difflock

Perhaps, at 60, I have turned into my father, in that diggers seem to be very expensive 2nd hand, driven, as I understand, by our weak Stirling and the resultant strong export trade. So is there a sweet spot age wise for UK buyers, i.e. are fresher diggers relatively better value on our local market? The rub is I can only justify a limited spend, based on guessing 100-200 hrs, and probably nearer 100 hrs than 200 hours each year, but spread out in very small bites depending on the(very fickle) weather and intermittent tasks, so probably better suited to my own machine. but then 100 hrs, even at £30.00 =£3000.00/year over 10 years, hmmm So how much an hour for service and maintenance costs should I allow. For say a 10-13 tonne steel track machine. Marcus

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OSM, With those sentiments I can only, mostly, agree. regards marcus

I was merely attempting to establish that there are timeless universal truths about the human condition and the societies it forms and the choices made by those living within any given society. There are those who are absolutely incapable of managing money, even that money provided by the state for the welfare of their children, and no amount of money will make any discernable difference to their self inflicted and purely relative "poverty". The money will always be spent fecklessly. Repeated down through the generations. Some have drug problems, alcohol and ciggaretts for a start, or scratch card addiction, most simply "need" continuous instant gratification, with zero thoughts for tomorrow, their future, or their families health and welfare. I merely wish those on the left of the political spectrum would accecpt this akward unpalatble fact and stop seeing that ever more our money is some magic solution to these peoples ills. I could name specific individuals & families in the local communities, incl a recent ex sister in law who fit this feckless profile. also Jordan Peterson made the very valid point that the US Military has learned that it is pointless recruiting those below a certain IQ, which IQ represents I think it was a minimium of 10% of the US population, so how can any society really provide for these dysfunctional(in respect of our ever increasing complicated world) people? Simply giving them money/more money is not the best answer, simply the simplest to implement. I.e. Pretending that by providing ever more generous benefits will cure the problem is pure "LA-LA" land. In the UK it has patently failed since the 1950's so 70 years negative empherical experience. There are no easy answers, but an acceptance of some harsh inescapable facts about our fallible human nature might be a start. But is it Nature or nuture? Ask any dog, horse or cattle breeder that question. Marcus

Sommat recently, a food related story, caused me to comment to the wife; "Bread and Circus" will continue to keep the masses happy, i.e. mass-produced, heavily advertised, read-to-eat, proper-shite food and celebrity related news. Nowt has changed from the time of the Romans, incl that unfortunately emphirically true statement attributed to JC(no, the other one, the origional JC) "The poor will always be with us". or The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ye proper nailed it Sur!

Why, was DA actually shaggable when younger?, on tother hand perhaps her boss was blind, drunk and just desperate, enough?

Erm, I had and have considered this very logical re-cycling solution, but ah baint got no more scrap to sell, well 'cept the 1998 Galaxy, but her be a parked-up lifetime sentimental keeper. Having just last week cashed in my stash of non ferrous, for the princely sum of £320.00. Most of it hand picked from lorry loads of hardcore. cheers marcus

Blonde? Big knockers? Drives an Audi? Hard to credit otherwise.

I continue to be appalled by the apparent hypocrisy of most other people, i.e. the fallacy that blue bin waste is recycled, when in fact it was most probably was shipped to China via Germany, merely exporting our pollution. The best example was displayed on top of the Cam mountain, signs nailed to the telephone poles stating " No dump here",(because there was a planning application to turn a nearby quarry into a landfill site) said sign directly above a collection of black bins. And there would have been absolute uproar if these black bins were to remain unemptied, i.e. these concerned citizens emphatically wished to export their waste "somewhere else". How the fornication do people not see or understand this inherent hypocrisy. So, yes, burn the plastic/cardboard/paper waste, it is simply the least worst option, and burn it near centres of population, because; 1. they produced it! and 2. It is the best way of monitering adherence to flue emissions. and 3. The waste heat can be used for district heating or glasshouses. Simples. Or it should be.

Our bins only goes out the lane about every 6 months, one filled with misc unburnable stuff, the other purely full of empty steel/tin cans. All else goes up the flue, the cardboard and paper help light the fire and minimal quantity of plastics, mostly bottles, being added after the fire is well established. marcus

Gosh darn it , ah near typed untermensch in error?

Cough, cough; Except of course JRM, and in fairness, Frank Fields also. P.S. How are Labour, the party of the working class, as I always understood, going to dissassociate themselves from our present burgeoning scrounging benefits abusing underclass, that are now a greater threat to the prosperity of the working man, and the UK as a functioning country, than the upper classes ever were. marcus

Sniff, tis a wile pity my 40 acres is nowt but Conifer, and mostly windthrown Lodgepole at that, cos otherwise I ud be a squillionaire! Sigh.

Now that Blacksplitter kit concept makes sense KJ, I like it. Marcus

Formulating autosomal/incorrect on this Kindle. That masterpiece should have been and was typed as "larger piece", And the first word of the above paragraph was certainly not formulating, nor was the 2nd autosomal! Schemes! Scheesh

And, like! Ever the pragmatist me! Wot will it cost to replace a masterpiece of glass, especially if curved. Marcus

No idea, but having googled "Slanetrac" is the brand, and various UK based dealers came up for Slanetrac. Cheers Marcus

Thanks HK

Yes an area where water ponds, the area paved being "dead" flat, hence pavers used, and yes a good stiff brushing is the answer, and I was pondering how to rig a hydraulic driven wire bristle rotary brush, the same as road sweepers use. Probably Kioto loader mounted, since the wee 50HP Kioti has good oil flow, though not wile handy or manouverable, but still workable with the creeper gearbox. I sourced one for the Avant , brand name "Slanetrac" I seem to recall, that I bought for the Council, for scouring the brick paver caravan bays at a Council caravan site, bloody brilliant after 20 odd years of doing it by hand.

I.e. not so much grouting as treating with whatever product that will mostly prevent moss and grass and weeds growing in the joints. After re grouting with silica sand. So what product is best? Cheers Marcus

http://www.spam-uk.com/competitions/ https://iremit.com.au/what-is-spam-and-why-are-filipinos-obsessed-with-it/

Rings must have been badly worn, therefore each ring able to move and so run sideways. P.S. Even more fun trying to reverse a set of rolls?

Cambridge rolls ackerchuy.

Which is why I understood nightwatchmen types favoured them, or so I seem to recall, the big Maglights that is.