Pedroski

Yep, they are good. I don't see any reason why they couldn't be printed.

^^^ Exactly. I do think people are losing track of what the REAL problem is these days. The REAL problem is the impossible cost of living. When I started working an office job for a famous charge card company back in about 1987 I was on £11k/year or so. In 1995 working for the same company, and after many small payrises and job changes I was on £14k/year and I and I was able to buy my own nice 2 bed ground floor flat in Brighton for £20k, pay for travel and holidays, pay the bills etc for me and the Mrs and kid, and the Mrs's income was plenty to pay for food and a bit of saving. I worried at times I went £100 overdrawn! But NOW, 17 years down the line, my income (after tax etc) is still the same, I no longer get paid holidays or sick pay, I no longer have money going into a pension and my wife is out of work apart from a few hours of childminding a month. If cost of living etc was still the same as it was 17 years ago then we'd probably still be ok. But the FACT is cost of living has gone up massively, house prices have gone up massively, vehicle tax and fuel costs etc have gone up massively, yet pay for most jobs hasn't gone up to match. The charge card company I started working for over 20 years ago still has similar starting salaries to what I started on, and they fill those jobs easily because there's too many people in this country who have to work for what isn't even a living wage because there is no option.

Best way to keep cool, seriously, I've found is to wear proper moisture wicking T-shirts, eg the Under Armour ones. None of that cotton rubbish - it all holds sweat too much.

We're thinking about getting an air con unit for the house. The problem is, the cheapest to run and buy ones are evaporative types that increase the humidity in the air as well. The good units that cool and dry the air are very juicy on the electric front - something like 2.5kWh, which works out something like £0.30/hour to run!

I reckon there's some re-absorption going on resulting from an osmotic gradient. It probably also draws out water which then evaporates. So, drink water, pee on t-shirt, re-absorb the salts, lose water through evap which cools you down, drink more water to replace lost water, pee on t-shirt again, and so it goes no. Pure science

I licked my wife's one 30 times and that was far from an anti-climax. The stats were most interesting.

Pee on your workmate's T-shirt and wrap it round yer head.

You can't cut a lawn professionally with a strimmer. For a start, it doesn't look good to the customer and passers by. And you can't do stripes. And you can't pick up clippings properly (which most domestic customers want). And you stand a very high chance of eventually smashing a window or hitting someone with a stone, or covering yourself in fox sh1t! Get a mower. Bin the Ryobi and get a decent strimmer for the times you need it (edges etc). As for the Ryobi - sounds like it's running too lean. Probably fuel starvation. If it was a blocked air filter then it would just choke itself.

Yeah, beautiful init? More info... Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) | Invasive Weed Management | LanGuard Vegetation Management & Weed Control Specialists

Yep, you should definitely trust me ............................. not Almost certainly hogweed. I've had a minor problem with it in the past, but nothing lasting. However in some people they burns can remain photosensitive for years. I should think ginger types might be worst affected. There's a nice little article in the Irish Times concerning naked gardening and "strimmers' dermatitis". Linky The naked truth about strimming - The Irish Times - Sat, May 19, 2012. Interesting is this: "In fact phytodermatitis (the technical term for a complex range of skin conditions caused by contact with a plant) is an occupational hazard for gardeners, florists, nursery workers and others who regularly handle plant material. Worse again, the number of plants known to cause these conditions in a small but vulnerable percentage of people is surprisingly large; the long list includes many members of the very large Asteraceae/Compositae family such as chrysanthemums, dandelions, sunflowers, cosmos, helichrysums, echinacea and English marigolds, as well as daffodils, tulips, primulas, erythroniums, alstroemeria, pelargoniums, rue, box and ivy." So, you probably strimmed a whole load of stuff, so may not necessarily be hogweed.

It's syphilis, plain as day. Better pop along to the docs and get it sorted out.

I actually think that we should all agree and disagree with every opinion expressed, then we can all be happy and sad at the same time and it all comes out even - sorted

No it doesn't have to at all. There would be no harm in you going self-employed, as you have every legal and moral right to do so, and approaching firms offering your services as a self-employed groundy. It's probably better than approaching them asking for free experience or for paid work when they can't afford the employees they have. As a self-employed fella they could USE you for the odd job here and there when an extra person is needed, and they don't have any obligation to keep you on as an employee - so no obligation to pay you holiday pay, sick pay etc. And if you pick up your owns jobs then that's all good too. Just make sure you are properly insured, price things realistically so you do well out of it etc (rather than stupid cheap as that is when undercutting happens). You are your own bloke. Look out for yourself and get out there. If you get a job doing something that is too big for you then call in one of the firms you have approached before. Make it a two-way street.

The Stihl harness is truly awful. My workmate swears by it as he reckons it take weight off his arms when using the extending pole saw on max reach, and when using a hedgecutter end. But I hate the thing. It makes manoeuvring around awkward, it knackers my lower back, it feels like it trying to tip my over backwards when I'm up a ladder with it. HATE IT. I much prefer to just use my arms and core muscle. It really ain't that hard. It's easy to find a good balance point too.

POS1981, the best bet might actually be to go self-employed. Sort all your own stuff out from point of view of self-assessment for tax, equipment etc, and offer your services that way. You might pick up some work like that.

It's not a case of being cheeky with an expensive price - you really need to price it to make it worth your while, otherwise it just isn't worth doing it. And yeah, if it helps then ask what they're paying at the moment. No harm in asking.

Measure the area. You know how fast your mower goes and you know the width of the cut, so you can calculate how long it will take to mow that area, roughly. If you figure you can get it done in less than half day then price it for half day, or if longer then a whole day. Price it so it's properly worth your while. If you price it cheap then you'll have trouble putting the price up if you got it wrong. And I certainly wouldn't be doing several sports pitches for free to see how long it takes!

Not sure if it uses a Peltier device - over the past couple of years there has been a lot of development on other more effective thermoelectric devices. The Biolite uses this device to power a fan to improve combustion, and also to provide the power out, so I'd imagine it's got to be something better.

Instead of Pantins, use footlocking. And you could practice left handed and right handed footlocking so you become good both ways. That'll even the muscles up.

Shipping to UK $50.00. Shame they want credit card details to pre-order something that, as far as I can see, hasn't yet been mass produced. There aren't any until July, when the launch date is.

Ahhhh want one Not sure about the reviews though..... seems to have good reviews from several people, yet none of them has one in their hands yet:confused1:

You sure you need to rig the second down? No room to drop away from the shed in small bits?

Ha, I can see the picture now.

How big?

I'm speaking to a solicitor tomorrow