Alan Smith

Wild duck? All credit to someone who takes time to take offal out of wild animal. Liver is so under-rated, as is heart and don't get me started on chicken gizzards!!

I think I would do the same, winch off to avoid leaving a crevice as you say.

I've made cider for about 10 years now, about 200-250 litres. I've thought about trying distilling, especially now that regulations are more relaxed but quite honestly I have too many hobbies as it is. An alternative to distilling is freezing the cider and decanting the alcohol which of course does not freeze and separates out. The Canadians call this Apple Jack I think. Again, never tried it.

Brilliant, Thanks all for the suggestions.

Thanks guys, someone had suggested to me previously a topper would be better for me. I've never used a flail and assumed for a small machine would be lighter and handier. I'll have a look to see what's available for a small machine, any recommendations? I'm in Sussex if that helps re suppliers etc.

Hi All, I'm looking for recommendations for a flail mower to go onto an Antonio Carrera Tigre 3800 (nominally 36Hp from memory). It will mostly be for ride maintenance but I also have largish areas of sedge and light brush to clear as well. I like the look of the Alpha Delta eco 135 but would be very interested to hear others opinions/ recommendations. Cheers Alan

No criticism implied.

Been following this topic with interest. As veterinary surgeon ticks hold a great deal of interest. A few points, some more pedantic than others! 1. It's Lyme disease, not Lyme's. Named after a small town in New Hampshire. 2. Don't knock the Doc's. Compared with 20 years ago most of them are really on it now and considering the try not to use antibiotics ethos that we live in nowadays I know that in this area (Sussex) if you report a tick bite you will almost automatically be put on antibiotics. 3. New kid on the block. Tick Bourne Encephalitis. TBE. Seriously this makes Lyme disease look like a walk in the park. It's a viral disease, so antibiotics won't help. Affects animals and humans equally and is potentially fatal. We are just starting to see cases reported in the UK. As an interesting side note, the serotype of Lyme disease that is prevalent in the UK does not seem to affect dogs. In the US Lyme is a fairly common disease in dogs. I have tested many dogs here in the UK over the last 30years and have still to see a positive titre. I think the basic message here is don't ignore ticks, if you get a bite do something about it particularly if you feel ill post bite. Despite what has been said in the posts above I thing most GPs are aware and ready to treat where required.

Does anyone make a grinding disk that doesn't leave horrendous burrs? Generally in tool and cutter grinding if you want to avoid burrs you reverse the grinding wheel spin direction so that you are grinding into the cutter not away from it. Don't know if a reversible spindle is available in chain grinders, certainly not on the basic Oregon that I have.

Doobin, where do you get the CBN wheels from??

Could just be the picture but there does seem to be a significant kink forward of the handle just above the top screw.

Looks like Correa's has expanded even more!

? Eh, Don't you mean Kingstown?

Interesting re the Wych Elm. I've started planting out some whips to see if they will establish here.

Hi Toberwine, thank-you very much for taking the time to write such a useful and comprehensive reply. I can hardly believe two years have passed since I started this thread! You are correct that the deer numbers are definitely a factor in the increasing dominance of the pendulous sedge. I think in our case by browsing out competitive plant species, I think in our case mainly bramble. We have huge herds of Fallow in the area, it's not uncommon to see groups of does between 80 and 100 on surrounding farmland. Muntjac also are increasingly present and their increasing numbers seem to be resulting in making them less territorial. In an area where 5 years ago there would only be a single pair there now can be 2 or 3 pairs. In the last two years however progress has been made in starting to control deer numbers as my immediate neighbouring farmer has brought in a professional stalker and between us approximately 130 does were culled in the first season and this past season I think nearly 100. I have to admit my contribution was only in single digits. So overall deer numbers are down but still too early to see any environmental impact. My other finding echoes what you say about cutting back being beneficial. We have an area that would once have been part of the outer reaches of the estate gardens which had been heavily planted with daffodils. These were becoming badly suppressed by the sedge and so about five years ago I started mowing this area in the autumn with a large pedestrian mower/brush cutter. I've been convinced this winter/spring that the sedge in this area is starting to reduce. The sedge plants don't seem to become mature enough to produce flowers and I'm sure this will have a long term effect as well as just general debulking and exhausting the sedge resources. Interestingly in this area another plant is becoming more dominant. Tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum), another plant that the deer won't browse. This year for the first time I can recollect the deer have eaten off all the daffodil flowers, not just in that area but over the whole estate. I'm thinking of extending my mowing experiment in other areas, probably by getting in a flail for the tractor or possibly for the excavator although I think it's probably a bit too light and old to cope with the high demands of a hydraulic flail. Regarding glyphosate, we have not had much success with it in our garden, adjacent to the woodland. I think where it might be of value is in controlling seedling sedge plants early in the year possibly after mowing in the previous autumn. To be honest the invasive plant control has been put on a back burner for now as I'm up to my eyes dealing with Ash die back and its consequences. Thanks again for your reply. All the best Alan