kevinjohnsonmbe

Sending you a message (in a min) with something I learnt today which might be of interest!!

Interesting on the costings - 6 hours sounds pretty generous for 5 trees but balancing Khriss' hourly rate with Dan's invoice total, I recon you'd probably both end up with the same invoice total.

PiP!

The article only makes brief mention of one of the most important factors to bear in mind when considering CE marking - in the majority of cases, it is a SELF CERTIFICATION process conducted by the manufacturer for their own product. Important to highlight this because unscrupulous manufacturers could appear to satisfy the standard through producing an adequate paper trail, but cut corners in source materiels, manufacturing process etc... Easily done - as was demonstrated with significant adverse safety and health implications in the PiP breast implant scandal where industrial, rather than surgical, silicon was used in manufacturing. There is also the matter of easy 'copy representation' of the physical 'CE' mark by manufacturers passing off cheap copy products of genuine articles. If you buy from a car boot / Sunday market should expect to get mugged off, if you buy from a well established retailer you should be in safer territory. Worth considering also - BSI 'kite mark' is only achieved and awarded after a product has been independently tested by a BSI laboratory. http://www.technologystudent.com/prddes1/kite1.html Always good to see a safety related blog / post

Who's pulled your chain!

Wouldn't want to express an opinion either way it case it upset delicate sensibilities! (tongue in cheek, or to put it another way - humour. Unless that's frowned upon in the (not so) new age floppy left PC utopia....?) ah, bugger..... I knew I shouldn't have allowed myself to get drawn into the whole foot spar dilemma!

That had to be one of the ALL TIME worst Newsnight programs in living memory!

These have had a full 12 months+ in bags. I will check in the middle of the bag when I get a minute. I think I'm going to be less than impressed but we'll see. I tried bouncing the bags but they ended up like a blancmange and I couldn't look at them (or realistically stack 2 high) The main advantage I hoped for was being able to drop a bag by the back door and nibble away at rather than fetching in a basket at a time.

some people eh....

There is (d) of course, and I kind of anticipated that.... But it carries certain moral issues which some may be afflicted with, others perhaps not so much. As a Parish councillor, a Tree council Tree Warden, a professional and an environmentist, I'd be reneaging on all of those voluntary responsibilities, and submitting to the acceptance of poor arboricultural / professional standards within the industry, and make myself complicit in the potential loss of an 'important hedge' if I chose (d.) Its not a "biggy" regarding not getting the job, it's like as is often said, I now know they are not the type of people I'd want to work with/for. But it would be worth watching a while whilst some mugs work for peanuts, it's nearby and I pass it at least twice per day so no additional energy expended!

It's a bit of a reversal of the original "acceptable / underhand" question but.... When you're (significantly) under cut by a low quality / low professional cowboy outfit, and you know they can low-ball the price because (a) they are working for pennies and (b) they haven't considered statutory considerations (in this case FL and Hedgerow Act).... Do you: (a) tell the customer what they SHOULD be looking for prior to engaging a contractor (b) tell LA about potential threat to an "important hedgerow" as defined in the Act and tell FC about potential FL breach (not that we might expect any interest / action from FC) (c) pack up some beers and sandwiches and go watch as the clowns flog themselves senseless for pennies on a nasty job in the knowledge that, if you'd been doing it, it would have paid 3x what they are doing it for.... Rhetorical question really, I'll probably do all three just for shts & giggles!

There you go Ti, spoiling a simple, yet cunning, plan with the global corporate realities of modern Western capitalism.... Darn it, back to the drawing board!

Drop of Whisky!!

You're at the more extreme end of the spectrum with NK though, no?

I kind of agree with you. My proposal, for what it's worth, as a global reaction to the current events, is high level aerial bombardment... ....of assorted confectioneries and chocolates! They wouldn't see that coming and once the masses have tasted the forbidden fruits of Western capitalism, not only will they come to realise the inequities and unfairness of the oppressive system that suppresses them, but, double bonus, once hooked, we open up a massive post-brexit market! Hooray for capitalism, buy shares in Cadbury!!

As in (I think all) so-called communist systems, the ruling classes are MOST scared of the Proletariat - that's where the greatest threat lies....

This didn't make me chuckle quite so much.... https://www.farminguk.com/news/Labour-MP-sparks-Twitter-controversy-with-Wind-in-the-Willows-meme_47298.html A worthy cause, but a dreadful politician. To hang your hat on a popularist theme simply as a mechanism to criticise the other side makes her little better than the algipan chasing whores of Aldderley Edge.

This made me chuckle.... It's just about all we can do at the moment!

I had a dabble with vented bags for this seasons stock. Haven't had a look to see how the drying has worked yet... 1 thing that did catch me out, maybe inexperience in the bag domain, was that initially, I just lobbed the logs in and filled the bag. Maybe a bit OCD but I couldn't look at them - all bulged and irregular. Had to unload and hand stack into the bags, it's time consuming, tedious and still doesn't prevent some log movement when stacking the bags. Maybe I made an ass of it and there's an easier way. I'm hoping the time spent hand filling the bags will be recouped by easier and quicker bulk movement and transport.

Like the sound of that. Anyone else noticed - virtually zero bugs to clean of the windscreen this Summer? Remember when a long car journey in Summer needed a stop to squeegee the windscreen....

Reading the text before looking at the pictures I was expecting to see an old style (built) chimney. That would probably have given rise to a fairly straight forward flashing, pointing or capping defect allowing water ingress. Having now looked at the pics that might be less likely - but not out of the question. Has it been regularly swept? If not, could be an annual accumulation of internal deposits combined with either water ingress or condensation bringing tar down with it as it runs down the inside of the flue. First courses of action I'd take - get it swept, run it hot, burn some of those "flue cleaning" products that are available! (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stovax-Protector-Chimney-Cleaner-Sachets/dp/B002VRTH9K) If you've already done that it might be water ingress from external.

Wouldn't be so bold as to think, let alone suggest, such a thing Guv

Oi! That was unnecessary! There's plenty I know SFA about.... Example: (and I'm hoping Mr E can help with local knowledge.....) Saw something last week I've never seen before and it's been playing on my mind. Driving through Leek, saw a Conservative Working Mens' Club. Fair sized building too (unless it's like a big front door which opens into a phone box?) How does that work? Don't you have to be a Union man to have membership to a WMC? If that is the case, wouldn't it be odd if you paid Union dues (which fund and provide a block vote to the Labour party) but supped ale in a Tory club? Not really 'making the news', hoping it'll keep the thread going for at least another couple of posts.... PS - Bring on IndyRef2 Mull, that'll keep you busy for a while....

Don't know enough about it to comment Mr E..... Good effort though...... 24hrs of tumbleweed..... Immigration anyone?

Chuckled...... But wrong thread to be randomly throwing out the "nazi" label!!!