Billhook

Image quality excellent with only a small half second delay between it and real time. No false alarms yet, but I find it comforting just to look around the place to see that all is in order when I'm away.

Just rigged up my iphone to a Maplin security system "Sentient" with face recognition and email warnings. It runs for something like 40 days continuously but to save trawling through the whole period, when you review it comes up with a red line to show an event and you can then examine what happened either side of the event. Eight cameras and can see what is going on anywhere you have an internet connection. £400 seems to be a good investment. A cheaper solution I think I mentioned on here before. We had an electrician called Richard back in the 1970s and he told us about a farmer who had been burgled three times in his workshop and decided to do something about it. Richard called in some time later and asked the farmer if he had come up with anything. The farmer said "Follow me" so they went into the small room which leads to the workshop and out of the ceiling there was a massive cable as thick as your arm going down to the door handle, with the copper wire wound round the handle. The farmer had also nicked one of those DANGER 33,000 VOLTS signs off one of the pylons which he had nailed to the door. Richard stood aghast "You can't do that, you'll kill someone, it's totally illegal" Farmer "It is not connected to anything above the ceiling........but would you open that door!!!"

Grazing sheep on ragwort?

I know that view so well as my Aunt and Uncle used to run the painting school at Inniemore.

Culicoides Impunctatus I was camping on a beach in Mull near Carsaig bay in my youth in September. We bought some anti midge paste locally which we concluded the locals sold as a midge attractant to deter tourists! I put some in a matchbox and brought them home for my father to examine. A keen amateur entomologist he put one under a microscope as he took out an old book from the shelf something like "Midges of the British Isles" There were seventeen different varieties identified only by their wing vein pattern. The only bit of humour in the whole book was in the section on Culicoides Impunctatus, which we had now decided that this indeed was the midge under the microscope He said " This midge together with the kilt was probably the origin of the Highland Fling!"

I've been on the google to Mull! But I have always suspected that Ragwort has been over demonised by the horse fraternity. None of the vets I have asked around here have ever positively identified a case. Usually they put it down to Ragwort when they run out of other ideas. Horses are the most vulnerable not only because they are tender animals but because they live so much longer than cattle and sheep which are murdered much younger. From Google MYTH: Ragwort is "extremely toxic" to horses. FALSE . This claim was made by the British Horse Society in a survey in 2014. It over estimates the toxicity of ragwort by around TEN THOUSAND TIMES! See Ragwort is not extremely toxic MYTH: Ragwort is a foreign plant that has invaded the UK FALSE . Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris formerly called Senecio jacobaea) is a common native British Plant. You may be confusing it with Oxford Ragwort which is a foreign coloniser. MYTH: Ragwort has increased in the UK and is spreading across the country like a plague. Sources for this myth FALSE. Ragwort like all other wildflowers subject to regular surveys by botanists. The recent surveys show its distribution has not changed significantly since the 1960s. The 2007 UK Countryside Survey shows significant declines of ragwort. MYTH: A sudden dramatic crash and disappearance of the Cinnabar Moth population has caused a plague of Ragwort. Sources for this myth FALSE. The cinnabar moth, whose caterpillars eat ragwort , has declined but this is in numbers not distribution. The Rothamstead survey moths traps that were catching them still are but in reduced numbers. Since the ragwort population is declining or stable rather than increased the evidence is firmly against this myth. As stated above there is no real ragwort plague. MYTH: Under the Weeds Act 1959 landowners must by law control Ragwort on their land. Sources for the legal myths FALSE. The 1959 weeds act gives the Government the power to order a landowner to prevent certain weeds from spreading. However without such an order, there is no legal obligation on a landowner to do anything. See Ragwort and the law. MYTH: Under the Ragwort Control Act 2003 landowners must by law control Ragwort on their land. Sources for the legal myths FALSE. This act provides for the government to produce a guide to ragwort control. It places no obligation on landowners at all. See Ragwort Control Act 2003. MYTH: Under the Town and Country Planning Act Section 215 landowners must by law control on their land. See this link for a debunking of the story which carried this and other myths in Your Horse magazine FALSE. This act provides for powers for councils to order landowners to tidy up unkempt areas. This isn't meant to cover ragwort and doesn't create any automatic liability anyway. See Town and Country Planning Act Section 215 MYTH: The law says that government departments or local councils must control ragwort. Sources for the legal myths FALSE. There is no obligation in any of the legislation. There is no obligation on local councils and the powers granted to DEFRA and its equivalent bodies are discretionary. MYTH: It's not an offence for ragwort to grow in certain areas, but spread of ragwort onto high-risk land is an offence. FALSE. This is a direct quote from The British Horse Society's Ragwort Toolkit. but as all the other myths about the law it is false. MYTH: Ragwort is a "Notifiable Weed" FALSE. There is no such thing as a notifiable weed under UK law. There is no obligation to tell anyone about Ragwort . See Ragwort the Notifiable weed falsehood MYTH: A tiny amount of Ragwort will kill a horse or a cow. FALSE. Research has shown that a very significant amount of Ragwort is required to kill. This can be several stone in weight. See How toxic is Ragwort . MYTH: Every tiny amount of ragwort consumed will cause damage. FALSE. The biochemistry shows that this is not the case. See Ragwort cumulative. MYTH: Ragwort can poison a horse even when it is not in a field. This quote comes from Equiworld magazine and it has been repeated elsewhere."It has been said that horses can get Ragwort poisoning without the plants growing in their fields. Spores or seeds or both get carried by wind from anywhere where people are irresponsible enough not to pull those plants up in their gardens or fields. Horses will inhale the seeds or spores whilst grazing and the slow process of poisoning will begin." FALSE. Ragwort has seeds not spores! It is highly unlikely that any seeds would enter a horse through breathing. Research has shown that the overwhelming vast majority of seeds do not disperse far from the parent plant. (See ragwort dispersal) In any case the scientific literature shows takes a very large quantity of Ragwort to poison a horse. The seeds present no threat. MYTH: The Meat from animals that have eaten ragwort is toxic. FALSE. It is only the damage from prolonged heavy exposure that does damage to the animals.The toxins do not persist in the meat. See Ragwort Meat MYTH: It is OK to uproot ragwort where ever you see it FALSE. It is illegal to uproot any wild plant if you are not authorised by the owner or occupier of the land on which it grows See Ragwort is sometimes protected. MYTH: Ragwort is dangerous to human beings FALSE. Ragwort is not a poison of any consequence to humans and the plant and poses no serious risk to people see. Ragwort poisoning in Humans for a short explanation and Ragwort Humans for a longer one. Because this is a common myth that really upsets people a special simple non-technical explanation of this is available here Ragwort poisoning humans MYTH: The alkaloids in ragwort build up in animals' livers FALSE. In 2008 the Scottish Government issued a consultation on ragwort containing the following quote "Chronic ragwort poisoning is most common as PAs [pyrrolizidine Alkaloids] build up in the liver over time." Despite being a government publication this is WRONG. The alkaloids DO NOT build up in the liver only the damage that they can do does. It is a good example of the poor understanding of ragwort that is prevalent even in official circles. MYTH: Ragwort is a risk to the health of dogs. Sources for the dog myth FALSE. Dogs are not threatened by ragwort as it is not toxic enough and they do not eat it. See Ragwort and dogs MYTH: 70% of Ragwort Seeds can germinate after 20 years in the soil. FALSE. The British Horse Society made this claim on their website. The apparent source of the 20 years figure is a scientific paper predicting when only 1% of the seeds could germinate See Ragwort germination myth MYTH: Common ragwort may have contaminated bread and poisoned people in South Africa. FALSE. This claim was made by Professor Derek Knottenbelt but the experts in South Africa say that our ragwort does not occur there and the literature says it was other species of plants. See Ragwort South Africa Myth MYTH: Ragwort is poisoning the cinnabar moth and causing its population to decline. FALSE. This crazy idea is another one associated with Professor Knottenbelt. The cinnabar is reliant on ragwort as its food and is not poisoned by it, See Ragwort does not poison the cinnbar moth. Some of these myths have led to action by the advertising regulator in the UK. See British Horse Society and Advertising Standards Authority Some have also occured on a facebook forum discussing Ragwort Awareness Week

We used these on the farm in the grain bins. A filter round the back of your neck keeps out the dust and a fan blows air over your face. They were not cheap but you might find a used one on eBay http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/PPE_SafetySolutions_EU/Safety/Products/Product-Catalog-PoW/?PC_Z7_U00M8B1A0OP590IB369UJT2UU4000000_nid=S04VHF4B4BbeW0B7RL808Wgl

Well I don't want to upset Simplesawman so thanks to him as well!

Arbtalk comes up trumps again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it really is a bloody good website! Thank you Aspenarb

Correction, it slides back out of the way as the arm comes down?..

The square metal piece seems to slide forwards as the arm comes down. Why should this be necessary if it was a straight forward press?

And another

Another photo

The man who sent me the photos said that he took it to the Antiques Roadshow the other day and none of the experts or anyone in the two thousand strong crowd knew what it was. Yes I think some sort of die perhaps was put in the square cradle to imprint a shape or letters on a flat strip of metal which would be trapped by the four wing nuts . But quite what the round bit at the front is for is beyond me.

Another picture

What is this?

from a farmers point of view I would have said that it would be much easier to tip some obnoxious translocated type chemical around the roots. A job that could be done quickly without the noise and mess of a drill. With a drill you would have to somehow inject chemical without making a mess of yourself, the tree and the ground around. Plus you would not manage to inject enough chemical into a hole that size plus I do not think it would affect the whole tree from that point without a form of dripfeed. The clue is the lavender and it may have been as simple as him tipping a bucket of drain cleaner or Harpic around the base, perhaps on several occasions. A trail camera like a Bushnell which is automatic and has night vision, would be the answer for any future activity, then you have clear evidence and a date and time. Making accusations without hard evidence is hopeless, as would paying for a soil analysis or involving lawyers.

Listening to someone in distress about the fact that their massive old beech/elm/oak has just come down in their beautiful garden. There is no access for big machinery and how on earth are they going to remove it without making a great mess. Along comes Billhook with the mighty Lucas saw. Lays down planks and tarp to protect the lawn and catch the sawdust. Watching their cynical expressions as the wappy looking saw is set up, wondering how such an apparently unsturdy thing can deal with such a huge tree. Seeing the change of attitude when the job is done and Billhook has been lucky enough to have no problems. When it has gone well I never have a problem with payment.

Excellent tool. It seemed a bit expensive and I thought that I could slap one together in the workshop but on closer inspection there is definitely more to it than that! Since I have a forklift I thought that I might not use it at all but actually have ended up using it all the time. Taking firewood offcuts from the Lucas to the Palax Combi Taking sawn boards from the Lucas to the drying shed Taking out cuttings. Watering the new orchard using a 50 gallon barrel and a Stiga mower which I bought cheap off Ebay as it had no cutting deck. It happens to be the same width as the Arbtrolley so is very handy in gardens or when I have a full load to pull uphill! I made a detachable hitch and if I have a very heavy load and a distance to pull it I can always hitch it on the car. It would be quite useful to have a dumpy type bag which fits over the poles for lighter stuff like leaves and sawdust. I thought that I had seen one somewhere, but perhaps it was another make.

You really are a fantastically talented photographer Sean. It may well be that your situation will give you the time to see things in greater and greater depth. I would love to buy a book of your photographs if you put one together.

The trouble is that although the branches look dead, covered in lichen, they are in fact still alive. I have heard the rhyme and never thought it was anything but somebody trying to be clever. However of all the many walnut trees on the farm, some of which are fine looking "balanced" trees, the one that has produced the most fantastic walnuts is a smaller tree on a windswept field boundary which leans over at about 30 degrees and which I have caught by mistake with the plough on several occasions. So it has had a beating. The walnuts are too big for most nutcrackers. The tree in the photo always yielded plenty of much smaller mean little walnuts which the rooks enjoyed before we had time to collect them

I presume that the Walnuts that are grown for their wood will be different from the ones grown for the nuts.

Thanks for all that information. The cows never seem to be near the trunk as the branches come down low to act as a fence. There are only ever three or four animals in that field as it is quite small. We have a two acre walnut plantation on the farm which was on the 1832 map There are half a dozen very old looking trees looking slightly knackered but no bigger than the one in the photo. They could be originals I suppose. I know that the one in the picture was planted by my Gt Gt Uncle in 1871 on his 21st birthday. Some of the old men in the village said that they can remember him before the war when they were young boys. They would nick the walnuts and scoot off on their bikes but if he caught them he would chase them and shove his walking stick through the spokes of their bikes. He would probably be arrested now for child molesting!

It certainly came back from the dead last year, but the amount of lichen on the branches worries me. On the plus side it does seem to be evenly late all over with no dead branches anywhere What is the natural lifespan of a Walnut? There are two on the other side of the park with smaller trunks which have died, but they had a hollow rotted out trunk due to water ingress higher up. This one seems to be sound in that department. Nothing I can do about it if it is just old age, but it would be depressing to see it go as it dominates the view from our house to the parkland.

It may cost a bit to fly him over from Finland! The point about an axe v a mechanical splitter is not so much the swinging effort using the axe but I find the most tiring thing is bending down and picking up the pieces and throwing them into a pile, and that is just the same for both methods. A knotty bit of wood takes just as much trouble to extract from a mechanical splitter so it is best to have a separate pile for those as has been suggested. If you have a Fiskars X27 which is relatively light, and put the wood in a tyre on a block, (like matey in the video), I would challenge a mechanical log splitter of the kind first mentioned for a day's work. If I had a really big pile i would probably hire a proper processor for a day. Then you would see some work done and it may be cheaper than buying a splitter. One other advantage of the axe is that it keeps you warm on a cold day!