Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

[V8Druid]

So you have another 3 years before you hit state pension age. The private one will depend on the scheme. I think I have to make it to 68 now. Doubt I'll manage that so not too worried (lots of stroke history in my family). Paying into these things is just hedging my bets that I'm wrong though!

I thought it was now 66 for me, but can't keep up with the ever changing goal posts ..... private was 55, but as said have chosen not to dip in, or I'd not able to cash in.

 

[Cyberprog]

I thought it was now 66 for me, but can't keep up with the ever changing goal posts ..... private was 55, but as said have chosen not to dip in, or I'd not able to cash in.

Yep, get an IFA to check it over before you cash it in just in case! I reckon you've probably got at least another 7 years in you where you can be active enough to earn some scratch, you seem like the sort that has to be doing something so that's good.

 

[Alan caddy]

I wouldn't use a chain instead of top link fine on toppers etc not good on tall things as nothing to stop it falling forwards and smashing window or cab depending on the force, measure the distance between tractor mounting and splitter mounting and either buy one to suit or make your own, good wee job for the new lathe

 

[V8Druid]

I wouldn't use a chain instead of top link fine on toppers etc not good on tall things as nothing to stop it falling forwards and smashing window or cab depending on the force, measure the distance between tractor mounting and splitter mounting and either buy one to suit or make your own, good wee job for the new lathe

had considered that Alan and it is a very fair observation ....... reckon Gaz's additional A frame is favourite TBH ... get the top link down to where it should be for the Zetor and the lower mounts in line with the top , vertically

 

[V8Druid]

Yep, get an IFA to check it over before you cash it in just in case! I reckon you've probably got at least another 7 years in you where you can be active enough to earn some scratch, you seem like the sort that has to be doing something so that's good.

there is a dedicated website for doing just that Alex ... have looked into it ....... and yeh .... need to be doing ....
as for IFAs ..... know a couple around here and would'nt trust either of 'em with a tube of smarties let alone my pension pot .... especially the one guy. knowing some of his track record, I don't know how he still 'functions' !!

 

[V8Druid]

Yep, get an IFA to check it over before you cash it in just in case! I reckon you've probably got at least another 7 years in you where you can be active enough to earn some scratch, you seem like the sort that has to be doing something so that's good.

oh ..... and thanks for the vote of confidence

 

[V8Druid]

@Cyberprog I am not disagreeing with the main point of your post! Trust me, I wholeheartedly support the idea that any foreigner who commits a crime in their host country should be kicked out. If that is the UK, The Netherlands or any other country. If you commit a crime (not talking about a speeding fine) than you clearly show disrespect to your host country.

I (wrongly) hoped that people would be able to separate the wheat from the chaff and don’t make such sweeping statements. This is not the first post in which Graham has shown his disdain for foreigners. It is just becoming a bit tedious and for me personally, it tarnishes this thread. Which is a great shame as Graham has helped me lots since I joined the forum and this thread is always good to read.

sadly the chaff all but obliterates the wheat FT ...... and makes the good guys virtually invisible ...... my disdain is for all the freeloading scroungers that form the chaff .... I have several friends from Germany, France, Belgium and Holland ... all hard working, tax paying folk, attracted here initially by 'partners' and who have stayed, to make the UK their home.
You're right ... my brief rant the other night was too 'sweeping' .... I should've focused it more accurately

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Thanks Graham! I knew what the gist of your post was but the constant ’sweeping’ comments get annoying after a while. As I said, normally it is water of a ducks back but yesterday the ducks feathers were ruffled.

If I read the newspaper, watch the news or read a forum, it is now an almost daily occurrence of ‘those f*cking foreigners’. In my experience the majority of foreigners legally coming to this country are hard working and law abiding people. Of course, there are also opportunists amongst them that only come here with criminal intent. However that is applicable to any nation, they all have their fair share of criminals. Be that a foreign element or their own native population.

 

[Lancs Lad]

Thanks Graham! I knew what the gist of your post was but the constant ’sweeping’ comments get annoying after a while. As I said, normally it is water of a ducks back but yesterday the ducks feathers were ruffled.

If I read the newspaper, watch the news or read a forum, it is now an almost daily occurrence of ‘those f*cking foreigners’. In my experience the majority of foreigners legally coming to this country are hard working and law abiding people. Of course, there are also opportunists amongst them that only come here with criminal intent. However that is applicable to any nation, they all have their fair share of criminals. Be that a foreign element or their own native population.

Watched this with interest, only point I make is...try growing up in Preston or Blackburn...then tell me the majority of "foreigners" hard working and law abiding....

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

@Lancs Lad that is why I said ‘in my experience’!

Before I continue, it has never been my intention to end up in an argument with anybody on here. I still quite happily buy Graham or yourself a pint if I see you, even if we may differ in opinion on certain subjects.

I have to admit that I haven’t been to Preston or Blackburn so I will have to take your word for it. Is your statement backup by cold hard facts or is it a case of the bad 10% being under the microscope and the good 90% just get on with their lives? That is a genuine question.

 

[Lancs Lad]

@Lancs Lad that is why I said ‘in my experience’!

Before I continue, it has never been my intention to end up in an argument with anybody on here. I still quite happily buy Graham or yourself a pint if I see you, even if we may differ in opinion on certain subjects.

I have to admit that I haven’t been to Preston or Blackburn so I will have to take your word for it. Is your statement backup by cold hard facts or is it a case of the bad 10% being under the microscope and the good 90% just get on with their lives? That is a genuine question.

Tricky one and dangerous ground but Blackburn as a whole has a 30+% ethnic population...heavily segregated...there's no attempt whatsoever to integrate into local culture. ( I worked in the middle of one "ghetto" for 2 years. Nuff said.
Look let's move on...my wife's wasn't born here but now has UK citizenship and I've plenty of good polish customers who would knock the socks of lazy British entitled plonkers.

Happy Christmas! And yes buying a pint seems a dim memory!

 

[Cyberprog]

I work with a Polish chap, and he & his whole family live here - hard working & knows his stuff. He's one of the ones you never hear about!

 

[V8Druid]

Thanks Graham! I knew what the gist of your post was but the constant ’sweeping’ comments get annoying after a while. As I said, normally it is water of a ducks back but yesterday the ducks feathers were ruffled.

If I read the newspaper, watch the news or read a forum, it is now an almost daily occurrence of ‘those f*cking foreigners’. In my experience the majority of foreigners legally coming to this country are hard working and law abiding people. Of course, there are also opportunists amongst them that only come here with criminal intent. However that is applicable to any nation, they all have their fair share of criminals. Be that a foreign element or their own native population.

and it's "those" that get everyone tarred with the same brush and that grate hard amongst us .... you're right .. the majority of folk here who have entered through the front door with consent and often a grateful welcome are sadly crushed/lost under the cascade of those that aren't and are stood waiting for their free meal ticket

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

@Lancs Lad , I can’t argue with you there. At the moment I am doing a lot of my work out of Luton and reading your comment you can add Luton to Blackburn & Preston!

Trust me, I am not some do gooder that says that all foreigners are good. At home we have the same issues but then with the Turks and Moroccans.

Just one last point on integration. Personally I think that if you move to a different country for whatever reason than you should fully integrate and at least make some effort to learn the language. I was watching a television program about a British bloke who opened a pub in Spain. He had been living there for 15 years and didn’t speak a word of Spanish. (By his own admission). He even went that far that he said on camera that if a Spanish person wanted service in any of his bars, they would need to learn English as he would never learn Spanish!

Anyway, as you said, lets leave it behind us.

Merry Christmas to you all.

 

[maz]

Phone call this morning/afternoon twelve o'clock ..... "carrier driver here, can you tell me if I'm on the right track please" ... he was .... " next left and then first right, you'll see me in the hi viz coat " ... we'd been up the drive for a walk with Clara and Vicki ....
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....... 'fore it started to rain and by the time I was a third of the way back down this 18 tonner appeared behind me " go on down to the turning area drive and I'll go get summat to take it the rest of the way .... no way am I gonna turn you around down at my place "

So Clara and I went an' fetched the Zetor .... whilst 'drive' got it off with his pallet truck ....... it has arrived


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had to scratch about for a couple of bottom pins .... wasn't expecting it to arrive in such a big truck ... usually stuff turns up in a 7.5 or a 10 tonner max. and can get dropped at the patch.

anyway, found summat to do the job - sort of and it got carried back down ...

gonna need to make it a more suitable top link for the geometry of the brackets ... or reposition 'em, (which I think is favourite) to get it sat flat on the deck (and avoid contacting the back window),but otherwise ..... a very well made bit of kit .. with some lovely welding on it Nice one Shane .. first glance is -- highly recommended .... Got a lump of oak that'll give it a testing ....... when the poxy rain quits-again!! .... it held off 'til one and then threw it down .. a very soggy afternoon! ..... as per forecast


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got a phone call Sunday evening from Russ (me mate with the crane) " I know you've been shielding and keeping a low profile Gra, but me usual rigger's down sick .. any chances of a quicky in the a.m. ... be done by 11 " ...... so guess what I was up to yesterday ...

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Russ had laid down some pretty good ground rules with the site manager (big food processing plant in Hereford - tier one anyway and very strict regime) ... I did my bit and everyone kept out the way, 'til I'd landed the machines on their skates and retreated out the way .... worked well ........ apart from the second truck being four hours late arriving ..... so eleven o'clock turned into half three, by the time we were away .....'fraid there aren't any other pix .... had to sneak this one) Russ well pleased to have his Lieb back in action .... 'tis a lovely tool (one of two in the UK apparently) .... pity Scania charge so much for their ECUs (key fob was 900 quid on its own)

Will you build something to get the logs up on the deck or just humph them up?

My mate sometimes brings his splitter round and I get the humphin job (rightly so), it can take a fair toll on the ole spine. Doesn't help I've had a herniated disc mind. Still a good work-out though but then I am half your age

 

[Furniss]

I get the impression if your an immigrant you cant sit on your arse or appear to do too well either....... seems to be a sweet spot if the aim is to be accepted.
Goes without saying really but language is a huge part of integration, and lots of english here in france cant speak a word, vast majority go back eventually because they reckon its too quiet, truth is they have no idea whats going on

 

[Furniss]

Takes you by surprise when you come across some racism , and you react in that kind of "just hang on a bloody minute way" like FT did,I think after a long time of just being a normal part of the community you forget that your anything other.

 

[V8Druid]

Will you build something to get the logs up on the deck or just humph them up?

My mate sometimes brings his splitter round and I get the humphin job (rightly so), it can take a fair toll on the ole spine. Doesn't help I've had a herniated disc mind. Still a good work-out though but then I am half your age

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as said previously, our Morso is not a very big hearth so nothing'll be much more than 11-12", which makes lumps relatively handle-able ... had some pretty big discs, from the last loads i had, but even they are handle-able at that sort of length. a lot less effort that swinging the maul for sure ... if really big, could always put the saw through it ......... any amount of humping is going to be a lot less effort than days of hand splitting ..... might even get Pam enthused to assist, if all she has to do is operate the lever.
next Q is WTF am I gonna do to contain all them shavings off the chain ... make a bloody mess sitting about getting soggy on me patch .... will go well in the burning bin, as long as I can contain 'em for feeding into it work on a tarp perhaps???

 

[V8Druid]

I get the impression if your an immigrant you cant sit on your arse or appear to do too well either....... seems to be a sweet spot if the aim is to be accepted.
Goes without saying really but language is a huge part of integration, and lots of english here in france cant speak a word, vast majority go back eventually because they recon its too quiet, truth is they have no idea whats going on

Takes you by surprise when you come across some racism , and you react in that kind of "just hang on a bloody minute way" like FT did,I think after a long time of just being a normal part of the community you forget that your anything other.

if you don't want to try to integrate, what's the point ... I love France and would've been there years ago, but for the Gaucher's (ironically it was identified by a Frenchman, Dr. Gaucher ) .... and used to be able to hold my own after a week or two of being there .... but could at least get by, off the boat. Plain bloody rude not to try.

 

[maz]

as said previously, our Morso is not a very big hearth so nothing'll be much more than 11-12", which makes lumps relatively handle-able ... had some pretty big discs, from the last loads i had, but even they are handle-able at that sort of length. a lot less effort that swinging the maul for sure ... if really big, could always put the saw through it ......... any amount of humping is going to be a lot less effort than days of hand splitting ..... might even get Pam enthused to assist, if all she has to do is operate the lever.
next Q is WTF am I gonna do to contain all them shavings off the chain ... make a bloody mess sitting about getting soggy on me patch .... will go well in the burning bin, as long as I can contain 'em for feeding into it work on a tarp perhaps???

Leaf blower makes them disappear. My missus uses them in the poly tunnel, or the chicken coop cant remember which, but they dont go to waste!