kevinjohnsonmbe

Well yes, but the same is true of every tree, if you live long enough, at some point you will be proved right! The main campaigned against this tree died a couple of years back so never got to say - told you so ?

Weekend work = on call contractor, turned up, did the job, used the available assets on site, got the road open. Job done. (private sector) The remainder, I suspect, will now fall (ha) to the LA to resolve. LABC unsafe structures bod was on site Sat night & Sun. There have been a steady stream of 'Cormac' vans "having a good look at it" ever since (Cormac is LAs arms length contractor (100% share owned and staffed by ex-LA staff) - so LA pay it's own contractor to do it's own work and charge the job + profit margin back to LA which comes out of tax payers pocket!) Probably be weeks / months, and many more visits by Cormac to "have a good look at it" before anything further actually HAPPENS. (public sector) There are others! Brilliant!! That's an easy one to answer! Its LA!! There are many years (9 or 10) of email history from local residents and Trustees of the community hall expressing concern (notably the majority of it poorly informed and without basis in observation, record, likelihood of failure knowledge.) One local resident even tried to con me into reducing it many years ago by telling me the Vicar had OK’d it and said any work was fine (did he really think I wouldn’t talk to the Vicar, the PCC, check for TPO and understand the additional complexities of trees in churchyards?) The vicar, now departed, actually swore when I told him about this chap's attempts to get the tree reduced / removed by illicit means (I mention that because he was such a lovely man and a true gent so it was quite a shock to hear him swear - unlike the vicar from my childhood village who propelled himself around at great speed in one of the light blue plastic 3 wheelers due to his wooden leg (speed seemed excessive but given the scale of things was all much bigger when I were a yoof it's obvious now that it will have been no more than 10 mph), he had to drive due to being too pi55ed to walk, was banned from all 3 pubs for lewd and riotous behaviour, and was having an illicit affair with the previous vicar's daughter - any way, I digress! Fact remains, there are fairly obvious indicators of potential vulnerabilities in the main stem. There is a long documented history of resident concern. The tree was in the direct care of the LA. There are notable high value / risk targets in the failure area. Inspections were insufficient to identify and ameliorate the potential for harm / damage. Failure has occurred and damage has resulted (luckily, yes just luck, no injury / death was sustained.) So for all the talk of probability of failure and risk of harm (which really only interests arb types anyway) the perpetual complainers can now say "told you so" and the ability to try and educate people to the actual risk of harm is totally lost along with the credibility of anyone that tries to make a reasoned argument for retention and management of trees. There is another documented example of inadequate care and attention by the LA for the trees in this cemetery which, although probably not directly associated with this failure, will provide evidence of poor general stewardship. I'll keep that one under wraps for the time being. Upshot of it all - people will now be even more risk averse to trees in their vicinity probably leading to a further reduction in amenity, LA will take the costs for not doing what they should have done from council tax payers, putting everything back to rights will be contracted to the company that is owned by the LA. A so the cycle will continue with nobody taken to account.

The boys did a good job clearing it up and getting the road open on Sunday - luckily making best use of Western Power Mog MEWP. The log goblins were ravenous! Not a single stick left to carried away by the contractor and the Vicar left wondering were all the timber had gone. She's glad it's gone and expecting some contributions to the Church plate - I think she's going to be sadly disappointed how "grabby" people can be.

Rarely a truer word! My fondness comes from the period late 90's to mid 20's when I was frequently journeying across and down towards Royan for skydiving & surfing. Happy days!!

Tesco / Carrefour merger looks set to put further squeeze on suppliers.... On the one hand it will probably make supply price even tighter for ag sector, but on the positive, there is some potential that the UK consumer might copy there French counterparts and start to focus more upon picking up the fresh produce and looking at it / smelling it rather than expecting everything to be perfectly uniform, symmetrical, identical in size & shape and neatly packed in cello-foam and cling film. (Nah, can't see it) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/tesco-carrefour-deal-lower-prices-strategic-alliance-sainsburys-asda-a8426236.html

Pretty much what JRM said on LBC AFDA ??

There's another example of the total irony of the situation.... I've no particular beef with anyone wanting to live an alternative lifestyle - each to their own an all that. I support anybody's right to drop out (take their own direction), but if demanding all of the rights and benefits of a society that they don't contribute to, and profess to detest, it is unbelievably hypocritical. You know like - not paying council tax (or any other kind of tax) then being first in line for the gyro, then the Dr's surgery, then the library.... Or whining about being classed as an 'illegal' alien and then complaining about being asked to pay income tax... You can't have it both ways... Apparently you can...

No more banter now, Poldarks on!

As I explained to the homeowner today who thought he wouldn’t be paying for the damage.... Where do you think the council gets it’s money from matey? Out of YOUR pocket that’s where!

You know full well what the great lady said!

When it suits him! Pics below indicate main difference between wood pellets and wood pallets! Wood pellets break down to dust and the idea was they’d provide traction without being harmful (ala rock salt) to the environment. Tried and tested in Canada. I think I linked example. Wood pallets simply wouldnt work in the same way ? Flail hedge cutting, unlike wood PELLETS, are large material pieces, washed down the road after flash flooding resulting from poor soil management, to a low point where they combine to block 500mm drains.

First off, I’m totally shocked that Aldi are giving away frogs legs! Second, if they paid 14k for that box section roof I’m a f*cking Dutchman - but since its many of the same muppets involved with that hall as are parish councillors, I’m not at all surprised they have no idea how to manage public money.

Come on....! Don't tell me I was the ONLY one wondering why Hairy wanted a sofa for the 'local girls?" (and if I was then, yes, I was "asking for a mate" because I suspect Mr Bolam would be similarly intrigued...) PS - where is this legendary sofa by the way.....? For a mate loike... ?

Please elaborate......! ?

A LOT last night! We knew it was coming, there's a fail proof way of forecasting Summer rain storms and flash floods hereabouts: Council out gully clearing Wednesday. Road side hedge flail cutting Friday (just to make sure all the gullied are filled up again) Heavy rain and flash floods Saturday! Been exactly the same every year!! Branch tips - lower slates, facia boards etc, no windows no water ingress apparent yet. LA tree inspection regime with many years of documented concerned from local residents. A similar age class Beech failed in the cemetery a couple of years ago (although that was Merip and it fell into the cemetery rather than outwards.) Even so, given the age class, considerable lateral growth, the stem separation visible from ground level, the target rich environment... I wouldn't want to have had my name on the inspection report since I would expect to be reaching for my insurance documents and burying my professional reputation in the cemetery, but in this case, no one will likely be held to account, the council tax payers will ultimately foot the bill (either through increases later or reduction of service elsewhere) via council tax. Brings my urine to evaporation point! PS. Happened early evening yesterday. The Community Hall was packed in the afternoon for a BBQ & social which had been brought forward from the planned evening event. It's only a wriggly tin roof, there would have been fatalities had the event not been brought forward. The inside of the building is full of tree!

TPOd tree in a “Closed” Cemetary in LA control ? Clearance due today. I’m acting as Vicars’s liaison, apparently she’s busy this morning? You get voicemail? Tried call last night - just a catch-up.

A bit of drama in the village last night:

Following the Multione ethos of max utility, unless a drop weight post knocker is essential for some other reason, having a post knocker head for a concrete pecker unit provides 2 options from 1 unit - not sure I’ve explained that so well as I might have done?

Just having a bubble Gazzer! i was careful not express an opinion either way ? It’s not the ‘group’ that is important, but rather the sentiment that I interpreted from the post: ”....”my” group is not so bad as you all keep saying, you’re all blinkered and prejudiced....” “...What about that other group? They’re all scum of the earth....” You’re quite right to highlight the strength of my natural generosity, empathy, warmth and humanity though, a very astute observation! I like to apply the mantra “...everyone is a cant until proven otherwise...” Works quite well ? Anyway, peace & love brothers from another mother (unless you work at HMRC in which case you can kiss my ?)

There’s some irony in a post which has +/- 96.48% content which seeks to validate, encourage and support the need for broad acceptance of identifiable ‘groups’ within a society...... Then, in the closing sentences, appears to single out identifiable ‘groups’ as being intolerable. Are we to assume then that its only OK to dislike the ‘groups’ within a society that we do not subscribe to?? And so the cycle continues.... ??

All good tips so far! I’d add, FWIW, a tirfor can sometimes be a very useful, and sometimes over looked option. Recently had a row of hedge stumps to remove (and another similar but larger scale job coming along) They are small diameter (<150mm ish) using one to pull the next in the row allows both to be loosened / pulled out at the same time. Appreciate this is only smaller dia stuff, but it was quicker & easier than grinding. Not a a big fan of grinding but will offer the ‘up-sale’ and do it if required. Priced to reflect the mundane / potential risks associated with this work.

For those that genuinely believe in a world without borders, I salute you (in all your cranky idealistic weirdfulness) For everyone else, denial that ‘migration’ should be managed is just as cranky and weird. It’s all or nothing, either borders with control or none at all. Farting around in the middle is no more than a waste of time, money and effort. Where depravation exists, the humanitarian solution is to create ‘in-region’ safe zones rather than to create, facilitate and assist, through well intentioned naivety, routes by which organised crime can further exploit the aspiration of the fortunate (whilst simultaneously depleting a country / region of those most likely / capable of improving it.)

???? 93/100 with some gobbledegook to improve by image compression and some other stuff I didn't really understand....

How do you do a page speed test Steve? Just tried adding a link to my webpage on my profile signature block (which I seem to remember being in User CP on the previous update - can't find how to do it on this new format)