waste was NOT being recycled, and , perhaps not entirely unconnected; (ii) the oceans are full of plastics. Like "who'd thunk it"

A magnificent find there KJ.

Somebody who needs a kick in the arse perhaps?

Well my political views are conservative with a small "c", inherently libertine and a firm believer in VERY small Government. I most object to being bent over taxation wise to enable the unsustainable prolifigate lifestyles of both our Governmental "masters" either elected or Civil Service, and the unemployable underclasses(with their own expensive to sustain and wholly unsustainable poor-choice trashy lifestyles "that are not their fault") that vote them into power. Which despite 70 odd years of pumping never-ending public money into, HAVE NOT changed. The numbers, and demands, merely continue to increase. There is something wrong with our system, it is NOT the lack of funding. Simples.

My longtime take on the whole issue is; "moderation in all things, especially moderation", i.e. buying natural fabric cloths very very infrequently, and wearing them until done, regardless of changing fashions, then using as dog beds and rags. Never buying coffee(or tea) in plastic/paper cups, re-using(and hoarding) plastic bags. Buying old solid wood furniture and NEVER changing it to suit our unchanging internal decor. The simple stuff. Bought proper lifetime China, unlike the sisters in law who change theirs near as frequent as they change their underwear. Not leaving food on the plate(to be wantonly dumped) when eating. etc etc etc. Only replacing kitchen/household consumer electrics/electronics when they fail and are unfixable, not because of whim or fashion. Buy a car and take 200,000 /250,000 miles out of it. NOT buying into this whole; "we are doomed, so give us prolifigate politicans more tax dollars so we can claim to fix the worlds unfixable problems, by throwing money about". All while they jet about(& 1st class obviously) in a profligate wasteful pontificating 5* expenses paid trash-the-World lifestyle.

NOT looking good, unless we somehow get an election.

Eggs, easy for me to say since I am fortunate in that I will never be in your sad position, since ah baint got no best mates, nor any mates in fact. So count your blessings. mth

And that would be the "professionals" bodging it. Yet those in the industry profess that only they can safely and correctly install a stove. The very same as within the gas-fitting industry. P.S. I made no mistakes either in my choice of stove,(since we bought a Morso(e)) or my own non-professional installation, way back in 1997, so 22 years later I imagine that is a sound judgment. P.S. Just to irritate the chimmney sweeps, the flue has NEVER been swept in the 22 years.

If you speak with this type of sincerity Eggs, you will be fine. Marcus

I read somewhere that "traditionally" the new recruits to the FFL, bought the red wine for their new squad mates, who reciprocated by pissing in the recruits new boots. To be worn the next day. I simply boiled a kettle and filled my TA boots at night, then tipped the water out the next morning and wore them, over 2 pairs of socks. Nary a worry. Edit; From hazy recall I understand the theory was that since urine was used in curing the leather it should help, plus urine being sterile it should help with any blisters or cuts. How sterile the urine of a hairy-arsed/time served FFL was is probably questionable though.

Split and cut to length Conifer, i.e. cut and split for firewood, not kindling. Simply randomly select the splinterest/smallest/most misshapen bits from the pile, when bring in a box of firing. A handful of scrunched up newspaper/junk mail/plastic not for recycling. Apply match. Job Done.