Ginja

Tah very much. I keep them in a box. I'll be your poster campaign Lantra! Women in Work!! We rock!

I didn't misunderstand about anna, I don't have an objection to her, thats her way, but it is an afront to learning as you said. The reason I mentioned her is because she had the arm pump issue - a powerball would have helped with that. My objection is with the idea of the program - making out they can't do the job is unfair, it takes a lot of hard work to be able to swing round big saws over a long period of time, not two weeks when all they've done previously are completly different sports activities or push pens. Anyone from outside the industry is going to have preconcieved ideas about tree crews, but its common knowledge that big gruff blokes have big hearts, she just hadn't met any before. Anyway, they should do a program about the girls who actually do that kind of job.

COME ON!!! They're taking girls who have no experience physically, what do they think is going to happen. They should have given anna a powerball for a few weeks before she joined the mountain. If you took a lad who worked in an office all day they would struggle up there. The other one, whos progressing up the mountain, she's a star. 'I don't want to let them down' she said. That's the attitude!! Now let me have a go!! lol

I haven't read every post on this thread, but I think there are a few things that need clearing up. With regard to strength and to the size of the saw, I am 9st 8lbs and 5ft 7in, I happily use my 660 with a 25" bar when chogging a whopper. Its not down to strength (though admittedly my strength has got hugely better for my size in the last 4 years!) its down to skill and experience, I couldn't start the thing without ripping my arms off to begin with but now I have knowledge of how she works and can keep her tip top and sharp we have a fantactic felling relationship! I have to use her sparingly, a saw that size would even take it out of a 6ft3 14st bloke(I know, he works with me!). With regard to speed, I am pretty quick up there, its my business and I'm not paying the grounders to sit about and drink tea. This again has come with experience and training, I listen to those big burly lovely blokes who have taken the time to advise me, I've taken their advice and with reading around the subject I've managed to find a climbing style that works for me. I continue to improve, there is still scope there, I'm not as good as I could be and four years isn't that much experience! With regard to stamina - this is the sticky one. I can do three days hard section felling, 8am start 6pm finish, and survive. This is down to bloody determination - or bloody mindedness. When I say hard section felling, the last two hours of the day I get on the ground and shift timber, throwing rings on the van and dragging limbs to the chipper and raking up. This is the way of things. If a climber worked for me and thought they were to good to ground I would be livid. They'd get a piece of my mind. No one should be like that. You're part of a TEAM!!! You're grounders help you all day (if they're any good), give them a hand! But day four is my sticking point, even small pruning becomes a bit sad and slow. My limbs get tired and I have to do 'office' stuff. I am knackered. But thats ok coz its my business and I can organise it as so, and work weekends to make up for it. So speed, stamina and strength are achievable as a female climber. I think its difficult as there are so few of us. I don't know another working female climber. I wish I had someone to give me hope on those days when I felt like giving up to begin with. I have a work experience lass with me at the moment. I tell her she has to find another way if she can't do it the traditional 'Ugg' way. Some IDIOT told her she would be useless and wouldn't give her the experience, what a ****. Without the patience of my male mentor (LEGEND!) and my own business as the environment to learn in I would have really struggled! If you know any females within the industry - point them towards LANTRA, they're giving us girls another crack at some funding at the moment to continue training (Women and Work its called). Give us girls a chance - just like you would a lad. Tell them to get down the gym in between climbs, to do yoga (we are more likely to suffer injury and this helps defend against that a little) and have a physio on speed dial. I will admit, I have had my days when, to be honest, I've just wanted to cry, or the shakes have got that bad because I'm scared of what I'm doing that the tree has been obviously shaking to the naked eye. But then I think all climbers have to beat their natural fears at some point. Us girlies do have attention to detail, an eye for pruning, we're careful and have a brilliant manner with customers - so while you're waiting for us to get stronger, fitter and quicker we can be an assett to the team! EMPLOY WOMEN!!!! NOW!!!! Do I talk too much? Maybe its just coz I can type fast! hee hee

Its all about storage luv, or a good hedge to hide behind!!

Bit too far for me I think, is this course going to be run further north, does anyone know?

Thats awesome, I wish I had a big aggi shed!

Cheers chaps, I like to make an entrance! Thanks for the messages of support, you're a good bunch! We all have to face something at sometime in our lives. What I went through is nothing compared to what Nick and his family are going through, so I wish them all well and have my fingers and toes crossed.

I'm attempting to carve a cows head in a lump of holly (not the best but it was to hand!) for my first attempt, I'll upload some pics when it doesn't look like a lump of wood an angst ridden teenagers had a bash at with a blunt axe

Ay up tree botherer types. I'm a newbie to the site. You all seem very happy souls which is nice. I think the 'tarts corner' is an interesting idea, but can you come up with another name... don't fancy classifying myself in that one being a girlie, might give the wrong impression! Not that I have any gadgets to confuse my groundsman, he's my fiance, I wouldn't want to give him a headache!

What makes me proud to be me? I'm a loyal friend, an honest businesswoman, and I climb like someone light a fire under my bum. Five years ago I was spending my time sat in an office. Then my other half, a tree botherer of great skill, got cancer and left for another world. He left me a broken heart, a mortgage, a chipper, van, four saws and some loyal friends in the business. So it was lose the house or run the business. I ran the business, watched people climb and listened intently. Now I run a rather successful little business and the trees other climbers chicken out of, I do. I'm in the third year of the FdSc Arb Online and I have a fiance who was a PE teacher...now he's budding arboriculturalist, climbing like I light a fire under his bum. What makes me proud about this? I could have given in, I could have gone under, but I loved a man who in his last days of fighting gave me the inspiration to continue his business in his name, and friends with over 20years worth of experience who I now consider as family. I could have been bitter, I could've lost the ability to love. But I found a man I was happy to share these achievements with and who is able to understand why the busness is in another mans name. And, I hate to say it, but I'm a girl in a male dominated world. When they turn round and go 'what? you? the climber?' I show them what I have learnt, what I can do and they respect me & trust that I will never let them down as an arboriculturalist. So, I am very, very proud of those I have known, those I know, this industry and myself. I may be in spout-y mode as its late on a saturday night and I've been looking at survey schedules. Sorry!