Steven P

Just seeing that one of the guys charged with cutting down the sycamore gap tree was in court today - pretrial hearing, trial due later in the year. Apparently the tree was worth about £620k and Hadrians wall damage about £1k. The other defendant was 'excused attendance' - does that mean he is being looked after at his majesties pleasure? (the guy charged is 38, but looked like he had a heavy paper round, but that is me just being bitchy)

You see a few caravans in the forest near us, especially at harvesting time - never parked up near each other though even if they are on the same job. I suspect there is a factor with age that your own bed is more of an appeal than roughing it every night. Hotel / B&B / Guest house every night sounds god, someone does the laundry, breakfast cooked and no dishes but that gets tiring after a few nights. However if it is a job you like, the money is reasonable, a weekly commute might be a small inconvenience, especially if you can get home any night you need or want to

We're office based so might be softer but driving hours are seen as a part of the working day (8 hour day, 2 hours drive there 2 back leaves 4 for work, 8 hours working +2 +2 driving = 12 hour day). Similarly they consider early starts too - some stats out there for road accidents are more common at the early start rather than end of the day. Pretty much they push us to public transport (no driving) or an overnight stay if the travel is more than an hour each way. OP - 110 mile I'd be estimating 2 1/2 hours each way, plus half hour break (recommendation a driving break every 100miles / 2 hours) on decent roads, back roads (40-ish) could be 3 hours. If the 110 miles wasn't 90 on motorways I'd be considering the total working day, perhaps an overnighter and combining 2 jobs in the area if they are lucky to pick and choose. A lot of us are 'older' now and younger days driving wasn't seen as much as an avoidable risk so am sure we all have stories to tell, mine tend to be cross Pennine for a 9:30 Cumbria start wacky races (before A66 was upgraded a lot - race past the lorries on the half mile stretches of dualled road and hope you don't get your front taken off by the guy pushing it a little bit more), and a round trip Edinburgh to Birmingham for 10:00 start and then back to Penrith to climb there the next day.

If it's just to stop the rust spreading around the holes and cut edges wire brush off the rust - use rust remover if you want - and then a galvanising spray over the where the rust was and any new holes or cuts you make should do the job. I did fill a hole in the garage roof with bolt / washer and some bitumus paint - did the job OK so yes, cheap and cheerful will work to - all depends on the finished look you want

I think paint would be just for the look of things - the sheets have lasted well so far, your couple of years plus the life they had before. So if you want them to look nice an undercoat and top coat - paint for metal of course will do the job, hammerite should do. The only point I would worry about are where you drill fixing holes - galvanising is a surface treatment so you loose that on the edge of the hole - you can get a spray (Halfords?) if that is all you need to do. However if it was me and wanted them to look prettier, I'd go hammerite.

I couldn't find the statistics but Yew poisoning is very rare. I did read that you need 0.6g / kg of body weight to kill you - it isn't going to be 1 berry or a couple of leaves, got to be a few (one report I read was about 50g killed a man). As above if I remember right, the seeds have to be broken - chewed or something else they pass through OK and don't taste nice. But yew trees are not the only poisonous or unpleasant plant out there - so what to do, take all the trees and put them in a tree museum? I'd be inclined to suggest signs along the lines of 'eating plants can cause poisoning' - education is my preferred route rather than sterilising the world. Oh, and The Boys also have found some good yew trees to climb (among others) - but then, before they get hungry enough to try them it is usually time to find a coffee for me.

Pretty similar - (In the UK) the advisors from the Civil Service are the same, the conclusions from that advice will be similar but some emphasis where to spend or save money will change, and some ideas ignored for 14 years will be tried out to see if they work.

That's the story of any political party though - look to the UKs own general election and the claims the Tory party were making "Improve this, fix that".... but they had so many years in charge it shouldn't be broken

also reckoned on the news that the thoughts are some of the hatches were opened, which also might have filled the boat with water - take away the air pocket inside and it won't right itself so easily perhaps. Another image I scrolled past was the mast broken in half sticking in the sea bed (just a drawing). Who knows, suspect many factors all adding up at the wrong place, wrong time.

Its going to grow and cover the window? Give it a bit more time, see what it does next year - my fruit trees took a few years before they fruited well

Generally yes, both biased though The Guardian isn't quite as raging at the world or stirring up as much hatred.

The guy is there whinging that there is an apparent 'team' coordinating an orchestrated attack on his posts and thoughts, there isn't - if he doesn't like the (many) negative comments to his posts then I was suggesting there are other more sympathetic places he can post than a forum for arborists. Simple. Happens that I personally feel discrimination against the disadvantaged (and in fact any discrimination), should be highlighted rather than staying silent which can be seen as a tacit agreement. Without someone checking their views the posts often get more extreme and that is not a good thing. So yes, where he is wrong (and he often is), I am happy to tell him so.

I thought it was comprehension that was the issue today. I'll maybe word it differently... perhaps you feel there is a 'team' against you is because the consistently biased topics you post 'making the news today' are not the topics the members want to read all the time, I don't believe that the other members share your prejudices. Your constant postings to fulfil your political agenda (on an arborist forum) is going to wind people up. Maybe take a step back from posting your agenda... all the time... and you and your imaginary team will get along famously. Look at the common ground we all share - 'playing with chainsaws' to give you a hint on the news and topics that we -all- might find interesting. Just a thought.

There is nothing unsubstantiated, you are trying to be contrary just for the sake of it. The post I wrote was an opinion piece, is comprehension going to be a problem this week?

This always amuses me, there is no 'team' no matter what your delusions suggest, we are not ganging up on your, there is no team effort to slate your posts. Just might be what you post and are obsessed about are not the right topics for this forum - bearing in mind a lot of the members here spend their days with a chainsaw, constant threads slating asylum seekers (and not economic immigration), Muslims (and no other religion), anyone who isn't white, the left of politics, and any opportunity in the news to bring them to this forum... just a thought... that isn't what people want to come to read - might be speaking out of turn of course, but a quick run down on all the news, the good, bad or funny. So if you are constantly bringing those subjects to the forum then you are going to get a response from the members, it is not a team effort, it is just the forums way of saying change the subject, broaden your mental horizons from hating anyone thing that isn't well, you. (and to bring some balance to your posts, you missed a couple of stabbings and murders over the weekend - good white British men arrested for them. You never mentioned them, why is that?)

Yup, same with any clubs and after school things - have to be toilet trained. It is not hard - we went a bit off the beaten track with the smallest and no nappies, the way we saw it you train them to go in a nappy and then train them not to go in the nappy so we just missed a step.. but had a lot of sudden side of the stops, toilet trained at about a year. Eldest one I couldn't find any clean nappies one morning (eco friendly reusable) so he just went without from then on, at about 2 years old fully toilet trained too

I put it down to access to the Black sea - he has Crimea and if he can control the land both sides of that inlet behind the Crimea his black sea fleet has a pretty well defended safer port - as it is the Ukraine has half the coastline which could be a threat. Turkey has been friendly to Russia which allows the fleet to get out of the Black Sea. All about power rather than food or resources I reckon, though there is some oil down that way too he might be interested in eventually

Just a bit of balance, the foreign types do not have a monopoly on being a bit stabby however if you read any of your news comments that is what we would be led to believe, Why would that be? (likewise, we have our fair share of unvetted people, with no criminal record but with mental illnesses, the foreign types don't have a monopoly on that... but listen to your rants you might believe otherwise since the white British people never get a mention, why would that be?)

also to note that that White Welsh girl who went a bit stabby pleaded not guilty yesterday. Another piece of psychotic scum that should not be walking the streets of the UK.

Just had a look at the users manual online, not a lot in there about sweeping the flu - so I'd assume it should be reasonably obvious. If the sweep cannot find how to send the brushes up the chimney then maybe they should try going downwards - and then it will be obvious where the soot is coming out and gives a clue where to brush from next time? If you are getting is swept I'll be guessing you are giving it a good clean anyway so perhaps have a good look to see if there is anything obvious. In the manual there appears to be options for a right angle bend in the flu behind the stove or a straight flu out the top of it, which way around is yours? A straight flue / chimney should be OK to sweep from the top, a right angle bend should have some sort of access to stop if blocking at that point

Didn't see any but I was just looking out the window,

This argument always makes me laugh. Under international laws and UK laws, as a country we have to assess and process asylum seekers, there is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker. The way they enter the country might be illegal but that does not make their status illegal. Just to re-iterate the Tory success of the last 14 years is a very profitable small boat sales business in Calais. 1 million legal migrants, 0.07 million asylum seekers in the last year. Where is the migration problem? The government sanctioned or those fleeing their home countries to avoid being killed or persecuted,. I don't suppose I have to remind you that to claim asylum you need more than "I just fancied living in the UK" as a reason and that actual "I was going to be killed for my beliefs" might be beneficial. And we keep the asylum seekers in poverty, pocket money only, no right to work, hotel living, crammed together, nothing to do all day, and then wonder why they are getting a bit stressy. Why not substitute them into the legal migration quota, let them do jobs and work, earn a living, reduce the burden on the tax payer and give them back some hope? But of humanity. Reduce the legal migrant numbers. If they fail their asylum claims, off they go, home quick sharp, if they are accepted then all is good...and they can save up to go home when conditions in their own countries improve. Just a thought.

Work experience is invaluable.. but the 'employer' has to be switched on. I've had a couple of youngsters sit with me for a day each, often with about 10 minutes notice "This is Bob, look after him till 5, show him what you do". I think takes effort from all sides - employer, teachers, and student to get the best from it. Things like the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the Scouts / Cadets do some volunteering stuff and for longer term which is perhaps more useful... if you go to the right places and not just a tick box exercise... But given the right opportunities I'd encourage anyone to do it

Come back and comment when you do instead of general comments on your perception

For better or not, letting that one slide today.