TGB

Ok, so you'll not always need it but if you have an axe with hammer head, it's two tools in one. Whereas a lump, is a hammer both ways round.

That must be hell on the operator's neck.

"A new, unused item with absolutely no signs of wear. *The item may be missing its original packaging..." New? That tree must be years old. How can the seller guarantee that no bird has ever used it as a perch? *So there's bark damage too. This is starting to sound dubious. Also, if you contact the seller before deciding to 'Buy it now'. Do you still get the leaf or is there a better prize?

Too hot here. The max. min. gauge didn't drop below 32°C until the sun set and then it hovered around 25°C. So not wishing to suffer heatstroke twice in the same month, I did no work yesterday. Feels almost as hot today, so I'll wait and see. Too much money in these parts. People are willing to sacrifice themselves in the pursuit of getting a tan or skin cancer. But not for a bit of cooling rain.

I thought shade no longer had anything to do with planning application.

Come the winter, I hope they don't get flooded again. Bonkers two-season weather at the moment. What happened to having four seasons?

I know someone who's got one and is happy with it. But then they did own two/three Freelanders before. Not much towing done but when they do, it's on the limit and pulls ok. Cheaper to maintain than the Freelander, spares and running too; does about 16k miles a year .

Perfect times for working: before the sun rises to an hour after. And the two hours around the latter dusk.

I'd agree with that. This place blatantly encourages the purchase of shiny new things. Plus its members often talk about ropes, chains, specialist head gear, the ever present discussions of which oils are best et all. We even have a 'thrust' thread and photo evidence of our own 'Mile High Club'.

That's how you get your nose burnt.

Don't know what it is but the plumber appears to have fixed the leaks. But now all the rads have been left on. Sheesh! It's hot out. 06:00 start and glad to be out of the sun having a late lunch. Too hot to be levelling ground with hand tools.

You can get one new for £525inc. So knock £150 to £180 off I reckon.

There's a bunch nonsensical other stuff too. But these caused me to scratch my head the most. "Wear a hardhat, safety goggles and gloves while you work." But no mention of era defenders or CS trousers or protective footwear. Or did I miss the directive, saying that flip-flops & shorts were ok now? "Use the chainsaw to make a cut in the trunk on the opposite side of the notch. This cut doesn’t need to be as deep as the others and only needs to be big enough to allow you to insert the pry bar..." Gonna need a ruddy great bar to lever it over, if the back cut is that shallow. "The cut should be slightly angled toward the ground." You what? Unless he's on about a forward leaning tree. In which case, I hope the customer gets a free funeral throw in. Did the guy do "Falling trees made easy" on a postal course.? "Keep watching the tree as you walk away so you can see if it starts to fall in a different direction and you need to alter your path." And if it's falling in the direction of your house. You can head for the car and leave your spouse & kids behind. As if they survive, they'll not want to associate with you. Perhaps the best escape route, is to run in a spiral round the tree. Cover all the bases in one fell swoop. De-limbing or snedding - I'd love to be around to watch that, especially "thick" ones. Haven't heard mention of using a chain braike yet. But hey, I'm not the guy on the spot. "Felling a tree isn’t hard, *but it does require some special safety considerations. Always wear proper safety equipment and **use this guide to help you remove the tree easily and safely." *Like knowing what you're doing. **Why do I inhabit the same world as this guy. Does he also do a guide, "What to do when someone dies suddenly"?

Not in arb of any kind but was there for short while in mid 80s. Nice place to live and work. Friendly people, loads of ex-pats with more than sense or good taste. Building was rife; everyone wanted property and frequently paid over the odds for it. But that was back then, when jobs were relatively ease to get and money was being brought into the place. Now everybody is trying to extract their money. Not just single buildings but whole developments and blocks of flats have been left unfinished. Flats & housing are left empty. While roads were constructed and services laid for buildings a villages that never came to be. Developers went bust or have just gone quiet, hoping things will pick-up in years to come. Some friends of mine went from as many hours as they wanted, four days. Then three and lately to just two. Where before they were manufacturing, now they just refurbish or repair. But a lot of their regular customers, just went out of business. The long running joke, (but truthful situation) was that payment for work done, would always be quoted as tomorrow. In reality, it was more likely to be anywhere between 2-6wks. Now it's more likely to be somewhere nearer 2-4mths.

Or have you cleaned/polished it when before putting it away? Could you have accidentally dribbled a little bar oil onto the exhaust while filling; and perhaps not noticed?

Got round to viewing on PC and enjoyed it a lot. Catchy lyrics and great editing again.

On south coast now. Breezy and still warm but when I arrived, it was boiling. Tomorrow promises to be a scorcher too. Think I'll have to start right early. Get some hours in before it gets really hot.

Ok. Stands in corner and awaits the stoning. I like that idea; I can see the sense in it.

Well the damage will weaken the tree/plant. So cure is better than living with it. As has been said, clearing the fallen leafs is a start but don't compost the leaves, as this won't kill the fly's larvae. And could help spread the problem in following years. You can spray in spring and with some insecticides, all year round. But this could be problematic to say the least with a whole tree. If the plant/tree isn't big, the spraying could be contained within a plastic sheet. But for a tree more than say twelve feet high. That's going to be a lot of spraying. I'd live with it, gather the leaves as and when they fall and burn incinerate them.

Looks like leaf miners damage.

In the short term at least, it would deter the dog walkers and tree-huggers wondering around private woodland.

My post was meant in jest too. I fully realise it's not a commercial chainsaw. But the end question stands. Why the felling spikes?

And this is progress... how? Chainsaws to cut logs started so big they needed more than one person to haul them around. At some point, some of them were fitted with manoeuvring wheels. We seem to be going backwards here. It's like a mini trench digger. And why does it have felling spikes?

It started around 2hrs. ago. Rolling thunder and reasonably high gusting winds. Oo, it's a tad damp too. Reckon the rain gods could do with a plumber about now, as all their butts 'n' pails are leaking at the same time. Either that or they've had the builders in to mess with the floor level. Or it could have been the impromptu jig on my part. What can I say? All the hot weather and walking bare-footed, I was bound to find a drawing pin at some point.

And expertly camouflaged it within its surroundings.