Routy56 - can you just....

[V8Druid]

Know what you mean @V8Druid we used to go hunting in Australia and shoot all sorts. Nowadays if I'm digging by hand and see a worm I'll pick it up and flick it away rather than put the shovel through it!

+1

aye .. life becomes more precious, the older you get .. all life ..... get a lot of pleasure watching the wildlife scampering about here .. rabbits, squirrels, birds, etc. ... watching the buzzards, red kites, etc., soaring here is a great past time ... and yeh .. am the same with the worms .... we'd be well *****ed without 'em

 

[Routy56]

I'm not going to ask

Bloody predictive tits

 

[Steve]

Everyone around here saying it's been a good year for rats loads about.

 

[Charlie]

When I moved in here 20 years ago, there were literally thousands of the little f**kers. They had eaten all the outside wiring and made such a mess everywhere. Tried shooting, trapping etc and the only thing that worked was poison and lots of it. The farm has since been under contract with a pest man and this is the first year I've seen any (2) since then!

 

[Routy56]

Everyone around here saying it's been a good year for rats loads about.

Watched on Discovery about the Alaskan Bush People who made some rat skin slippers. Now there a suggestion for the resourceful people of Cornwall

 

[Routy56]

When I moved in here 20 years ago, there were literally thousands of the little f**kers. They had eaten all the outside wiring and made such a mess everywhere. Tried shooting, trapping etc and the only thing that worked was poison and lots of it. The farm has since been under contract with a pest man and this is the first year I've seen any (2) since then!

You should have tried blowing them up with yer fireworks
We are going down the poison route at the moment. But the little buggers are still going for the chicken food by digging under the new run
Tonight I have covered up the chicken food and the only thing to eat is poisoned

 

[V8Druid]

Watched on Discovery about the Alaskan Bush People who made some rat skin slippers. Now there a suggestion for the resourceful people of Cornwall

@Left hooker probably got a pair in his machine

 

[Routy56]

Been a hectic few weeks here at Two Akers juggling work/life balance
Things have calmed down so here's a few highlights before we go for our long Sunday walk:

Lorry driving - demand me to drive grain lorries continues while full timers and sub contractors are not available.
This is usually due to holidays, sickness and self isolating....

Wrights Flour weigh bridge at Ponders End....

.......they have this lovely old Bedford on display beside the weigh bridge.

.....and you get to tip yer load right beside the River Lee

Typical day is laid up at the farm at dawn or earlier, or ideally the evening before on the way back to the yard.

With the good stuff - milling what from the shed. Love these New Holland loaders - very popular with farmers

Then drag it over to the flour mill.
This one is a regular spot for us - Carrs Flour at Maldon. You get to tip beside the River Blackwater
Scary 'selfie' but a sign of the times these days.
Really feel proud and like a 'key worker' dong this stuff

 

[Routy56]

Christmas was a bit smaller for us this year with only 5 sat down to lunch - not the usual 14 or so

Sharon, oldest daughter Laura, granddaughter Natasha and MIL Sylvia - she is now 87yrs vulnerable and in our support bubble

Head chef - Sharon loves our new kitchen. Best thing that I did last year.
Couldn't get a kitchen fitter to commit so I did myself

Walk after lunch

Another random selfie

Darts in the barn - got thrashed by Sharon

 

[TiltyShaun]

Been a hectic few weeks here at Two Akers juggling work/life balance
Things have calmed down so here's a few highlights before we go for our long Sunday walk:
View attachment 20894

Lorry driving - demand me to drive grain lorries continues while full timers and sub contractors are not available.
This is usually due to holidays, sickness and self isolating....
View attachment 20895
Wrights Flour weigh bridge at Ponders End....

View attachment 20896
.......they have this lovely old Bedford on display beside the weigh bridge.

View attachment 20897
.....and you get to tip yer load right beside the River Lee

View attachment 20898
Typical day is laid up at the farm at dawn or earlier, or ideally the evening before on the way back to the yard.
View attachment 20899
With the good stuff - milling what from the shed. Love these New Holland loaders - very popular with farmers

View attachment 20900
Then drag it over to the flour mill.
This one is a regular spot for us - Carrs Flour at Maldon. You get to tip beside the River Blackwater
Scary 'selfie' but a sign of the times these days.
Really feel proud and like a 'key worker' dong this stuff

Perhaps I should upgrade my HGV and get on this flour delivery job to get the little un back in school!

 

[Routy56]

Fitting in odd jobs as and where I can.....

Garden shed re-felted. Not the neatest of jobs but used that IKO felt and adhesive on the edges.
God it was a cold day

MIL trained to use her new Amazon Fire 8 HD for Zoom calls

She took to it immediately - not bad for an 87yr old student

Bramble owns Sharon - seen here nagging her when on the phone @V8Druid
Note that she is tearing up the paper for attention

Megan taken back to Cambridge Uni the day before lockdown

"Grandad, can you just fix by clothes dryer before I go back to uni?"
Megan's teddy inspecting by bodge up repair
Turned out that it was the right decision for Megan to go back.
She has paid for her own flat within the campus. She likes her own company.
She has flat mates about. Loads of testing being rolled out. Face to face learning due to recommence soon...
Back at home she is one of 5 children and although she loves them the young ones are disruptive

 

[Routy56]

Now for some technical stuff for you guys:
The "Two Akers Barn" started off life as a pole barn and I've always said that it needs a log burner.
Had one buried at the back for about 10yrs or more. Pulled it out and had a go at getting it going......

My mate John (who is living with us temporarily) helped install it.
He built a villa in Spain last year. Popped over to visit relatives just before Christmas.
When the UK variant was announced, Ryanair cancelled his flight home until 13th January - WTF
So he is staying in his big fcuk off caravan stored in our garden.....
....."Dave can you just take my caravan down to Spain later this year"

So in she goes, bit of celtex at the back......

.......nice insulated flue. It's steam boiling off from the damp insulation

Hardly any smoke - complete combustion of the old wood I'm burning

Look how hot we got it when the throttle was opened

So quickly added some lightweight blocks to protect the back of the shed and celotex

Successful little project adding a warm glow to the barn.
Nice to sit beside for tea breaks when working inside or for having a warm after working outside

Still very much a 'work in progress'.......
.....now going to think about adding a waste oil feed pipe

 

[Routy56]

Perhaps I should upgrade my HGV and get on this flour delivery job to get the little un back in school!

Tell you what - as HGV driving goes it's the best job out there
Had my HGV licence for over 30 years now and so pleased that I kept it going.
Being self employed and having to pay for all the stuff like Driver CPC meant that I get the most out the classroom days
Yes it's tough having children off school at the moment.
Our eldest daughter is a TA and her 11 yr old daughter could go to school on the odd day(s) that she has to go in to work.
But know that it's safer for her to go to her dad's or us as support bubble carer
Driving the HGVs compliments operating my mini digger and helps to pay for holidays and boys toys

 

[Routy56]

The rest of January was a bit like we have been stuck in a Temporal Rift or Groundhog Day
So here's a section of stuff that we have been doing......

New LED 5 ft batten lights to replace the old fluorescents. The Hi Bays have now been scrapped and also been replaced with the same

Frequent T breaks by the new log burner required

Frequent daily exercise with SWMBO . The local woods are now getting very muddy

Loads of rain lately - this is my land drain IC which was installed about 8 yrs ago.
This IC is used as a vortex type of silt trap before it goes into the soakaway crates beside the old ditch out the front.
Yep - the ditches along here were filled in many years ago and allegedly 'piped'
In reality all the residents did back in the day was filled with hardcore

So this is what is happening to rear of our place in all this rain. The yard at the entrance to my barn is on the left.
So this whole area is to be 'land drained' out to the front when it drys up a bit

 

[V8Druid]

The rest of January was a bit like we have been stuck in a Temporal Rift or Groundhog Day
So here's a section of stuff that we have been doing......


View attachment 21641
New LED 5 ft batten lights to replace the old fluorescents. The Hi Bays have now been scrapped and also been replaced with the same

View attachment 21642
Frequent T breaks by the new log burner required

View attachment 21643
Frequent daily exercise with SWMBO . The local woods are now getting very muddy

View attachment 21644
Loads of rain lately - this is my land drain IC which was installed about 8 yrs ago.
This IC is used as a vortex type of silt trap before it goes into the soakaway crates beside the old ditch out the front.
Yep - the ditches along here were filled in many years ago and allegedly 'piped'
In reality all the residents did back in the day was filled with hardcore View attachment 21645
So this is what is happening to rear of our place in all this rain. The yard at the entrance to my barn is on the left.
So this whole area is to be 'land drained' out to the front when it drys up a bit

we have had SOOOOME sort of wet stuff though Dave ...... dread to think what it'd be like around here without all my drainage efforts of years ago, when we first came here and everything since

 

[Routy56]

So todays project was: "Can you just change the tyres on the dumper"

Nice pile of 10.0/75 x 15.3 ready for fitting

Break the bead with the old 9" bucket (no teef) Note the previous owner had driven through wet concrete (inside of wheel)

Good excuse to use the needle gun, followed by angle grinder, wire brush and sanding discs etc....

Etch primer from a rattle can......

......followed up with the "Shiny Tush" a la @V8Druid
Silver Wheels on the outside faces, black on the inner to be followed tomorrow with Hammerite on the inside faces.
Red hubs will compliment the final appearance

 

[GazCro]

So todays project was: "Can you just change the tyres on the dumper"
View attachment 21646
Nice pile of 10.0/75 x 15.3 ready for fitting

View attachment 21647
Break the bead with the old 9" bucket (no teef) Note the previous owner had driven through wet concrete (inside of wheel)

View attachment 21648
Good excuse to use the needle gun, followed by angle grinder, wire brush and sanding discs etc....

View attachment 21649
Etch primer from a rattle can......

View attachment 21650
......followed up with the "Shiny Tush" a la @V8Druid
Silver Wheels on the outside faces, black on the inner to be followed tomorrow with Hammerite on the inside faces.
Red hubs will compliment the final appearance

Someone's too well off changing them tyres, loads of life left in em.

 

[V8Druid]

So todays project was: "Can you just change the tyres on the dumper"
View attachment 21646
Nice pile of 10.0/75 x 15.3 ready for fitting

View attachment 21647
Break the bead with the old 9" bucket (no teef) Note the previous owner had driven through wet concrete (inside of wheel)

View attachment 21648
Good excuse to use the needle gun, followed by angle grinder, wire brush and sanding discs etc....

View attachment 21649
Etch primer from a rattle can......

View attachment 21650
......followed up with the "Shiny Tush" a la @V8Druid
Silver Wheels on the outside faces, black on the inner to be followed tomorrow with Hammerite on the inside faces.
Red hubs will compliment the final appearance

worked hard on them Boyo .... old needle gun is a great tool ... still got a couple, used to use 'em a lot ... looks great .... if yer's bored i could find you a few to do

 

[V8Druid]

Someone's too well off changing them tyres, loads of life left in em.

thought did cross my mind too Gaz ..... but could be cut to ribbons in places ... look way too good to be coming off yet, to me too

Weather also looks a lot more pleasant over your part of the world too @Routy56

 

[hiluxman]

The ones on my dumper have similar amounts of tread left on them, however they are cracked to h*ll...tho I won't be replacing them till they let go totally.