spandit

I have an almond willow plantation for that very purpose...

Having seen a video on Facebook of someone selling such a device, my interested was piqued and after a couple of weeks of prevaricating, I eventually bought 3 for half the price on eBay (just under £9 delivered). As you can see, they delivered 2 with a hex shank, which is great (although I gave one to a mate) and one with a square shank which is useless, frankly. It looks like SDS but isn't. Anyway, with my Dewalt drill trying to split a reasonable sized log with it just ended up with it stuck as there wasn't enough torque. Difficult to extract as trying to reverse it just unscrews the shank and leaves the cone embedded in the wood. Once I'd split the bigger log down a bit with an axe, the cone splitter could do its thing and I was pleasantly surprised at its efficacy. It's easy to place where you want it, which isn't always the case for a hatchet, and I made a decent little pile of kindling in short order. It's not going to make commercial amounts but it's not entirely rubbish. Well worth the money, I'd say.

I use Corsican pine - some of it is so fatty that you only need one stick to get a fire going. Had a few tonnes dropped off some time ago. Willow splits easily and dries quickly - plenty of that around, I find

Me too - not much we can (legally) do about that

Due to the very generous tree surgeons who have tipped logs here, I've had a surplus and have dumped quite a few in various piles around the place. Was out with the dog last night near one of the piles when she started barking - it's a consistent bark that I recognise so I ran up to see what she'd found... saw these: First time I've seen more than one (and it's only been this year that I've seen any hedgehogs since about 1985). Hoping the slug population will be somewhat curbed later in the year!

I have two. Both been in the ground for about 5 years. One is about 6' high, the other is barely out of the tube. Not expecting any fruit for some years...

I made my own. Bought a cheap Bluetooth headband and put the bits into some existing Peltor ear defenders. Works pretty well although I'd have to take them off to answer calls

Pigs

He'd whittle a lovely spoon as you starved to death.

Alice Levine is from the North... I'm hardly Sean Bean myself...

According to Lofty Wiseman, "That fat fuck couldn't survive in the pie aisle at Tesco"

What a charming notion. Yes, I do have a type

1. Professor Alice Roberts 2. Alice Levine 3. Hattie Morahan

Can't find the link now. I think they mentioned it on the news

...this dry, breezy weather has done wonders for my log stacks. Nice to have a proper supply of decent dry wood now it's colder - thought they'd never dry out after the winter rains

WDC - it was a retrospective application. Took about 2 years and a lot of reports. Waste of time and money frankly.

Thanks. Been a struggle with the council getting it approved but now mainly leaving it to bed in and attract nature for itself

Thanks. Got plenty of invertebrates (smooth newts, frogs) but the heron comes around and there are a couple of ducks who are often on it, so I expect they're tucking in. Lots of insect life which attracts swallows (or swifts, or possible martins) which are amazing to watch. We've been seeing a barn owl hunting in the field too and I expect there are plenty of voles in the banks where they've collapsed (as they're supposed to). No fish yet but I expect they'll find their way in eventually, unless them coming in on ducks' feet is a myth.

My little pond was just dug into the clay. It filled up in about 5 months (and it's up to 15 foot deep!) but then almost completely drained again over the next 6 months. With all the sediment that was suspended once the rains came again, it sealed itself and has been full now for 15 months, only dropping a few inches over the Summer (do you remember when it wasn't bloody raining?). The line on the island, by the way, is a woven willow fedge.

I've just chucked my Nilfisk in a bin - fed up of the bloody pressure switch not working. Think I'm going to buy a cheap petrol one as never been keen on having electricity and water in close proximity, especially when I need to use an extension lead. I've got a PTO one for the tractor (specifically bought for cleaning hired in diggers in the field) but getting it close to the house isn't that easy

I've got some old chestnut fence rails and posts that need cutting up and burning - it's good stuff. Most wood is when dry.

Fallen tree sinks closer to the ground in Hempstead Lane - Uckfield News UCKFIELDNEWS.COM A fallen tree in Hempstead Lane, Uckfield, is sinking closer to the ground ever day, according to a dog walker who goes...

Have a look at what grows locally to see what might thrive on your soil. I planted mine through the Woodland Trust MOREWoods scheme - think they still run it. Gives you a big discount on trees. Birch self seeds like crazy here so I didn't buy any. Got masses coming up for free! If you want quick growth, look at poplar and willow. I burn loads of willow - it doesn't last very long but gives out terrific heat. If you can get some resistant ash that would be a good crop but I wasn't allowed to order it. Traditional coppice woods include hazel and chestnut.

A couple of them have sprung clear of the pots so I've weighed them down with bricks. The pegs I made weren't doing the job - don't know how long it's going to take before they're ready to be separated from the parent plant

Didn't know that, thanks.