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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun Sep 22, 19 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sounds like a very suitable drying shed then. The drums sound interesting, but no idea where we could get them round here. I also don't want to have too many such things in the woods as I don't want any complaints.

Our retort kiln will do a burn in a day, but then needs to cool down overnight, so can be left, but not anywhere anyone might get designs about pinching it. For brash, I have seen a good system which is an inverted truncated pyramid where the burn takes place and the charcoal is them, with a very long handled shovel, scooped into metal drums and sealed to cool. Very good for biochar.

It does sound as if your hedges need a lot of attention, and you could up your haylage as a result.

If you do retire, if you have enough money coming in, you could always do volunteer work. They are always looking for volunteers for all sorts of things. You almost certainly have some coordinating organisation in your area which your library ladies can probably point you towards.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Sep 24, 19 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The shed sure dries the wood well! I have run out of time spent too long on emails I had to send! The chap does biochar but these drums have no ribs so only suited to already cooled products. Running out of time got to go.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 19 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

See you Thursday.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 19 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

See you Thursday.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 19 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The drums, as you say, I shouldn't store wood in them, and I realise you are right, even dried soft woods contain some moisture, which can lead to mouldy black wood-unsalable. I had got the drums to put the thick cross sectioned sawn timber in to take to the man whose kindling machine cuts it into kindling for me. The reason the drums is that last time he did it for me, the wood went in bags. On completion they failed to sheet the trailer properly with the chopped kindling in, and it was not fit to put into nets for a long time, due to rain before I got it back. I had to saw and chop with some speed after that to catch up! I'll think again! One idea was that if I do retire, I will hunt another shop to sell more kindling. That may be enough to keep me out of mischief. The brash I have will get "biocharred", as the hedges get cut, with the bigger stuff coming off I may be able to get some into charcoal. All guess work at the moment.

I had my first serious mishap at work today-drove a forklift into a roller shutter door, gosh I'm popular! The foreman and the top fitter are repairing as we speak! The door was up in the air but not up high enough. Music to face tomorrow-time I left and made my mistakes at home!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Sep 27, 19 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If that is the first mistake you have made you are doing pretty well. Sure you are not the first person to do that. The important thing is that it was a door that can be repaired and nobody was hurt.

I had to stay in yesterday as we had another besom to dispatch and I can only get a collection from home for them. I did some accounts and baked biscuits, so not a wasted day though. Sadly, it was about the best day of the week with some actual sunshine!

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Sep 27, 19 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I am not the first to clobber the door, I made my apologies to my boss this morning as he was doing other things yesterday and to the big white chief who was there yesterday, and not terribly pleased with me. The door was partially dis-mantled before I left yesterday afternoon and was working this morning; and it is running sweeter than it ever has been in the 18 or so years I have been there; I won't rub it in by saying I did them a favour....., but it is really better than before going up and down much quieter! Definitely not the first mistake, but the first serious error.

Today has been a lovely morning with warm sunshine, but now it is raining quite hard so I will be getting wet as the motor is some distance away. But with luck it will rain itself out today and not tomorrow.

I am going to a small village in north-mid Wales tomorrow to where a friend is doing up a barn. Not for housing which was his original intention, but just as a "place". He discovered the problems of buying in an environmentally sensitive area. They start with looking at your plans. Then a bat inspector arrives to do a bat assessment, but there will be another assessment, even if there are no bats found at the first attempt. This was done by a girl, over night, in a derelict barn? It would have scarred me to pieces, bad enough in the daylight. Then come the planners, who it appears also "milk" the situation, with out and out refusals if this, that, or the next thing are not included! In the next breath I do sympathize with the local folks who do want sense for their local area. My mate just wanted to make a small area to make into a living space and not do too much else, but enjoy it. Each time you persue with the next planning application, having complied with the reason for rejection, they reject something else. This I am told boosts the Christmas Party funds! or am I a cynic?
Anyway a day out!

Sunshine now as the children are coming out of school and getting in their buses to go home, the sun always shines on the innocent and righteous.

On a more serious note, I am getting ready to retire. I enjoy getting up early and going to work, but I am not up to speed with modern tractors and don't take the new stuff in at all well so time to go.

My friends from Australia are coming again next year and threatening to take me back with them it appears I have to get a pass (the) port as my Granddad used to say. We'll see.

Any ideas how Cassandra is gettingon-MR?

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Sep 27, 19 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Just to say that the rain, now that the kids are on the buses, has started up again with more fervour than before!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 19 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have had rain on and off for the last week. I haven't really been able to get out in the garden at all, so probably plenty of picking to do. The greenhouse has had to manage without additional water, but the roots should have gone down far enough now to pick up moisture from outside. I didn't get out at all Thursday, and only the food bank and pick up for it yesterday. It has been windy here, but looks a lot better all round today. High winds forecast for tomorrow, but with any luck next week will be a bit better.

Sounds as if your door at work was in need of a bit of tlc anyway Gregotyn, so you did them a favour, but perhaps not quite the time to mention that yet.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 19 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have been having a burst of firewood this weekend, well Friday and Sunday, as I am getting near to capacity for this year's needs I hope. I will no doubt panic by Christmas, thinking it will not be enough. I don't understand why I have been selling all wood summer long, not like the winter months but above my normal for this time of the year-I'm not complaining!

The door at work was grumbling as it went up and down, before the 2 chaps fixed it after my mishap. I am not sure the boss saw it as a 'favour,' however!

Today has been wet and windy as I came home, but ok at work. There has been a land slide on the road I use to go to and from work. And I am having to make an 8 mile detour down country lanes on the way home, a nuisance. Going to work, I do the main road, but that is a long way round and I do at least 12 miles extra as I have to do 6 miles South East before I hit a main road and start to go west to work! The particular hill where this happened was where "them who knows what to do" had a trimming /felling session in this woodland a few months ago, leaving a steep area with quite a lot of open land available to get hit by rain, where before, the rain percolated down the branches and leaves, gently, and was not a problem for the last 15 years that I have been going along that road twice every day, but I am just an " 'umble peasant, Mr Macawber".

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 19 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Just saw this on the next town over Facebook page. Several pictures but don't know how to add them. It's like one glass fronted bookcase shelf, the kind where the front lifts up and slides inside. It is up on two posts. What a nice idea!

PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD....We have opened a Blessing Box (mini emergency food pantry) at the Everittstown UMC Church. This is a 24/7 food pantry to fill in emergency items when the regular food pantries are not open. Items include: macaroni and cheese dinners, peanut butter, instant soup, toilet tissue, diapers, etc. It is open to everyone, just take what you need. There are signs at both driveways. We are located at the crossroads of Rts. 519 & 513. Thanks for your help!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 19 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes, a very nice idea Jam Lady. As our food bank, being a very small one, is only open for 2 hours twice a week, it isn't practical for us, but we seem to so quite a lot of food parcels when we are open, so we must be fulfilling a need.

Gregotyn, I hope something can be done about your landslide, as having an 8 mile detour to get round it is rather a long way.Seems to me that the people running that wood might have done better to have adopted continuous cover forestry. Common sense should have told them clear fell might have consequences.

We have to see a man about access to the pylon in the wood this morning, then we have some of the new reuseable log bags to deliver. After that I am hoping we may be able to bag some charcoal and cut some besom handles as we have sold another and I have only 2 heads and handles left. I can make more heads, but need more handles.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 19 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Mistress Rose, I think the Blessing Box operates like an honor box. The church keeps it supplied and people can come whenever and help themselves.

We also have Little Free Libraries - do you have that? Whoever wants to - homeowner, store, whatever - puts up a small weatherproof box with a few books. Come, take a book to read. Return it, keep it, add a book or two. Lovely idea.

When I get a chance (and remember) I'll try to photograph the one on my street, and also the Blessing Box too.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 19 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Some cafes have books to read while you are there, but we have free public libraries, so less need of the Little Free Libraries here perhaps as I have never come across one. Both are a nice idea though.

We delivered the first of the log sacks in reusable bags yesterday, so we will see how popular and practical they are.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 19 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I guess I was not clear, Mistress Rose.

"Little Free Library is a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of a public bookcase. More than 90,000 public book exchanges are registered with the organization and branded as Little Free Libraries."

A (501)(c)(3) is a non-profit, tax free system for multiple different organizations - TNR cat rescue is another example. The organization must register, be approved, file regularly - you know what government is like!

There are several county libraries ranging in size from a couple of rooms of books up to a free standing three story building filled with books. They are free to residents. Books borrowed from one library in the system may be returned to any other library in the system. There's a courier who retrieves books from where returned to their "home" library.

The smaller branches have limited hours. The main county library is always open for a full day on Monday through Saturday, and from late September through May is also open Sunday afternoon. It also has a bookmobile.

And yes, gregotyn, even the smaller libraries have at least one computer for patrons to use.

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