Baldbloke

Volkswagen suggest their DSG has an almost unlimited life if the fluids are regularly changed. I wonder what the difference is with the Skoda badged one that makes this a common issue with the Czech one against the more reliable German one? A mate has just changed his wife’s Yaris clutch along with a gearbox/driveshaft seal. He mentioned a complication with the replacement clutch plate which was supposedly differently sized to the original but offered as an upgrade. Do Renault still use metalastic bushes on the remotes where a partial age related split of the rubbers mean selection becomes less positive?

Been doing a harl removal and repoint on the back wall of our house over the last 3 weeks or so. Yesterday when up on the cherry picker I realised blue tits were constantly visiting the end of the lower boom, even when I was using it and the boom was 180 degrees off from its parked position. On finishing for the day I could hear chicks inside. Last year when I got my digger out of the shed I noticed a wren had nested in the loops of a strop I’d wrapped around the open roof of it. I carefully removed the nest with eggs and repositioned it within a site light that was missing its lens. The wren successfully fledged her chicks, and I got to use the digger. Amazingly adaptable.

Young G.S Woodpecker being shown the ropes.

It’s not the prettiest stem so would’ve needed some fairly drastic pruning to get it more symmetrical. It’s also a young tree at 14 years old. Since the leaf buds only opened a couple of weeks ago (NE of Scotland) it follows that it’s relatively short growing season could further compromise it if I were to start pruning it. I think I’ll leave it well alone.[emoji1303]

This bloke and his Guzzi Le Mans in 1980 did it one way (down the east side of Africa) and then, after returning as crew in a yacht race) did Canada and Both Americas too. I went some of the way with him (from the former Yugoslavia through Israel) Well worth a read[emoji1303]

That’s really handy to know as I previously planning on squaring up our young Walnut tree this autumn. Won’t be touching it now[emoji1303]

Before I sold my commercial and standard Defender 90 it was dearer to insure than a larger engined Porsche and a Mercedes. Nowadays commercial vehicles tend to be dearer to insure even if you’re using them for private use. And, if you modify a vehicle you can be assured it’ll generally be dearer to insure than its standard untouched equivalent.

Absolutely [emoji1303] Thankfully I’m old enough to not need to bend a knee or other such wankerisms expected by some these days.

Any Glyphosate based product should do it. If there’s endless root structure and not much foliage, you may have to respray any new growth offerings. Twice usually does the worst of it[emoji1303]

I recently took down a Rowan that died after the nearby ancient clay pipes draining a well became silted up over the years making the lawns damp and infested with moss. New pipes cleared the moss but unfortunately the ground conditions were too much for the tree to recover.

Good point

This is the first year there’s been no frogs spawn in our pond. That seems very odd. I was sitting outside of a pub by Craigellachie two evenings ago and a duck and five week old ducklings swam past on the Fiddich burn.

A guess that the squeak in reverse up a slope could be a prop shaft universal joint on the way out. The more extreme angle of approach through reversing uphill will exacerbate the bend of the UJ, hence it letting you know through the noises it’s making.

And Horse Chestnut (conker) trees.

Been very lucky through eBay too. Bought mowers and motorcycles from pictures up to 500 miles away and yet to be scammed. Tend to be very wary and pay through PayPal to ensure I’m covered[emoji1303]

We have poles and stays through our fields and back garden that serve us and the neighbourhood. When we moved in 14 years ago I got a wayleave payment set up as well as annual compensation (that they insisted on paying) for a considerable time prior to us owning the place. I have since personally (without employing nob end land agents) put in a request over an option for a one off payment where they could own the ground the poles sit on and to grant them the airspace for the wires. They offered around 17k which I won’t be accepting but will be mentioned to prospective purchasers when this place becomes too much maintenance for me. I’ve never had issues with the contractors who trim up our hedgerows and trees to give the lines clearance as they always discuss their plans with me before proceeding. I believe that a good working relationship from both sides is the way to go and allows better respect towards a landowner’s trees and property.[emoji1303]

They’re not all good looking, although it’s a great job. [emoji1]Where else do you get paid to sleep until needed, get to McDonalds in the works car ,take the piss out of your betters and not break into a sweat?

Yes, a nice girl Khriss

You’re not far off🤣🤣 I drive Doctors, Paramedics and A Nurse Practitioners Out of Hours every week overnight. I only get to drive her about once a month during weekend days[emoji1303]

[emoji1303] plus if you tied the NZ trick of lengthening the post span and using hanging post droppers to make it trickier for sheep to step through you’d save on materials, Rylock and time.

About 30 years ago we did some deer fencing a part of which was over almost a mile of highland bedrock. We used two stroke road drills and molten sulphur to bed in each metal post into the rock. That, after molten lead erupted over my boss’s deerstalker from a hole containing some moisture, and sulphur was deemed the safer option. The local chemists were suspicious of our motives for wanting to buy their annual stock of sulphur powder as they suspected us of bomb making. Now that job would’ve been a costly one.

Thanks guys. Knew I could count on you! Nurse well impressed with your knowledge [emoji1]

Nurse I’m driving today was wondering what this tree is. Blowing a gale today making the leaves hard to distinguish driving past. Tree shape and trunk colour made me think of Willow but leaf shape is wrong (to my limited knowledge). Underside of leaves is a vibrant silver like a Whitebeam in first flush.