Phil_G

I will check these out. I really like Swazi clothing for all things wet/windy/cold. Having stretchy water and wind proof with the fleece feel is great. Its generally seen as a hunting brand but they do workwear colours too.

Destroy the BBC? Its been awful for years

It was not angry nor at any particular length so I don't think rant is a good summary. I was trying to write more about how it is not as easy as you make it out to be to educate yourself online, if you just follow theory that can get you into all sorts of trouble. You can't get hands on experience with the internet? Maybe some youtube guides would help with wild berry identification. Have you read much epistemology theorists? This post is about covid, fuel economics and much more. All of which requires a lot of reading around to understand what's going on. It's not as simple as a book on which berries are edible but that provided a comical talking point. Apologies if deviating from that was inappropriate.

Isn't this exactly what we are discussing - whether someone knows where berries grow - others seems to think they grow in plastic containers and not from trees/bushes going off the information shared here. Political echo chamber 🤣 just rolling out well established facts lets not get triggered andy

This is a great point, it also highlights how people can be lead to developing inaccurate knowledge. Few people attempt to understand anything on an epistemological level as in what is the theory behind what they know - how do they know that etc. Anyone can 'educate' themselves yes but again very few look towards the tenets of positivism for developing their rationale. Typically they go for a subjective opinionated view due to seeing themselves as victims. Right wing politics is massively onto this and are ensuring their voter base stay well away from positivism and stick to more subjective values. Erich Fromm goes well into this in 'The Fear of Freedom'

I love swazi clobber but I feel someone in the UK must be making similar quality hunting/outdoor clothing. The Tahr XP is hard to beat and likely won't be replaced but alternatives for different weathers would be great.

@Mark Bolam Did you hear anything from your pal in the Dry stone walling game? I know its been a while, not been on here to check.

The reduction in police presence on the roads is a big element I think. I commute 80miles a day and the only police I see is at the Mersey Tunnels. Travelling from Mold, North Wales you pretty much never see a copper unless its outside of rush hour when there is next to no one on the roads. The A41 going across the Wirral is full of nutters avoid if possible.

If you could send over some info that would be amazing, sorry I've not checked back here for a few weeks. All students are back on campus and its mayhem! Your insights are helpful. I'll grab a few books. If you are into reading I found a great long read by an Indian born PhD student who did a Thesis in dry stone walling. Here is a link - http://theses.gla.ac.uk/6808/1/2015patersonphd.pdf But yes if you could put me in touch with your friend I would be in your debt.

Any of you chaps know any wallers/farmers/land owners/masons in the North Wales and surrounding areas that deal with Dry Stone Walling. The DSWA are a nightmare, seemingly charging £80 for a training weekend which is pretty crap. Looking for someone to do a few weeks/months on a regular basis to get the basics embedded. Happy to pay someone for the guidance I just can't justify $80 for 2 day substandard course that is far from 1 to 1.

dirty slag

Exactly the type of response I'm looking for thank you!

I'm just trying thinking about other costs besides the actual felling of a tree. For example is a percentage of a clients invoice paying to use the chipper and if so what sort of usage charge would this be? Do most guys sell the chip on? If you get some decent pieces of timber would this belong to the client or the arb? I presume it is the property of the client but would be down to a simple agreement? Other over heads like chainsaw maintanence, consumables etc, how would that be considered in costing? Anyone know of any sites, posts, books or anything I would love to hear about. Thanks for reading.

Hi all, Just a quick one. I was wondering what roles would require a class 2 set of chainsaw boots? Looking at Meindl Airstream and they state they are level 1 chainsaw boot, would this mean suitable for just groundwork for instance whilst class 2 is for climbing? Thanks

Hi Guys, It's been a while since I last asked you guys a question, the previous time the responses where amazing. I logged out for 2 days to come back to a few pages of really helpful info which I really appreciated. I asked about tree surgery courses and you guys provided, however, as I am currently working full time and finding it difficult to save the nearly 10,000 that I would need to get onto a really good fast track course I am considering alternative routes than a single fast track. Would you guys advise maybe starting with groundwork NPTC courses? Is there much work in the area? I need to find a weekend position doing this pretty much to get to the point where I can afford the next stage. If anyone could list the potential CS numbers I would need that would be great. I'm from Liverpool, UK, so if anyone knows of any good training centers to recommend that would be great. Also if anyone in the UK has a company that can offer unpaid work or reduced rates for a trainee hit me up! I look forward to hearing from you guys. Kind Regards, Phil

@Marula Hey thanks for the interest, the money is nowhere near 40k.. maybe if I stick it out for a few year then move to a private pharma company. Sadly the job market is pretty saturated and I've really lost the buzz for it. Too many over-zealous academics! Thank you all for the great advice. Even though there has been some heated back and fourths I think the best route is to go for the certifications period. Anything less would just be bad practice and if I would like to aspire to setting something up of my own once I have the experience it is a practice that I would pass on to any staff I employ. Adrenaline junkie but also a massive safety freak.. it kind of balances out in recreational terms and has resulted well thus far in terms of self preservation, bar a couple of skiing incidents. Saying that, safety at work is completely different to recreational activities, in the workplace as a standard there should be a much higher level precaution especially when working around cutting equipment and other machinery, not to mention the tree that could flatten you. Thankfully my job is flexible so I'll be able to take the time off and attempt to get weekend work. Again, really great to read all the comments thanks!

I'm going to ring around my local tree surgeons and arborists to get some hands on experience whilst putting the money aside for the 6 week proclimber course. Thanks for all the input guys it is great to hear the different opinions!! Are there many winter jobs in europe such as Norway or Austria? I think that would be pretty fun and would assume pay would be half decent.

@Stubby Thanks for the advice, my legs are pretty weak to be honest! @Steve Bullman Thank you for the honesty. I think my attitude is pretty good with regards to how I would enter the workplace. I would try to see it as a constant learning process and respect the depth of experience of the people I get a chance to work with. @SWORDSTA That's about right, I don't feel challenged in lab work especially. The money is great but there is a lot of politics and limitations that get in the way. I'm kind of an exercise, adrenaline junkie that has always pursued outdoor activities. I'm a bit of a safety nut too which might come in handy. You mention weather, this is kind of what I want to do it for, I think being outside in weather is a part of what I want even in the cold and wet. I've been considering looking into going to Norway as well once I have enough experience to land something over there, so I presume it would be worse up there! My company would be nice too in the distant future. @flatyre I am a grafter and have that sort of work ethic so busting my balls is something I enjoy doing.

Hi all, Quick Intro; I'm a 28yr old who is considering entering the trade, I'm from Liverpool in the UK and I drive. Currently working as a Biomedical Scientist and a Cancer Research Support Technician at the University of Liverpool. I have been reading around the different aspects of the arborist/tree surgeon roles and would like to push to becoming a climber within the next 12 months. I have whittled it down to two education centres that would be applicable and cost effective for what I want, these being, the course offered by http://www.kingswoodtraining.com which is 4 weeks and http://proclimber.co.uk which is 6 weeks. As proclimber is in Wales and cover more topics it seems like the ideal fast track for me, I was wondering if anyone thought differently? Looking at these types of courses from your experience what have the people who have entered your workplace been like after only having completed one of these types of courses? I was also wondering if anyone in the North West region of the UK has any contacts that they would recommend as most of the people I have been in touch with are not willing to take on someone due to apprentice commitments. If anyone from around the country or even Europe has any contacts I would consider the journey I would just have to book time off work. Any information will be greatly appreciated Just to add, I have a background in climbing but only in the recreational rock climbing sense, however I am very fit cardio wise and have considerable upper body strength. Would you suggest training to ensure that the 6 weeks are not hindered by fatigue? Thank you for taking the time to read this thread. Would love to hear back from you guys! Take Care, Phil