Doug Tait

A big prop forward I used to play rugby with would say at times like this, it's not the size that matters it's the weight you can put behind it.

They're terrible aren't they! The oh has a new Hyundai hybrid thing through her work and nag describes it perfectly. It never stops with alarms and warnings for anything, a white line or a hedge or just anything. It even turns off the radio if you reverse so you can concentrate on all the warning alarms it blares at you. Reminds me of a documentary about Air crashes and the experts discovered years ago that often problems were exacerbated by all the warnings in the cockpit overloading a pilot with information.

That's what gets me Mark, in the places it could be a benefit traffic is crawling along under 20 because it's busy anyway, and places like Jed have subways under the main road for pedestrians already.

I saw in the news recently the government have said they will "take the side of the motorist" against council's that are introducing blanket 20mph speed limits in built up areas. Our regional council did this some time ago, from what I can see largely against the will of the majority. During the covid times they introduced an 18month trial of the Safer Streets Scheme at a cost of 1.2m iirc, and declared it a success after Napier University found there to have been a small percentage decrease in the average speed vehicles were travelling at. That struck me as strange because they apparently had no accident statistics to show a reduction of incidents but judged the trial a success solely on low compliance. Gave me the feeling it was a done deal whatever the results of the trial! They did change some areas back to 30mph after the trial but mostly 20mph was retained. My experience of it initially was a few vehicles complied, held the majority back, and some vigilantes tried to enforce it by gesticulating and shouting from the pavement. Now we've lived with it for a while little has changed, the occasional vehicle does 20mph but most drive at the previous 30mph limit. Despite the council keep asking the Police to enforce it they really seem reluctant and I've heard of no Police action being taken against anybody, but the vigilantes have got Hi Vis coats and Amazon speed guns now. Personally I don't feel it does make the roads safer. Granted a collision at 20mph is likely to be less injurious than 30mph but, the instances of poor driving I've witnessed due to people being angry, frustrated or distracted by travelling at the slower speed have increased so surely that suggests the slower speed could be more dangerous? When I'm in a line of traffic behind someone at 17mph when I've driven that route at 30mph for nearly as many years I do find that my mind wanders. Is Twenty Plenty, or just leave it be?

I used the soft tongue leather from an old pair of NI combat boots once on a lawn mower, it worked but I don't know how long it lasted for.

That'd be nice, my tan from 'spring' has washed off during summer!

I'd bet it's the dog. Had a taste of the good life for a month now!

It's the presentation that's the problem here. There's flat sausage under the scone/egg/pudding, and 2 plates of toast arrived after, though it was barely toast and Mick would certainly have sent it back! For a change it was a full tomato, usually only half.

Plant a Rowan near the entrance, that stops the witch coming back home.

No alcohol involved but the nice little pub/foaming drink criteria were met this morning...

Personally I wouldn't be offended, it's reality.

Two words, skips sandwich.

Had to keep the wee beast tethered!

HC dismantle today in a tight little back garden with a horribly long and awkward drag to the roadside. Fortunately the garden has a steep banking adjacent where the chip could disappear and the little GM just squeezed through the access. Timber all staying in garden in handleable sizes for the neighbour to take for firewood (rather them than me!). The wee chipper did us a great service today.

Anyone that watches Blaze channel will tell you aliens are totally a thing. They've been visiting ever since we became intelligent enough to do their bidding. They had us build the Pyramids and Stonehenge, they're running all the world's rulers, they gave us mathematics and writing, they even allowed us to go to the moon for a bit. Granted they do also steal cow wombs and occasionally rape an American in the night but basically we owe it all to the aliens. Although there was a Physicist on BBC4 that said something about The Drake Equation so aliens are probably bollocks after all.

And saved up the tokens for a freebie! Still have the Weetabix World Atlas somewhere but most of the country names have changed now.

Been splitting quite a bit recently, the contracting has been quiet so getting oversize timber ready for the processor. Was just myself today, going grand until the crane burst a hydraulic seal in the grab. All mixed hardwood.

Sign in Germany, loosely translated... Private sign, reading forbidden.

Reminds me of the Communards for some reason!

And muttley filming it!

To be fair the tree surgeon didn't say who the money in the tree would go to, I imagine them rubbing their hands together when they said it.

Doesn't look bad from the photos. We use tractor chipper and trailer so there's usually a cloud of mess around us but only had one complaint from a neighbour. I offered to blow the dust off the car but I was banned from going near it and no more was said. More often I've warned neighbours about clothes on the washing line which seems to be good for PR.

And sticks. I had a GSD when I was young that needed emergency surgery to remove a bit of the stick I'd been throwing from blocking its gut. Vet said it was quite common. Ironically the next dog was a Terrier and I vowed it would only play with a ball, until a tennis ball ricochet hit her square in the eye and she went a bit loopy. Even when I took the ball away she kept chasing a phantom ball until the vet put drops in which calmed her until the swelling went down and she could see properly again. No more ball. Haven't had an incident with rope toys yet.

I'm sure we're all aware that a dogs best sense is smell, but sometimes something happens that lets you see just how remarkable their sense of smell is. Last Thursday there was four of us working in a little woodland adjacent to a local primary school. Spec was take down anything dead or dodgy to make safe for the kids as they regularly use the woods. All arisings were to be cut and stacked in the wood so the kids can make habitat piles with it. I mentioned to the OH we were working in the woods, no more was said. This morning she's at home so ended up walking little Cassie through the wood. She sent me a message with pictures of every stack I did saying "did you do these?". Yes, that's exactly what I did! How did you know? Apparently Cassie ignored all the stacks except the ones I'd done which she sniffed around and pee'd at. Can only think that after 4 days with rain every day she could still smell my scent on the wood I'd touched... Amazing, but how she can put up with my feet I'll never know!

I think lurch said that ironically John, due to the Council saying they'd leave looking at it until Monday as it's not an emergency.