Sleeches

Whilst I'm all for people enjoying the countryside, a little more respect of private property wouldn't go amiss. We have a small woodland of about 40 acres which came with the house and has a bridlepath on its border, which also runs through our yard. It is mostly used by riders who are generally very pleasant but over the last few years we have had people riding and walking dogs through the woods and someone even set up a tent and campfire. All of the adjoining woodland owners have the same problem - people simply have no respect for others' property and think that as it is a woodland it is somehow "owned" by the wider population. Where the paths cut through the woodland people would just wander into the woods in a way they wouldn't if it was a residential garden. If it were common land then fine, open access is fine, but its not. We haven't fenced in the woodland as it's not a huge issue to us but others have done so. It looks terrible but that's what is takes to keep people to the paths. I wouldn't mind but we're 5 minutes from the Ashdown Forest where there is common land as far as the eye can see. As always its the inconsiderate 1% who give the rest a bad rep. Ironically I was listening to the Levellers on the way to work this morning...

Get the part number from the Toro Master Parts Viewer and then eBay. Some of mine have come direct from the US which worked out about the same price as the local dealer.

On the last few versions of word you just "save as" and in the "save as type" box there is a PDF option.

Select the text in the pdf, go to word and "paste special" and choose "unformatted text". You'll have to reformat it but at least you can edit it. If you just paste it in it will be a picture of the pdf.

No wonder I can't get any response to my offer of a free chip site - you're all making a fortune selling the stuff - Magical Wood Chips For Incense Making or Spell Work - Pagan, Wicca, Witchcraft | eBay

Morning Free tip site for chip between Crowborough and Uckfield - need a few loads for mulching new hedges. No brash but may be able to take logs. Good access and hard standing. Please PM for details Thanks Mike

Don't go with the AA thinking you can cancel the cover once you are done, the policy is stricly annual and non-cancellable.

Screw eyes in the end of the handles and hang them from cuphooks on the wall.

Many thanks - good tip. Will try that with the next one.

Definitely oak - the tree was dropped last year and the rest is waiting for the woodburner. Have also found a nice big burr on a silver birch which I'm going to do something with. Any tips on drying out big lumps like this welcome - the oak had big splits in the face which I held together with some CA but the centre was still very wet.

Amateur hour. Oak burr from my own woods - main challenge was balancing the blank as it was well over the capacity of my cheap Record beginners lathe. 12" diameter - pop bottle for scale purposes.

You can update direct from itunes - then the PC/Mac takes the memory strain rather than the ipad so no need to delete anything. Just plug it in, go to itunes and you're set.

Couple of things you need to do - 1. Check their employment status. I don't believe that contractors are covered by TUPE (the "E" stands for Employment which is the clue). So they would probably not be covered by TUPE. 2. Get a lawyer to draw up the contracts which include represenations and warranties around the information provided to you. Plus an indemnity on those warranties with a hefty cap. It may be that they have mis-represented those salaries to you in which case you would have a claim against them post-transaction. Alternatively HMRC may come after them on their employment status as not true "contractors" and there will be a big PAYE bill and fine on the table - this is something you want the seller to take care of. Don't forget that (subject to the correct notifications etc) you can just fire them on Day 1 and pay them statutory redundancy. If they want to apply for new jobs with you on more reasonable rates then fine. Get lawyered up for this as the penalty for getting the process wrong is 13 weeks salary for each affected employee, and I can guarantee that the employees will also know this.

You must be mental. Yours and the landowners insurance position is murky at best. I hope you never have to test it. Accidents can happen even when being extremely careful (which is why they are called accidents not planned incidents). This forum is littered with pros who have come a cropper despite years of training and experience. I don't think the pros on here are worried about encroaching on their territory, just concerned that amateurs give them all a bad name.

I had the same symptoms - charged the battery, tried to jump start etc. Clicking noise on startup also. Needed a new battery.

If HMRC decide otherwise then the bill for the PAYE will fall on you as the "employer". They won't take anything from the deemed employee, but gross up their net take and hit you for the tax. If he's been with you 3 years this could add up to tens of thousands. BTW if you do fall out with him then odds-on he will dob you into HMRC and his side of the story will be pretty compelling.

+1 We stuck in a few bigger silver birch and all of them ended up being reduced back to 6ft as their roots weren't strong enough to support them and even when we braced them with stakes they didn't like it. I'd stick some 6ft ones in over this winter, stake them well and next year they will take off.

If it takes balls of steel to work there - what about these guys who broke into the site - Climbing a Shard of Glass | Place Hacking

Instead of legal action which will cost money, how about offering to write an article for the next newsletter on "How to Buy Firewood" outlining the different delivery options (loose, bagged, dumpy etc etc), different types of wood available, how to store and what to look out for when buying and taking delivery (checking moisture content etc). You could even point out the difference between volume and weight. Nice advertising and a good retort to the fool who wrote the original. Plus readers will assume that you were nothing to do with the original article.

Thanks for all the replies - I like the sound of Alder as (I think) I have some growing in a boggy area 10m from the pond. Also Wikipedia reckons that Venice was built on Alder pilings so we may be onto something. It's only for mooring the rowing boat to so doesn't need to be indestructible, plus I'm building it so I don't think the wood is going to be the limiting factor here. Thanks again and I'll try and get some pics up when done. Cheers

Afternoon. I need to put in a small jetty in my pond - nothing serious just a couple of posts in the water with some horizontals to the bank and filled in with planking/decking. I think I can live with some treated softwood beams for the horizontals and decking but I don't want the posts dissolving within a year or two. I am just going to ram them into the ground under the water. I have access to chestnut and green oak poles but should I go for a treated softwood instead? There are no fish in the pond but would like to avoid preservative in the water if possible. Anyone had experience of this kind of thing? Thanks

Martin - I was in exactly the same boat and spent months comparing every saw known to man until I gave in and picked up a used Stihl MS260 with 15" bar off eBay for £250. Having had a bunch of pro arbs in to do some big felling, I can honestly say that you won't give your saw a fraction of the abuse the pros do so even a second hand decent Stihl will last you for ever. The same probably goes for a second hand pro Husky. Also Makita don't do a toy chainsaw which is obviously a key consideration if you have kids...

OK thanks - may try a couple of different methods this year and see what works best and report back. Cheers

Sorry to hijack but I have the same problem but in a bluebell wood - we've had it for a couple of years and it seems like the brambles are gradually choking the bluebells out. I'd prefer to spray them back but don't want to risk the bluebells so I think I'm stuck with a flail mower or similar. Anyone else had similar experience? Thanks

Thanks all for the replies - very useful. All I want is a fair deal for both so that it's a productive long term relationship. We will need to protect against the deer but we have stalkers working the land so hopefully that will also help. Cheers