waterbuoy

Like many aspects of life, I think the CSCS cards are another money generating exercise brought in on the back of 'Elf and Safety that provide bean counters with another piece of paper to demand. I was fortunate in obtaining a CSCS card on the back of my LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) membership (which itself involved a number of weeks attending training courses etc). Initially this was a red card, but that has evolved into a white one through CPD. Every construction site we have had to work on has accepted this as either 'Team Leader' of 'Foreman' qualification, even though I have not actually completed the specific CITB H&S course (the LEEA courses include a lot of H&S as one might imagine). Not sure that any of this helps with the OP, but my understanding is that you can apply for a higher grade card in its own right in order to manage a site, irrespective of the practical experience you need for a skilled grade. Further information available here: Which Test? CONSTRUCTIONCERTIFICATION.CO.UK Looking forward, this is something which is likely to be an increasingly common issue so maybe the Arb Assoc should be working on behalf of the sector to simplify things to a sensible level (unless they already are)?

That was my thinking, esp on larger vehicles

Thankfully there was no one at Silly Point

Looks to be bloody lucky it didn't go backwards into the adjacent building, taking the rear end off the transit as it went!

It is how I've always put stakes in tbh - I think the reasoning is that it will (or should) interfere less with the tree itself than if put in vertical. It also helps keep the stake away from the rootball when the tree is small/young.

Sorry MIck - had a total brain fart there - been sat at the screen too long. It is a poplar not a lime, but on the off chance here are some pictures taken just now. It is over 100' tall, about 2' dbh and has been crowded out by spruce and one horrible confierous thing that no-one can identify (we are surrounded by spruce and larch, and many forestry workers). The latter will be coming down soon (it is only 50' from the house and sits on very wet ground!) and we are steadily working our way through the spruce - 35 taken down since the start of lockdown.

Do the limes tend to send up a myriad of root suckers after they have been pollarded Mick? We have a sizeable lime in our garden which should really come down but, if possible, I would like to keep. Suspect it is too far gone to pollard.

I like to keep things as simple as possible so.... How about using a couple (or more) of these? Cheap as chips and simpler than ratchet straps - if bundling on a saw horse then just lie them on it first. Tie Down Straps Metal Cam Buckle 25mm Webbing 1m - 5m Securing Luggage Trailer WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tie Down Straps Metal Cam Buckle 25mm Webbing 1m - 5m...

Doug - Ditto. Town (Oban) was full of children looking for something to do, and all the schools I passed were closed but with no picket lines or anything similar to see. Edit They have just announced 31 days of rolling striked through March and April. The poor kids are totally disenfranchised - this is the sme bunch of children whose education has already been buggered up by Covid. What chance do they stand of actually learning anything, let alone being motivated to attend school.

At least the children have a school which is open. Ours have just had the first of yet another 2-day strike, with the promise of more to come as the exam season approaches.

Or wait and see how many leaves appear?

Aye, but this time they have to make a decision, not just tick automatically!

I guess so, which is why I made the original comment! Whilst I am not a SNP fan myself, (exactly the opposite TBH), many of my neighbours are and they are far from happy with current developments.

But each of the hustings is only able to accommodate a few hundred people. By the time they have put the relevant spin onto whatever happens the wider SNP membership won't have a clue what or who they are voting for.

Or at least allow you to buy a ticket!

It would appear that democracy and transparency are a thing of the past here in Scotland: SNP leadership contest: Media excluded from hustings events WWW.BBC.CO.UK The BBC, STV, ITN and Sky join together to challenge the SNP's decision to prevent media access.

So true of many!

Thanks - it also leaves a rather large hole in the hedge which allows passers by to look in to the front of our house! I agree ref if the laying doesn't work then no harm done, but am currently on page 36 of the hedgelaying pics threaded and fear I may be catching the bug!

Just managed to find the whole sub-section relating to hedge laying. That should keep m busy for a few hours or so!

Thanks - very generous offer (and attractive!) The total length of the hazel section is as shown in the photos - about 12-15' - so hopefully manageable for a newbie (even with cracked ribs!) once I know what I'm doing - but I suspect that does not make it a viable trip! I realise that simply giving a haircut is likely to exacerbate the issue, hence the questions. Maybe I need to revert to further research before attempting anything, or at least look back through some of your own threads etc. Do they tend to be in the 'today's thread' or elsewhere?

We have about 4" of topsoil (ie dark with high organic levels), then maybe 12-15" of soil before you get to the regolith.

That is kind of what I was hoping to do - but in these parts (west coast of Scotland) it isn't really 'a thing'. I was thinking of: Cutting the top down to about 10' high - with loppers and secateurs Trying to weave as many of the horizontal branches back into the hedge as possible. My understanding is that it is no great problem if they split provided they don't actually snap. Does this sound Ok and, if so, should I be cutting anything off the horizontals before I weave them back in?

Evening all Part of our boundary is a mixed hedge which faces onto a single track road - the other side of this is the foreshore and then the sea. Most of the hedge is impenetrable rhododendron and similar, but a short section of it is hazel - photos below taken in January. This part of the hedge is relatively 'transparent', even when in full leaf. I'm hoping to prune it to encourage fresh growth to increase density of cover etc. Having previously researched this I concluded that February would be a good time to do this. However, I managed to reconfirm that gravity still exists at the start of the month and broke three ribs whilst skiiing. I'm close to being mended just now, but catkins have begun to form on the hazel. My questions are as follows: 1 Is it still OK to prune the hedge just now, or have I missed the window? 2 If pruning now is OK, any suggestions as to how this should be done to encourage fresh growth to increase density? 3 If pruning now is not OK, when should I plan to prune it? Thanks in advace.

Am I missing something, or does the revised NI/Windsor deal actually show a degree of pragmatism and common sense?: Northern Ireland Brexit deal: At-a-glance WWW.BBC.CO.UK What does the new Windsor Framework agreement between the UK and the EU include?