Gnome

I have a MS211 with 14"standard bar, use this for most of my cutting. A Husky 240 with oregon 14" sculpture bar with the back of the top plates on the chain grinded. happy enough with this for carving. An MS150 10"which is my new best friend and I hope to be using this for some detailing work. And Husky 372xp for the big stuff. I only buy new. I don't trust the bay for power tools.

A nice sturdy rake.

MK2 Dewpoint : Two Wests and Elliott This could be another option for you. I have a pdf on the unit ( the one on the site has been disabled probably due to people fashioning there own!!! I'll have a root around for it. No misspent youth here.Just horticultural qualifications. Regarding your latest polytunnel purchase. If this is your first I would not put too many plants in the centre of a tunnel that length until you can measure the temperature differences within the tunnel. I have a 30ft x 16ft and there is a dead air space in the middle. I had the centre up to 46oC this week with no heating in there!! in Scotland. Those wee taxus will want the air fairly cool and damp (forest floor conditions). Fans are recommended. Another option could be a callus hot pipe setup, usually used for grafting plants but again ensures the root area is warm while the air around is at a much cooler temperature. I have seen a simple setup in operation with old supermarket shelving and a series of drain pipes.

Bottom heat will speed up the rooting process as long as you remember about watering. I see you have them on the ground. You could raise them up off the ground to increase the temperature slightly. Also you could try placing them on some sort of heatsink like bricks, even painting them black (the bricks)will allow a small amount more heat getting to the roots. The growbags could be turned inside out and resealed or folded at the ends as most growbags are black inside. Again increasing solar input. Cuttings can benefit from being placed against the edges of pots. This seems to stimulate root growth further. You could try cutting up some old black pots and placing strips next to the cuttings to simulate this process. Just a couple of tips as anything to increase the speed of your cuttings will allow you more enjoyment of these wonderful hedging trees.

Stihl Ayrshire

I would get that grass cut first mate. Try different types to see what you prefer doing. It's great cos there are no rules. At the moment i'm taking all bark off. Good form and love the stool.

Chopsticks and the eyes of a hawk.

I did it last year as well, £240 +VAT. 2 day course. NPTC AO7 Stump grinder. First day was the risk assessment and theory in the morning and then a practice with the stump grinder and maintenance talk in the afternoon. Second day was the test which took about an hour of maintenance as a group (taking teeth off, safety features,controls,servicing) and then individual stump grind for about 20 mins with a few questions on risk assessment. Great to meet people working in different areas of the industry and listening to different ideas etc. (bit like here) Also instructors and examiners very helpful and enthusiastic with depth of knowledge. That was in Central Scotland. Did the woodchipper that week too so HSE stuff was very fresh in the mind.

Cut up a few old tatties in half and place them near your crop they will soon be attracted to the cut ones then squish with index finger a thumb. wireworm is usually a problem with new veg plot areas which were grass before IME.

I use a G21 2006 model if I remember. Can't fault it. Think there is about 4000 hours on it and its easy to take the grassbox off and stick a trailer/spreader on. Not bad in the wet and is handy for lifting leaves as well. Nice finish. The newer models have better control round corners for reducing tearing on the grass but if your careful that shouldn't really happen. And funky headlights if you want to look cool on those three days a year when they might be required. I dump mine regularly as it's a doddle from the seated position so the piles are easy enough to spread out with a quick back and forth motion so the high dump for me would be better suited if you have a trailer or compost area to dump into.

Lime sulphur on the white bits perhaps, it is used in bonsai's for bleaching dead wood.

Orange here, but thats just to match my wee Kubota Ride On. Yellow ones attract insects and in some glasshouses they are not allowed. Bit of random knowledge for you.

Had a spare couple of hours so thought I'd have a go at the shrooms.:marchmellow:

Ouch!!!! My finger is almost recovered mate, Had a look at that lancelot but I got the fear. I stick with Rhodius Zirconium Flap Disc from toolstation. Angle grinder still has the guard on and the extra handle for control. I keep the revs down to reduce burning. Try not to hold it too close to reduce chance of sanding the ball bag.

:thumbup:

Here's it the right way round, cut looks worse and I don't like standing downhill like that.

Took me a couple of minutes to get into it but yes very very funny. Thanks as I've had a lousy day. Read six so far....

It's been emotional. :001_tt2:

Well if Milliband is still leading his party, I think the Torys might do pretty well especially when they ditch the libdems.

Large shallow frying pan, high heat works for me. I mop up the excess water/grease with a bit of kitchen roll while cooking. I don't season until its brown to stop more moisture coming out. Can't always afford the good stuff so this is the next best thing for me. Don't expect anything else from the supermarkets myself.

Think I would need a stretcher for that place mmmmmmmmm

There is also the change in women's attitude to working. Women had more opportunities available to them under thatcher so I higher proportion going to work full time, changing the family model resulting in the kids being brought up by the media. (A simplified view as it is getting late). I know alot of chaps who feel a bit left behind in that regard. How many women do you see now driving big audis etc. compared to the early 80's?

Yes and I know allllll too well matey, if we are going down that route. Most of the ex miners I have had dealings with felt betrayed by both the unions and the government. I know the state that this has left these communities, like many I live in them. The smart ones were able to adapt into service industries, manufacturing, computer industries etc in my area. Light work compared to down the pits, but still work. He moved away to find work instead of hoping a job would land on his plate. My good neighbour is in his 80's and has told me all about his time through the strikes. Sure the resentment runs deep but he made sure his kids and grandkids made something of themselves so as not to repeat it. Some were left behind in the last century rightly or wrongly that is not being derogatory that is fact. You are right that we are discussing peoples lives/livelihoods, just like everyone else who had to suffer at the hands of the Unions during this time, relatives let unburried , power cuts, uncertainty etc. It was a mess, someone had to fix it by changing it. Drastic times needed drastic measures.

Yes all those ex miners, dockers et al. All rushing out to go on an amazon to buy a tune, a track or whatever they call it now. The red flag is flying here allright. It will mainly be kids due to Twatter and Facetube hype. They should tax the people who buy this and call it the plonker tax. As for not having much life experience, why would you want to go to an old mining community and listen to all that, it's depressing. Those people who still do are living in the last century, literally. It was all going the way of the pear anyway. The ones who are still in the same predicament are the ones who were not able/willing to adapt to change which was inevitable. Very poor attacking a brothers "manness" mate.

That's what I do when things pile up. Just go and do something that has been needing done for a while, stand back afterwards and admire your handy work. I like a good long stare into the middle distance as well. You are obviously on the right track when you are able to manage these attacks in this way. When I do these little niggly jobs that I have been putting off it feels like a bigger achievement.