Peasgood

How did you get in if you don't mind me asking? If you have been self employed for 30 years you are older than I thought they "allowed" in, and if you have no work sorted either.... Are you a multimillionaire or summat? I only got back from there on Saturday, I still feel a bit floaty from the flying. Wide awake at 4:30 this morning. Oh yes, it was peeing down there too!! Been to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island, nice places. Flew over from the UK just to go camping for the weekend at Rainbow Beach a year or so ago. A bit eccentric but no regrets.

I find footballers pay obscene, and I chose that word carefully. You do have to remember that they are also very good at spending it, so it does eventually filter down to us lesser mortals. Even if it is only through taxes. My brother does quite a bit of work for a famous footballer, so my direct family do have quite a benefit from the silly money they get. A friend of mine always used to bemoan the "snobby gits" driving around in new cars. I pointed out to him that if they didn't buy new cars there would never be any old bangers that we could afford.

It is low down on the scale of "good" firewood as far as the heat per volume goes. It is right at the top of the list as far as price per heat unit goes. I have run my house almost entirely on willow so far this winter and it has kept me warm enough. Makes good kindling if you are thinking to sell. If it is for yourself, get it split and under cover ready for next winter.

I think in the near future we most definitely will need to be more self sufficient in food production. I think when it does happen we are going to be in a right mess because we have become a nation that wants to look at the countryside rather than view it as a food production industry. Hence the fact it is more important for people to have somewhere to take their dog for a crap than to have food being produced. A big problem is the fact that it is going to take a disasterous event for us to realise this. Meantime I am going to become a self sufficient hermit. (although there won't be a lot of change needed there) Another one to think about if you can stretch the "native" thing is leylandii for wood production, be it timber or firewood. We have miles of "windbreaks" of these trees in our fields. They are damned good as windbreaks but even better at sunlight breaks unfortunately but they are seriously impressive as far as growth is concerned. These trees are 30-40 years old and are about 100' tall. Were they not developed and clonally selected in this country?

Wouldn't it make more sense to eat the snakes? I think he's a bit of a dick tbh.

There are two types of detectors (excluding the pi ones which I would ignore) they are motion and non motion. The motion detectors work by passing the detector over the metal, they are silent if held stationary over the target. If you are trying to find the cheapest way of detecting metal I would suggest a high quality non motion (or "all metal") detector and sweep over the wood before each pass of the saw. I have experience of various "treasure hunting" detectors and they might work, I wouldn't be surprised if the "security" metal detectors might be better as they are a bit more wand like. It will take a bit of experience to figure out what the detector is telling you as there are usually different sounds and signals depending on the depth, material and size of the target/object. I think the post above that says forget about it and use your best judgement and indicators such as stains to tell you is the best advice.

If planting trees I would go for Ash then Sycamore. Ash has been temporarily ruled out due to dieback risk, so that leaves Sycamore. Population numbers don't enter into it in my opinion because as far as I can see we have no intentions of being self sufficient in food. It is assumed that all our needs can be met from abroad should there be any shortfall in home production. I don't agree with that part myself but even as a commercial apple grower I wouldn't suggest trying to feed the world by planting apples. A big problem in this country is that everybody expects things to be cheap, food and fuel especially. Plant Sycamore, they are aphid infested things but make magnificent trees in my opinion, native or not. Personally as a land owner I wouldn't even consider creating woodland as it will almost certainly be turned into a place where the public have full right of access and it becomes a dog toilet the same as anywhere else these days. Sad but true.

I'm burning more than him and the theoretical carbon footprint is zero. The wood is from trees I planted. Have to admit that burning leyland brash doesn't look very carbon neutral Heating a draughty 6 bed farmhouse to a comfortable level including all hot water and cooking. Shifting a lot of wood but apart from my own labour it is for free. Would prefer to live in a smaller better insulated house. I did have oil central heating but took it out and replaced with a wood stove, house is a lot warmer now because I could never afford the oil. As for having an open fire in this day and age, just so wasteful. Most of the heat goes up the chimney and draws all the cold draughts in the process. A modern log burner uses far less fuel and heats the house so much better.

My lurcher came home with a full roast leg of lamb. No idea where from, I don't have many neighbours and the nearest is a mile away.

Look up the price of the tines first, they are very dear. Reckon on bending a few (or more!) If my best mate who I owed an awful lot of favours and had saved my life many times asked me if he could borrow my buck rake to push up brash in the woods.... I would tell him to get We use them to clear the prunings on 25+ acres of apples, you have to go very quietly.

Don't forget we have a tiny country compared to yours with much denser population. The whole environment is very much man made and man managed.For centuries the Somerset levels have been drained and the water courses managed by dredging and general maintenance such as clearing of vegetation etc. It worked very well but a decade or so ago they stopped the management and claimed that for environmental reasons (want more wildlife) that it was for the best. In reality I think they saw it as an easy way to spend less money and to appease the so called "environmental lobbyists". The result being the landscape is just a mess and the desired wildlife habitat ruined anyway. Cured the badger problem I guess. The wildlife was attracted to the area as a result of management. The drains are there to carry water not support wildlife, the wildlife comes along anyway. The brook at my place is currently overflowing across the neighbour's field, no wildlife is benefitting from it. Probably quite to the contrary and the water voles that do live there have been flooded out! The two streams that run through my place are far from natural, they would both have to run uphill to take the route they do. No doubt some exceptionally hard working folk decide their route to the ex-watermill and that didn't happen within the last 200 years!

ps. I have never seen the water courses that run through my land in such a terrible state. One of them bursts it's banks regularly as it is choked with silt, the other doesn't run as it should. I break the law by doing it myself when needed with a 3 ton digger. They claim it is for "environmental" reasons and argue that funds aren't there anyway. Well the wildlife is not better than it used to be, it is worse off now. As for funds, if the people here did the work they are being paid to do the job would be done with current funds. (those wasted funds come out of your pockets)

He is the head of the EA and the buck stops with him. As to whether it is fair or not, he is happy to take any credit and pay sent his way. I think there would be a different view if he had kept his promises and had been seen to actually trying to get things done. I have a couple of water courses through my land. Both used to be cleared and maintained by a gang of 4 men each winter. They cut any vegetation and if needed they dug it out by hand. I knew these guys and always thought they were on very good pay and didn't really think they worked hard. They sat in the van doing nothing if it rained, in case they got wet! Then they were taken over by machinery. For a few years an independant firm had the contract. They had quite brutal machinery, they wizzed through the place and were gone. The job was done though. Then the EA got the contract back. I have never seen such a useless bunch of lazy feckers! They sit in the van for all but one hour a day. They come as a gang of three men to work one 360 digger. It takes a whole day to change a weeding bucket to a dredging bucket (should take 30 minutes at most), and when they do actually use the machine you can't even tell what they did. The gang of 4 men doing it by hand were quicker and as I say, they didn't work hard. They wind me up so much that I don't let them park in my yard any more. Truth is that it isn't them I should be cross with, it is their managers that are at fault and I believe that goes right to the top. Yes, sack him!

OK so I am wrong on some of that stuff, sorry for that. I did say I wasn't an expert. I'm still pretty confident you need a tacho if your trailer takes you over 3.5t gross. As said, there are exemptions and I think the limit is 50km radius of base. As for internet lawyers, I agree. The whole thing is damned confusing and I don't think I am improving things much on that score. Can I just stick with my original comment on the matter and suggest you check the tacho rules properly first. p.s. I'm a farmer so I get even more exemptions

Spray the trees with urea or ammonium nitrate just before leaf fall to help rot the fallen leaves. Clear or thoroughly mulch the fallen leaves to remove overwintering spores. Spray the trees regularly through the growing season with scab control chemicals. Not really experienced with cider yields but for the returns it may well not be economical to spray through the season. Good general orchard hygiene will help but the spores will blow in on the wind anyway. I have 25 acres of apples and only saw one apple with scab last year. (which probably means we are spending way too much on chemicals)

None of that is true apart from the bit about a Cabstar getting stuck on a wet road. I am not an expert on the matter by any means. Check with VOSA if you want an official version but even then 3 different VOSA people will give you 3 different answers. If used for business a vehicle (including trailer if fitted) over 3.5t needs a tacho. Young drivers can tow 750kg max, regardless of tow vehicles capabilities. This also includes tractors by the way.

I don't even know what that means. If the gross weight exceeds 3.5 tons you need a tacho for business use, be it pickup, van or 4x4 with a trailer. So if you have a truck that can weigh a total of 3.5 tons laden you can't put any trailer on it at all without a tacho. Even if both truck and trailer are empty. There are exemptions but not in the case being discussed.

I suspect the low light levels in our part of the world have a big influence on the trees "hibernating".

So if he buys a 3.5t gvw pickup he can't put any trailer on it.

Don't forget the tacho rules if you plan to run a truck and trailer.

Even better! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsiJPzCgGGI]Schicht Holzspalter - YouTube[/ame]

Not mine but I do like it. Some good ideas going on there. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMZYIXYxMto]Holzspalter-Eigenbau! - YouTube[/ame]

Kept dry they last almost forever. Timber in ancient houses etc kind of proves this.