devon TWiG

most of Scandinavia avoided the worst of Covid because they locked down before many had it , also in Jan /Feb very few visit those countries unlike other EU countries and especially the UK !!! I too have Doctors / Consultants in the family and believe what they tell me !!

Although there are issues some may see as problems ....the Industry is very robust at the moment I think , plenty of work , never known so many companies etc , sadly much of that due to ADB , which will greatly reduce in the near / middle future , we have never had better gear and techniques for doing the job , the Industry is pretty competitive , with most contractors trying too be as efficient and hard working as is reasonably practical , the main issue I believe is for future planning ,, what will it be like in a few years time as I doubt anyone thought a few years ago that we would be in the position we are now !!! Also for many the issue of a Yard /Base to operate from which is available , secure and affordable is a big issue ....There does seem to be a pretty high staff turnover and it takes time and money to replace good people , do some employers just expect too much from their staff ? some I know start early and work very hard until job is done, or squeezing in a second job even if it means working late to ensure that they are the most competitive , although this may be good from the business owners point of view I often hear staff ...and especially subbies ... moan that it is "unreasonable " ...

This was only a days work ...a lot of sanding ☹️mate supplied the Sequoia planks and engraving was done by a workshop with big fancy machine ...

supply of water is the cheap bit ,,,water companies take our sewage away and treat it ..that is what costs the most !!

I have enough work to do , but I am not doing it as it is too hot !! at the beach a few times a week now , maybe a few trips in a nice aircon Scania ...trees can wait , been there for bloody years whats the rush !!😂

So eloquently put !!😂

no it's not !!! 😂

I was at a farm yesterday near Exeter and they just combined their crop and yield was down mostly due to drought , livestock farmers are in a worse situation due to lack of grass ....another told me that chips will be shorter this year because spuds were small !!😆

The raw material ( trees) will /have been rising in price and owners of resource will soon realise they can demand more after seeing the cost of rival energy sources ....homeowners will want us to pay to take trees away soon as they realise the value of the wood !!!😃 there is no good outcome for anyone really ...unless you own a lot of trees !!

I do not think Rishi needs any more money , or Boris ...Teresa May is still an MP and does not exactly fit that description !!

Does make you wonder why any one would want the job !!!!! a thankless task , attempting to do the impossible ...

This book might help ......😂 Amazon.co.uk WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

If you have a long drag up after lunch , do you get the groundies / team mates to help pull you up or freeclimb on spikes whilst being belayed ...we use either system on bigger trees ...definitely not prussic all the way !!!!!

I already have enough wood cut/split/stacked for the next 3 years for my own use , If worldwide energy prices keep rising then surely they will reach an unaffordable point for most of the world and surely the West (EU and US ) will be the only ones able to buy and the price will surely plateau at what they can / will pay ....which could leave poorer countries in deep trouble !!...

I have been in outdoor cafes in many places in Europe in town squares where Planes are present and have felt just how bloody awful they are ( it is the hairs on the underside of the new leaves I believe ) others around me were snotting , coughing and sneezing and probably had no idea why !!

I do not climb much nowadays ...but still use blakes hitch as I have done for many , many years and have no problems , I use a foot ascender if a longer ascent , I like to keep things simple and think the knots are beautifully simple . I use both ends of the rope and no cambium saver unless it is necessary ...

Monkey ...Dax are not available in UK yet ( I think)

New toy !!!

I am sad to hear he is going but relieved that he is not being replaced by that ryan thing with the bleached teeth ..I suspected it would be a woman or some one gay though !!! doesn't really matter if they are ethnic on the radio I suppose !!!!😂

Recent commission for a bench as a gift for customers friends .....Made from Sequoia I helped to take down about 5 years ago ...I got a nearby workshop to do the carving with a big , fancy machine ....It needed great care to get the name precise and the L and the I not too close together !!!😂

I do not know of any finish applied to wood that keep it looking natural , esp oils / varnishes etc ...perhaps some clear satin/matt sprays , For driftwood and "bone " Oak I scrub them well with a stiff brush with a strong ( almost neat ) domestic bleach then rinse and dry then lightly sand to remove sharp bits . This will depend if final location is indoors or outdoors . There is some really fabulous characterful bits of wood to be found in many locations mostly free!! Scorching can work depending on required look ...lots of potential with bits of wood ...

I once saw about 7-8 all swallowed whole and live by Seagulls !!!!☹️

No one wakes up in the morning and then climbs a tree ....getting to work , loading kit , hooking up the chipper etc is a bit of a warm up , so is getting ladder up tree or trying to throw a rope or throwbag up the tree , I get what a warm up is and sometimes just stretch because I feel like it or it feels like I need to rather than a routine , never had a joint , muscle problem associated with that aspect of work , starting saws is probably as hard on joints etc ....Heavy lifting is the worst for damaging your body ...

Ash die back is keeping the industry much busier than usual , it is a tragedy losing so many of them though !!! Also the industry is much more mechanised nowadays so a good team with kit scoff the work faster than ever before . There is plenty of work but getting a share is more competitive than ever , and keeping reasonable profit harder still ....

it's still alive ? !!!